Be'er Ya'akov was established in 1907 on 2,000 dunams of land purchased by a company headed by
Meir Dizengoff from a Lutheran German colony the previous year. It was divided into two sectors, one for immigrants from
Russia,
Poland,
Romania,
Bulgaria,
Argentina, and
Iran, and the other for
Mountain Jews from
Dagestan. It was named after
Yaakov Yitzhaki, a rabbi and pioneer from the Mountain Jewish community. Yitzhaki headed the Mountain Jewish pioneers who settled there. In 1909, 25 families were living in Be'er Ya'akov, and tensions existed between the
Ashkenazi and Dagestani families. In 1910, the first elementary school was established. According to a
census conducted in 1922 by the
British Mandate authorities, Be'er Ya'akov had 131 inhabitants, which had increased in the 1931 census to 265 residents in 58 houses. By 1947, it had a population of 400. It achieved local council status in 1949. During the
1948 Arab–Israeli War, and until the Israeli capture of
Ramla in July 1948, Be'er Ya'akov was on the front line. The population at that time was evacuated and a new settlement, Be'er Shalom, was established nearby by members of
Kibbutz Buchenwald, the first pioneer training group formed in post-World War II Germany. In 2017, a plan was approved to build on the land vacated by the
Tzrifin military bases which are being relocated to the
Negev. The plan envisions Be'er Ya'akov with a population of 100,000. Be'er Ya'akov is currently undergoing a construction boom, with numerous residential and commercial developments planned or under construction, along with numerous schools and daycare centers, cultural institutions, and a 1,000-seat sports arena. A metro system for the city which will terminate at
Ben Gurion International Airport is also planned, with work scheduled to commence in 2028. ==Economy ==