Noyabrsk

Noyabrsk (Russian: Ноя́брьск) is the largest city in Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug, Russia, located in the middle of the West Siberian oil fields, on the Tyumen–Novy Urengoy railway about 300 kilometers (190 mi) north of Surgut. Population: 110,620 (2010 Census).

History

The city history dates back to 1975 when a landing party arriving by helicopter disembarked on the ice of the Itu-Yakha River to start developing Kholmogorskoye oil field. In November 1976, the first party of railway builders arrived at the site of the future city and camped out by Lake Khanto with the task of creating a settlement. On October 26, 1977, the settlement of Noyabrsk, which grew around the railway station of Noyabrskaya, was officially registered. It was decided to choose the name of "Noyabrsk" instead of the other proposal, "Khanto", to perpetuate the memory of the first arrival in November 1976, as the Russian word for November is "ноябрь" (noyabr). The settlement was granted work settlement status on November 12, 1979 and that of a town on April 28, 1982.