The city started taking off some 12 years ago. That's when the Africa Israel Real Estate company started constructing a large residential complex called Kiryat Savyonim, which has 1,500 residential units and more than 6,000 residents. It had its own schools and shopping center, and was a city apart.
The new quarter was built to a very high standard and attracted many yuppies. The apartments were large and airy, relatively inexpensive and suddenly nearly a quarter of the population belonged to a different social strata. Kiryat Savyonim, which was very much within the municipal boundaries of Yehud, became fashionable.
