District: Haifa
Situation and characteristics
Hadera is a rising town in the Sharon plain, half way between Haifa and Tel Aviv. Its name is derived from the Arabic word for "green". Its main features of interest are a number of tombs dating from the time of the Second Temple and a Roman mausoleum.
History
The town has grown up round a caravanserai which was purchased, along with the surrounding land, in 1890. The old building now houses the Community Center, with the Historical Museum, and a synagogue. In 1891 an agricultural settlement was established and given the name of the old Arab village of Hudaira ("green"). The early settlers had to content with great difficulties in this malaria-ridden region, and living conditions improved only after the marshes had been drained with assistance from Baron Edmond de Rothschild. On its 20th birthday in 1911 the settlement had a population of 500, including immigrants from Russia and Yemen. In 1920, under the British Mandate, Hadera was linked with the Tulkarm-Haifa railroad line, and after Israel became independent the line between Hadera and Tel Aviv was built. Thereafter the area developed rapidly, some of the surrounding villages were incorporated in the town and papermaking and rubber industries were established.