Perhaps every Russian will be interested in our article, since we want to raise an interesting topic and try to find out if there is a rating of comfortable cities in Russia. Perhaps someone is going to move and is also interested in such information, choosing a new place of residence. After all, it is important where we live. The more comfortable the city, the higher the level of our existence and the more opportunities for development we receive.
Criteria for obtaining the title of the most comfortable city
How to find the most comfortable city in Russia? We want to emphasize right away that there is no consensus on the rating, since print media vying to interpret their lists, the annual competition gives its list of settlements.
The most comfortable city in Russia is not just empty words. To receive such a title, the settlement must meet a number of requirements. The city must achieve high performance in many areas:
- Implementation of municipal and state programs of not only economic, but also social development.
- Fulfillment of certain norms for the construction of communal and housing facilities.
- Implementation of current and overhaul of existing residential buildings.
- Improvement and development of the existing housing stock (water supply connection, gasification, etc.).
- Installation of devices for individual consumption of water, energy, heat in buildings of a residential and public fund.
- Overhaul and construction of new roads in the city, as well as sidewalks and rain storm systems.
- The physical condition of the transport that serves the urban population, the safety of the road itself.
- Technical serviceability of urban engineering structures.
- The level of landscaping of the city, as well as the quality of its landscaping.
- Timely replacement or restructuring of old utilities.
- Repair and maintenance of building facades in proper form.
- Preservation of natural, cultural and historical heritage.
- Reducing the volume of unfinished construction in all areas.
- Architectural and artistic completeness of urban buildings.
- Providing motorists with comfortable parking lots and even garages.
- The correct sanitary situation in the city.
- Environmental safety of people.
- Correct and timely preparation of the housing stock and utilities for work in the winter.
These criteria must meet the most beautiful and comfortable cities in Russia. As you know, not all of our settlements can claim the title of the best, or even just get a little closer to that level.
All-Russian competition
Do you know that there is a competition called “The Most Comfortable City of Russia”? It has been held annually since 1997. For such a long period, more than four thousand towns and cities took part in it.
Those who took the main prize places in the competition receive not only diplomas, but also cash prizes. They are assigned the appropriate categories (1st, 2nd, 3rd).At the request of the competition, ninety percent of the bonus fund is supposed to be spent on the development of the city, and ten are allowed to be used to encourage employees of organizations involved in the improvement of the region.
According to the results of the competition, a list of the most comfortable cities in Russia appears annually. The participants are evaluated by a special commission consisting of fifteen representatives of completely different sectors of utilities. The jury is approved by the RF State Commission for Construction and Housing Policy.
Therefore, getting such a high rank as "the most comfortable city in Russia" is not so simple. This is not just an unfounded rating of a magazine or newspaper, here you need to try and achieve something so that your hometown can at least take part in such an event.
Rating of the most comfortable cities in Russia
We want to give several options for lists of the best cities, and you can judge which one is fairer. What are the results of the All-Russian competition in 2016, it is too early to judge, therefore, we present the data of 2015. 
Following the results of the competition last year, the following comfortable cities of Russia won prizes (see the list below):
- The first place rightfully took Krasnodar.
- Ulyanovsk and Barnaul shared the second place among themselves.
- In third place are Tula and Kaluga.
So, the winner was Krasnodar - the most comfortable city in Russia in 2015. As we mentioned earlier, the rating includes much more than five cities. Ranks are assigned in three different categories. Therefore, the complete list of the most comfortable cities in Russia is much more impressive. The following settlements got there: Engels, Oktyabrsky, Almetyevsk, Mamadysh, Tuymazy, Rtishchevo, Medvedevo, Aznakaevo, Sukhinichi, Askarovo, Vysokaya Gora, Aktyubinsky, Kundyshskoye, Khvastovichi, Krasnaya Gorka, Tarutino, Biryuli.
In 2012, the ranking of the most the best cities of Russia, based on the vote of readers and users of Internet resources. For comparison, we give it: Moscow, St. Petersburg, Novy Urengoy, Khimki, Krasnodar, Mytishchi, Stavropol, Kaliningrad, Novorossiysk, Zhukovsky. As you can see, big and famous cities are leaders in this list. How true he is is unknown, because it is based only, so to speak, on public opinion.
In the framework of our article, we, of course, will not be able to talk about all the cities, but we want to dwell separately on the most interesting, in our opinion.
