The city is home to a diverse population of 28,170,[1] including Ashkenazi and Sephardi Jews (both secular and religious), Bedouins and Black Hebrews, as well as new immigrants.

After attempts to settle the area in the 1920s, Arad was founded in November 1962 as an Israeli development town, the first planned city in Israel.

The Israelites initially settled it as an unwalled piece of land cut off as an official or sacred domain was established on the upper hill.

However, during the Persian, Hasmonean, Roman, and early Muslim eras, locals continued to transport these items to the sacred precinct of the upper hill.

Markers of these ancient Israelite rituals remain to this day, with broken pottery littering the entire site.

[3] On 15 November 1960, a planning team, followed by a full-fledged committee on 29 December, was appointed by the Israeli cabinet to examine the possibility of establishing a city in the northeastern Negev desert and Arad region.

On 31 January 1961, the final location was chosen (3.5 kilometers (2.2 mi) southwest of Mount Kidod), and plans were approved for roads and water connections.

[9] The plan took into account topography and climate, with residential buildings constructed with large inner courtyards that offered protection from the desert sun and wind.

High density residential areas were built first in order to create an urban milieu and shorten walking distances.

[9][11] The town itself was established in 1962 by a group of young ex-kibbutz and ex-moshav members seeking an environment free of overcrowding, traffic, noise, and pollution.

After 1971 Arad began absorbing olim (Jewish immigrants), mostly from the Soviet Union, but also from English speaking countries and Latin America, and its population increased from 4,000 in 1969 to 10,500 in 1974 and 12,400 in 1983.

[20] Arad is thus situated in an arid area, where most precipitation falls in the winter months of December, January and February.

[25] Arad's former mayor, Moty Brill, said that the reason for the city's decline is its failure to absorb the massive immigration from Russia.

[26] In early 2007, a study ordered by the Israeli Housing and Construction Ministry found that Arad suffered from a negative image, and described it a "settlement that drives residents away".

[24] The IDF's City of Training Bases, under construction near Beersheba, hopes to bring thousands of soldiers (mostly officers, senior NCOs and other staff) to live in the Negev, including Arad.

[30] In addition to the main area, there are small shop clusters in most neighborhoods in the city, notably a building called The Star (HaKokhav) in the Tlalim quarter.

In 2017 Elbit became a new order for SDR Radios from the than Israeli Ministry of Defense (IMoD) and expected to enlarge the facility.

[32] Since 1971, Arad has been producing phosphoric acid, made from brine collected from the Dead Sea, and phosphates from the nearby Tzefa.

[11] Rotem Amfert Negev Ltd, a subsidiary of Israel Chemicals Ltd (ICL), has been planning a new phosphate plant in the Sdeh Brir area for several years.

In 2008, the Ministry of the Environment decided not to contest the company's bid, despite studies showing it may increase air pollution-related deaths in the area.

Additionally, many visitors to Masada stay in Arad, which is the closest (22 km (13.7 mi) by road) urban settlement to the site and provides the only access to its western side.

[12] The Oron movie theater designed by the architect Menachem Cohen closed during the tenure of Mayor Moty Brill.

[40] In 2007, the Ministry for the Development of the Negev and Galilee proposed moving the national archive of Israel from Jerusalem to Arad and opening a museum.

[4] Other notable parks include: The main cluster of recreational facilities is located in the Ayanot neighborhood also called Kiryat HaSport.

The stadium is home to Hapoel Arad, which plays in Liga Bet, the fourth tier of Israeli football.

In March 2008, the tournament became part of an international Union Cycliste Internationale competition, which is co-hosted by Misgav and Ma'alot.

It serves as an emergency ward, but does not have the equipment needed to perform operations, and such patients are transferred to the Soroka Medical Center.

[54][53] On 18 July 2008, Arad police, in a rare incident, shot dead a man threatening to kill his ex-wife with a knife.

[57] In the 2021–22 school year, 71.9% of Arad's 12th graders were eligible for a Bagrut (matriculation) certificate, compared to a national average of 75.9%.

[65] Arad's dead are mostly buried in the local cemetery, located in the northeastern outskirts of the city, close to the road to Masada.