Why don't Israelis live in the desert?

[Chachi]

I've always wondered why Israelis live primarily along the coast? Why not live in desert cities like Beer Sheva or another city in the desert. Here in the US, some of our fastest growing cities are Las Vegas and Phoenix. Las Vegas has almost two million people and Phoenix has almost three and a half million people. All you need is good air conditoning.

[PghUSA]

Jerusalem is in the desert isn't it?

The Israelis have done lots of irrigation and such in the last half-century.

A couple of things on our desert cities, some is the flood of immigration from Mexico and Latin America and some is legal and economic (Las Vegas being the only city allowing prositution and all gambling) from what I've heard though there are "water wars" out west between 'zona, Nevada, Cali, Utah, NM and Colorado, just not enough water to go around with all the booming cities.

Look at a population map of the west, except for LV which as I said is an anonomly, all the major metros are along riverbeds or along the Pacific coast in Cali--the nations most populus state.

Interesting question though interested in hearing others opinions on this as well.

[benjamin]

Well first of all, a lot of Israelis do live in the desert. Second of all, its a lot harder to live in the desert there because of the lack of water. They dont have water sources all around them like we do in the US. Arab countries wont give them water, so they have to transport water themselves using pipes that are underground. If too many people moved to the desert cities there probably wouldn't be enough water. (this is just my somewhat educated guess by the way)

[PghUSA]

^^ I took it as why are there no major cities in the desert like Tel Aviv etc. (although Jerusalem is technically not on any coast right?).

From what I have heard the Israelis have worked miracles with irrigation over there. But again with the ocean only 50 miles away why settle in the Mojave when you could settle in San Diego? You get my drift. Doesn't mean the Israelis haven't settled the desert just that your not gonna exceed the coastal regions in population any time soon.

[urban addict 20324]

Maybe b/c near the coast the temps are a bit cooler and there are some marine-based job oppertunities like shipbuilding, trading and it's a bit easier than the harsh climate of the desert inland.

[I-275westcoastflorida]

Well the worlds general population is on a coast i hate living inland and many others do too

[satalac]

Well the worlds general population is on a coast i hate living inland and many others do too

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

after the tsunami, i don't

[miamistreets]

i think its because here its the United States.Over there,they are not as wealthy as they are here.Over there is less things than here,here is more technology,'cause its the U.S. It would be good though,if Israel had a big city in the desert,maybe they could make it really modern,or advanced,since it would be really hard to live in the desert with only a roof and a fan.

[Chachi]

I know that land in Israel is primarily owned by the government; like 99%. They do give 99 year loans, but the government is still owner. That's a strange concept.

Beersheeba has about 250,000 people and is about as close as Israel gets to a major desert city. That's where the growth should be, not on the 12-15 mile wide strip that runs from Tel Aviv up to Netanya. That's got over a majority of the population, easily.

[PrimaVera]

hi to all . i'm new here and this is my first post

where to start?

no Jerusalem is not located in the desert

even Beersheba is not in the desert, it is located in asemi arid area, thogh the city sothern outscarts are in desert area.(200+ mm of precipitation annuly.proper desert defins as 100 mm and less).

some 60% of Israel are located in asemi arid climate and desert like climate.(you can find 4 climates regions in the country the size of New Jersy).

annual percipitation quantity varies from 1000-1500 mm in the north and drops till just 30 mm in Eilat.

precipitation in Tel Aviv /Jerusalem = London= Berlin= Oslo = 550-600mm annualy

why most people live along the coast? like in most countries(and America) due to historical reasons ,(immigration ,Arab towns inland- free coast area)and economical one trade ports etc.

ahh and we do have air condition & advanced technologies and drive cars...

[miamistreets]

I think it would a great breakthrough for Israel,if it had advanced things to be able to live in the dessert like a normal place.

That would probably help everyone in the world with dessert areas.To handle the growing population,instead of cutting down trees and killing out animal species.

(If, that happens it'll be funny cause then deserts would be protected,to not kill off the desert animals.

That'll be like the "Sahara Desert National Park". )

[Chachi]

I do know a little bit about Israel's history, and I know that one of the "founders" of Israel, Ben-Gurion, believed that Israel's future lied in the desert. I think he even built his retirement house deep in the desert.

The US has cities like Phoenix, which has 3 million people and is in the desert. In the summer the temperature gets up to 110 degrees (fahrenheit). People use a lot of air conditioning, but Phoenix still attracts thousands of new residents each month.

Israel has large desert areas that could have cities like Phoenix. Land would be much cheaper and living in a house instead of a cramped apartment in Tel Aviv would be much more pleasant.

[Chachi]

Somebody answer back. It's been over a month and a half since I wrote the above two statements.

[benjamin]

Somebody answer back.  It's been over a month and a half since I wrote the above two statements.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Well you have to remember Israel is a tiny country land and population wise. Theres room for growth in the desert yes, but theres just not that many people. Technology isn't the issue as Israel has MORE than the needed technology to have a big desert city. The issue is that honestly people favor living in the coastal regions, and thats even true in the United States.

[Chachi]

If I lived in Israel I wouldn't want to live in a crowded city like Tel Aviv. I'd get a house that wasn't attached to another house and live in a city like BeerSheva. If I wanted to visit Tel Aviv for the day I'd take the train. Israel actually has a pretty good commuter train service.

[Unifour]

I chat on a world wide Internet chat room with Israeli rooms, and I chat with a nice guy who lives in Galilee on a kibbutz. A lot of Israelis live in those types of communities, they are not big cities, but they are solid communities. He says they are growing because of Israel's rapid population growth and high Jewish immigration... Maybe someday they will have another large inland city other than Jerusalem.

[mercuex]

Well you have to remember that Israel's population is only about 7 million or so, so to have a city of 250,000 in the middle of the desert like Beer Sheva is fricken amazing.

If I were to live in Israel, I would most definitely, 100% live in Haifa

[sbarbrow]

I chat on a world wide Internet chat room with Israeli rooms, and I chat with a nice guy who lives in Galilee on a kibbutz. A lot of Israelis live in those types of communities, they are not big cities, but they are solid communities. He says they are growing because of Israel's rapid population growth and high Jewish immigration... Maybe someday they will have another large inland city other than Jerusalem.

I thought that kibbutzeim were failing all over the country? My aunt lives on one in the Western Galilee and it is converting slowly but surely into a regular town instead of a community with shared everything...

Other thoughts for this thread - which I think is highly interesting -

1. I took a trip to Israel this past April, and my family took me hiking in the desert. They took me to sites where several hundred (or thousand?) years ago people had built temples and small settlements in the desert. I'm not just talking about Masada, although that's an example. It was mind boggling to me how they ended up with water (they had built large cisterns) and survive. I was reaching for my water bottle every 3 minutes... I was impressed.

2. About Ben Gurion building his retirement home in the desert - was he the guy who also had this grand plan to make the desert super fertile? So now there are agriculture plots where there otherwise wouldn't be?

3. Someone said something about the coasts - I agree, cities were set up where they are because water is an easy way to transport goods around... yay trading!

As much as I do love cities and concentrating density - when I was there, it was clear to me there was a certain beauty in the desert, and I'm not sure "fertilizing" it is the way to go... the cities in the mideast are all so old so that makes for a very interesting dynamic when the modern world develops within that context. I don't know - maybe I just don't trust that Israel would plan smart cities in the desert? and it would just end up being sprawl?