Krasnodar
Krasnodar is the most comfortable city in Russia according to the results of the 2015 competition. It is not only the cultural, but also the administrative center of the region. Currently, he has reached the level of a large cultural and economic center of the Caucasus. Among the unofficial titles of this wonderful city you can hear such a title as "the capital of the Kuban" or "southern capital of Russia." Its population, according to 2015, totals more than eight hundred thousand people.
Krasnodar began its history as an outpost. Having traveled a long and difficult path, he grew to the largest city in southern Russia. Moreover, industry in the Kuban does not lead in the country's ratings. There are not many large enterprises either. We can distinguish only the Krasnodar oil refinery, compressor plant, Philip Morris Kuban, Krasnodar TPP, the Alexandria sewing factory, and the German combine harvester plant. The infrastructure of the city is quite developed.
The cost of utilities is within the national. For a one-room apartment, residents have to pay from 1,500 to 1,800 rubles per month. The general impression may be spoiled by some areas that are not connected to urban heating. In the summer period, hot water is shut off for several weeks.
As for the environment, Krasnodar is polluted, like any other major Russian city. A large concentration of cars negatively affects the cleanliness of the air.And in summer, a lot of vacationers striving through the sea pass through the city.
In addition, the sources of environmental pollution are the TPP, MZHK Krasnodar, Krasnodarteploenergo. Especially in this regard, the local meat factory differs, which exudes an unpleasant odor at a distance of several kilometers.
The main river is the Kuban. However, Krasnodar is very favorably located. The climate is its trump card. In addition, it is worth saying that the most favorable conditions for conducting medium and small businesses are created here. According to statistics, almost every third local resident is a businessman. If you want to live in a good warm climate and conduct your business, then you definitely need to go to Krasnodar.
Omsk
In some sources of information, one can meet the assumption that the most comfortable city in Russia is Omsk. This is actually not true. Omsk has never been awarded such a title. And he was not among the five winners of the competition either.
Of course, the city is very large and beautiful, its population is more than a million people. It is one of the largest cities in the country. In addition, he was awarded the title of “City of Labor Glory,” but Omsk never received the title of “Most Comfortable City of Russia”.
The city is known primarily for its industry (defense, aerospace). It is a very serious transportation hub, since the famous Trans-Siberian Railway and the Irtysh River pass through it. During the Great Patriotic War, part of the factories were evacuated here, and this also affected the further development of the region. Later, the city was called nothing more than “garden city”, “city of youth”. But in the nineties, the situation changed somewhat, and the region began to experience significant difficulties. Currently, Omsk is a sports and cultural center throughout Siberia.
Saransk
Saransk is the most comfortable city in Russia. In 2011, he received such an honorary title. And in 2012, he shared the honorable second place with Blagoveshchensk. For two years in a row the city was in the leading positions of the All-Russian rating.
Saransk is the capital of Mordovia. In the early 2000s, the general rise in Russia affected this city. Infrastructure began to develop gradually, the construction of the Yubileiny stadium began, several new large residential quarters were rebuilt, and the construction of two ring roads continues. It regularly hosts sporting events. In addition, he was included in the list of those cities in which football matches of the World Cup in 2018 will be held.
Since 2004, the city participated in the All-Russian competition. And so, in 2011, the long-awaited event finally happened. The winner of the competition was Saransk - the most comfortable city in Russia. Moreover, the city has repeatedly occupied other places of honor.
Stavropol
According to the results of the competition, the city also ranked first. So, Stavropol is the most comfortable city in Russia in its category. He received ninety-five million rubles for the development of housing and communal services.
Oddly enough, but the city is comfortable enough for people to live, and its inhabitants are stably provided with work, which is important now. Although the city is located in the steppe, nevertheless it is one of the greenest cities in the whole country. An interesting fact is that urban greenery is not just some kind of state program, it is a wonderful initiative of the local residents themselves. A local public organization called the Ecological Patrol of Stavropol has been created here. Residents not only plant plants and trees, they take care of them in the future. Therefore, the title of the most comfortable city in Russia was awarded quite deservedly.
As for utility bills, they are the same as in other regions of the country. Emergency breakdowns of heating systems and electric networks occur here as often as in other cities.What really deserves attention is the order that prevails in the city. This applies to parks, squares, playgrounds and streets. Such beauty and purity is not so often seen.
