 By 1998, 130,000 Russian-speaking immigrants lived in development towns.Despite businesses and industries being eligible for favorable tax treatment and other subsidies, with the exception of Arad, most of the towns (particularly those in the south) have fared poorly in the economic sense, and often feature amongst the poorest Jewish Areas in Israel.In 1984, the Development Towns project was awarded the Israel Prize for its special contribution to society and the State of Israel.