I grew up in LA, so driving is part of my DNA. Now that I live here in Israel, I am blessed to be able to work on homes all over the country and get to know many different communities from the inside. My favorite by far, is the laid back beach town just a few kilometers from Gaza: Ashkelon.

If you’d told most people five years ago that Ashkelon was quietly becoming a destination for English speakers buying second homes in Israel, you would have gotten some very skeptical looks.

The very same Ashkelon that spent years on the receiving end of rocket fire from Gaza. The same town that many of us have never even been to. 

And yet, here we are. Americans who visit Israel regularly, Jerusalem-based families looking for somewhere to escape on weekends buying a weekend beach house, Jewish families from abroad who want a foothold in the country without relocating: all buying in Ashkelon. And they are all excited about it, the unknown, the less predictable choice. There’s something different about the people choosing Ashkelon, and the Anglo community there is so special.

Netanya, Herzliya, Tel Aviv: these are the names that come up when English speakers start talking about property on the Israeli coast. These towns have the gorgeous Mediterranean coastline, the infrastructure, the name recognition. If you’re looking for a second home, any one of them checks a lot of boxes.

The price is part of it, obviously. You can get significantly more square meters for your money in Ashkelon than anywhere along the more........

© The Times of Israel (Blogs)