In addition, local residents are always provided with work. The city produces auto parts, furniture, medicines, windows, pipes, transformers and much more. And this means that there are enough jobs. The leadership of the region encourages medium and small businesses.
The only minus that takes place here is the proximity of the city to the North Caucasus, which leaves no chance to be a calm place in all plans. Nevertheless, at present, the city is actively developing economically; perhaps, after a while, it will become a leader in the south of the country.
Moscow
Enumerating the comfortable cities of Russia, one cannot but mention Moscow. And it's not about official titles. For many citizens, White Stone is a model. In addition, the capital is the permanent leader in public ratings.
It's no secret that it attracts people with millions of opportunities. Someone even succeeds in conquering her. Nevertheless, Moscow remains the most expensive city in Russia.
Living in the capital, people suffer from numerous traffic jams, polluted ecology and terrible overpopulation. However, all these inconveniences are more than compensated by the best social package in the country. In addition, Moscow has a fairly high standard of living, the city is constantly being built and developed, life boils and boils in it.
St. Petersburg
St. Petersburg is the city that, along with Moscow, always leads in the public ratings of the most comfortable cities in the country. This is due to the fact that science, art, industry and business are developed here. It is no secret that many scientific personnel are being lured to St. Petersburg. It is worth noting that the city’s economy is at a high level. Not every city in this regard can be compared with the Northern capital.
The environmental situation in the city is much better than in Moscow. There are still a lot of creative people, poets and artists, because the city is shrouded in a special atmosphere.
St. Petersburg became the owner of a gold diploma in the nomination "The most comfortable city in Russia with more than one million people." The city hosts numerous cultural events and festivals. St. Petersburg has repeatedly won gold medals at the national architecture (landscape) award. So, in 2015, the city got three gold medals. All the achievements of the city are simply difficult to list.
Kaliningrad
Kaliningrad, among other cities, took part in the all-Russian competition for the title of the most comfortable city, but did not even enter the top three winners. How fair this is, it is not for us to decide, but it is worthwhile to dwell on this city separately.
Those who once visited here certainly noticed how Kaliningrad differs from other cities. Probably, it can be called the most European among all the cities of the country. The ecology of the region is far from ideal, but it is not threatening either. Not only numerous cars, but also operating industrial enterprises pollute the atmosphere. Kaliningrad is remote from the main territory of our country, and therefore it causes a number of problems. For example, the disposal of garbage was a serious problem. They simply have nowhere to take out, because the garbage is simply dumped illegally.
But the city’s economy is quite developed. This is facilitated by large enterprises operating in full: YantarEnergo, Lukoil-Kaliningradneft and others.
As for social guarantees, they are much weaker than in Moscow and St. Petersburg. In general, Kaliningrad is interesting in that, in fact, it is a continental island, which is surrounded on all sides by international waters and other countries. The architecture of the city is also amazing. On the streets, like many centuries ago, the atmosphere of the Middle Ages reigns, as if time had stopped.
Novorossiysk
Novorossiysk is a multiple participant and winner of the All-Russian contest for the most comfortable city. The location itself gives it a special status. Novorossiysk is a huge commercial port, the industrial center of the region, which is located on the very shore of the Black Sea.
The trading port operates round the clock, here goods, materials, grain, metal, timber, etc. are continuously loaded and unloaded. Oil loading facilities are located nearby. Novorossiysk cannot be called a resort city, since it is more a port and industrial, and nevertheless there are enough vacationers here, because the sea is nearby. A significant place in the city’s economy is occupied by the famous cement plant throughout Russia. Such an amount of much-needed cement is not produced anywhere else in the country.
Tourists like to visit Novorossiysk because of lower prices than in Sochi or Anapa, although the city itself is expensive, but among the Black Sea cities it has the most reasonable prices for holidays.
As for infrastructure, there are many schools, gardens, shops. The city is very developed. Housing is maintained in good condition. In general, it is a beautiful city on the Black Sea. It is the most significant Russian port in the Atlantic. It is worth mentioning that there is a naval base.
Instead of an afterword
In our article, we tried to talk about the most comfortable cities in Russia. Every year, dozens of cities in the country fight for such an honorary title, and therefore every year there is a change of leaders and winners. What city deserves to be called the most comfortable? It is rather a rhetorical question.
