Beit Shemesh
Ramat Beit Shemesh is an expansion that lies directly adjacent to, and to the south of, the original part of Beit Shemesh, colloquially referred to as "Old Beit Shemesh". It is located on a hill overlooking the old town. Ramat Beit Shemesh has a large, diverse Orthodox population. Originally, it consisted of two areas: "Ramat Beit Shemesh Alef" and "Ramat Beit Shemesh Bet". In "Ramat Beit Shemesh Bet", families belonging to Eda Haredit constitute the majority. In 2002, following tensions between the Haredi and non-religious population, plans were drawn up to build another secular neighborhood, HaShachar. In 2007, Ramat Shilo, considered a subdistrict of Ramat Beit Shemesh, with both Dati Leumi and Haredi residents was built. In 2009, it was announced that a new neighborhood, "Ramat Beit Shemesh Gimmel", would be built as a largely Haredi neighborhood on a large block of state-owned land bordering southern Beit Shemesh. In 2016 the Israeli Land Authority published tenders for 3,268 new apartments, to be built in the newly proposed areas of "Ramat Beit Shemesh Dalet and Hey." According to plans, ultimately there are to be 8,300 new apartments in "RBS Dalet" alone.