Ya'ad, Israel

Ya'ad is located in the Northwestern Lower Galilee and is represented within the Misgav Regional Council.[2] It lies near Highway 805 in the Lower Galilee.[1]

The settlement borders the Segev Forest and overlooks Haifa Bay and the western Galilee. It is also close to the Misgav regional center and its services.[3]

Ya'ad was established in 1975 and has been described as one of the older settlements in the Misgav area.[2][3] Its founders belonged to a group of Technion graduates specializing in computing and architecture.[3]

Ya'ad, Shekhanya, Manof, and Koranit were established by Technion graduates according to an innovative model known as an industrial village. The model envisioned rural settlements with industrial centers in which residents could work.[4]

Ya'ad began as a moshav shitufi, or cooperative settlement. A 2005 profile described it as a community settlement, while other reference and news sources have continued to identify it as a moshav.[2][3][1]

An Encyclopaedia Judaica reference table records 556 inhabitants for Ya'ad.[2] The figure represents a historical snapshot and should not be treated as a current population estimate.

During the community's 2005 housing expansion, the purchasing families were generally in their thirties. They included engineers, programmers, psychologists, marketing professionals, and accountants. Most came from Haifa, the Krayot, and Tel Aviv, while others belonged to Ya'ad's second generation.[3]

In December 2005, sales concluded for 29 plots in a new expansion of Ya'ad, with total reported sales of approximately $4.6 million. Demand exceeded the number of available plots.[3]

Each plot covered approximately half a dunam. The Misgav Economic Company developed the public infrastructure and constructed standardized houses ranging from 110 to 160 square meters. The average house covered 120 square meters and had a final price of approximately $160,000.[3]

Construction was expected to be completed toward the end of 2006. Hemi Gurli was the architect, and Shlomo Lia'ad supervised the project.[3]

Ya'ad's setting is defined by the neighboring Segev Forest and views toward Haifa Bay and the western Galilee.[3] The settlement is also near the Misgav regional center, which provides regional services, and Highway 805, a principal road through the Lower Galilee.[3][1]