Rishon LeZion

Rishon LeZion רִאשׁוֹן לְצִיּוֹן‎
City (from 1950)
Hebrew transcription(s)
• ISO 259	Riˀšon l Ṣiyon
• Translit.	Rishon LeTziyon
• Also spelled	Rishon LeZiyyon (official)
From up to the left: Palm Tree Boulevards, The Superland and Yes Planet, Leader's Park, 'Off the lip' Sculpture, Gold Mall
Flag Coat of arms
Rishon LeZion Show map of Central Israel Rishon LeZion Show map of Israel
Coordinates: 31°57′N 34°48′E / 31.950°N 34.800°E / 31.950; 34.800
Country	Israel
District	Central
Founded	1882; 142 years ago (1882)
Government
• Mayor	Raz Kinstlich
Area
• Total	61,914.25 dunams (61.91425 km2 or 23.90523 sq mi)
Population  (2022)[1]
• Total	260,453
• Density	4,200/km2 (11,000/sq mi)
Ethnicity [1]
• Jews	89.9%
• Arabs	0.1%
• Others	10%
Name meaning	First to Zion

Rishon LeZion (Hebrew: רִאשׁוֹן לְצִיּוֹן (audio)^ⓘ, lit. "First to Zion") is a city in Israel, located along the central Israeli coastal plain eight kilometres (5 mi) south of Tel Aviv. It is part of the Gush Dan metropolitan area.

Founded in 1882 by Jewish immigrants from the Russian Empire who were part of the First Aliyah, it was the first Zionist settlement founded in Israel by the New Yishuv and the second Jewish farm settlement established in Ottoman Syria in the 19th century, after Petah Tikva. As of 2017, it was the fourth-largest city in Israel, with a population of 260,453.^[2]

The city is a member of Forum 15, which is an association of fiscally autonomous cities in Israel that do not depend on national balancing or development grants.^[3]