The Herzliya Pituach Industrial Zone sits to the west of Highway 2 and the Ayalon Highway and is adjacent to the prestigious Herzliya Pituach residential neighborhood. The Industrial Zone, which spans an area of 649 dunams, has undergone a massive change from a heavy industry zone to a commercial, high-tech and recreation area. Until the early 1980s, the Industrial Zone was a home for heavy industry, including iron, plastic, cement and printing. However, two major Israeli companies, Digital and Scitex, considered the flagships of the Israeli high-tech industry, searched for a cheaper alternative to Tel Aviv and pioneered the trend of moving to the Industrial Zone. These companies, for which tens of thousands of square meters of office space were constructed, were the precursors of an accelerated process that continues to this very day, where heavy industry plants are closing to make way for the construction of modern office and commercial buildings. Recognizing the tremendous potential of the Industrial Zone, the Herzliya municipality worked for the approval of a new city zoning plan that was authorized in 1998. The plan allows only businesses that are free of ecological hazards to operate in the Zone, increases building percentage in the zone, and arranges suitable transportation arteries and parking facilities for the increase in the Park’s vehicular traffic. Herzliya Pituach is currently considered the capital of Israel’s high-tech industry, hosting over 1,500 companies that occupy 800,000 m² of office space and employ some 35,000 workers. Aside from the high-tech industry, the Zone has acquired a reputation for good food. Some 250 restaurants, cafés and bars operate in the Zone, open day and night, constituting a culinary center that attracts visitors from all of central Israel. Likewise, prestigious showrooms of most of Israel’s auto importers are located in the Zone.