page_title: Saudi Aramco Residential Camp in Dhahran
section_title: Demographics
hierarchical_section_title: Saudi Aramco Residential Camp in Dhahran / Demographics
caption_attribution_description: Español: Casas en las Colinas de Dhahran City:Dhahran Townhouses in the Hills.
context_page_description: Saudi Aramco Residential Camp in Dhahran, known by its inhabitants as the Dhahran Camp and Center for Naturalism, is the residential community built by Saudi Aramco for its employees to live in. It is located within the city of Dhahran in Saudi Arabia's Eastern Province. There are two areas recognized by the inhabitants in the Dhahran camp. The first built is known as the Main Camp. It is the oldest part and the busiest as it contains most of the shops/parks. The other area, known as the Hills, is the quietest since it is mostly residential and more family friendly. In 2017, a new residential area was opened by Saudi Aramco and named Jebel Heights which is an extension of the entire camp.
  The Dhahran residential camp is a fenced-in company compound and only Saudi Aramco employees and their dependents may live inside. It is located near the US consulate as well as the Dhahran military airbase, which is located in an area that formerly housed the domestic and international air terminals for the Eastern Province. All commercial air passenger operations have since been moved to King Fahd International Airport in Dammam.
context_section_description: Aramco has several self-contained communities to house its employees in the Eastern Province of which Dhahran is the largest with a total population of about 11,000. While in the past, the "senior staff" inhabitants of Dhahran were mainly US employees of Saudi Aramco, this is no longer the case. Due to the ongoing Saudization of the workforce, along with a drive to recruit from less far afield, Western expatriates are now in the minority, both in the company as a whole and in the Dhahran residential community.
  The community today has shifted somewhat in line with the reduction of western residents into a multi-ethnic mosaic of Saudis, other Arab nationalities (e.g. Lebanese, Egyptian and Jordanian), Asians, various South and North American nationalities and British expats.  After several decades of Saudization by the now 100% Saudi-controlled company, many Saudi families now live on the compound, which culturally and linguistically is still quite westernized (i.e. Islamic customs are followed to a lesser extent there than outside of the compound, and English is the common language of communication and education).
  The community is also unusual demographically in that all residents of Dhahran are either employees of Saudi Aramco or their dependents; consequently, several age demographics are under-represented; 15- to 25-year-olds (Saudi Aramco provides no university for employees' dependents so many leave for schools elsewhere) and persons aged 60+ (retirees leave the company).
  After 75+ years of community life, Dhahran, and the other three Saudi Aramco compounds have spawned several generations of "Aramcons", most of whom now reside in their country of origin rather than Saudi Arabia. Community ties remain strong years after employees have left however, and "Aramco Reunions" are held by ex-Aramcons in various locations in the US every two years. In addition, the children of Saudi Aramco employees, "Aramco brats", have developed their own cultural identity and hold their own biannual reunions.
caption: Townhouses in the Dhahran Hills
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