Ashkelon is a long coastal city, and the neighbourhoods differ a lot in age and feel. Nefesh B'Nefesh says olim live all over the city, with no single "olim neighbourhood". This guide sums up what the municipality and Hebrew Wikipedia say; I found no reliable price data by neighbourhood, so there are no prices here. Try the neighbourhood matcher to compare them side by side.
How the city is laid out
Hebrew Wikipedia groups the neighbourhoods into three parts:
- North: Barnea, Ir Yamim, Neve Dekalim and Ir HaYayin.
- Centre: Afridar, the City, Migdal, Ramat Eshkol, Neot Ashkelon, Neve Ilan and the Marina.
- South: Agamim, Givat Tziyon, Shimshon, Neve Yam, Gan HaVradim, Jabotinsky and Shikmim.
Each neighbourhood has an elected committee and a neighbourhood administration that passes residents' needs to the municipality, plus a municipal WhatsApp group for routine and emergency updates.
The three new neighbourhoods
The municipality presents Ir Yamim (the northern coastal strip), Ir HaYayin and Agamim (in the south, by the Eco-Park lake) as the three neighbourhoods built in recent years. Wikipedia says Ir HaYayin is planned for almost 10,000 homes. For Ir Yamim the municipality mentions a planned shopping strip at Arie Tagar St and Jerusalem Blvd, a bike path along Ariel Sharon Blvd, and bus lines 12 and 5.
Where young families are
The 2026-27 municipal gan list gives a rough picture: Barnea 52 gans, Agamim 26, Afridar 21, Ir HaYayin North 20 and South 17, Shimshon 19, Neot Ashkelon 11 and Neve Hadarim 10.
Afridar and Barnea
Afridar was planned for immigrants from English-speaking countries and built from the early 1950s on the initiative of South African Jewry; the name joins "Africa" and "Amidar". Wikipedia says it has a higher socio-economic profile than most of the city and about 21,000 residents. Barnea, built north of Afridar from the 1970s, has a similar profile; Barnea B and C are nicknamed the "Golf" neighbourhood.
Russian-speaking neighbourhoods
In the 1990s Ashkelon absorbed more than 50,000 immigrants, mainly from the former Soviet Union and Ethiopia. Wikipedia says Neve Hadarim, Kochav HaTzafon, Neve Dekalim, Neve Ilan and Gan HaVradim were populated mostly by immigrants from the former Soviet Union. Today 28.7% of residents arrived as immigrants since 1990 (CBS 2021).
Migdal and the old centre
Migdal is the historic core: the former town of al-Majdal, settled by new immigrants from 1949-50. Its pedestrian mall, the Khan Museum and the Monday and Thursday market are here. It shares an administration with Ramat Eshkol and Kochav HaTzafon, based at the Katznelson centre.
The south
Givat Tziyon (once called "Shikunim") has the Aloney Tzion community centre and the Rambam library with English children's books. Shimshon (once "Atikot") has the Havatzelet community centre, which serves the Ethiopian-Israeli community and everyone else. Neve Yam sits by the sea; Jabotinsky & Shikmim share an administration beside the Burton centre.
Old names you may hear
Rasko (formerly Afridar, now the City), the Pilots' neighbourhood and Water Tower (both Afridar), Ramat Rafaeli (Ramat Kramim), the Golf neighbourhood (Barnea B and C), Shikunim (Givat Tziyon) and Atikot (Shimshon).
The new-build areas need a water meter opened by Mei Ashkelon (Academic Tower, 2 Yoram Veron St, floor 7; 1-800-800-277). For rent and arnona, see renting and buying.
