Noyabrsk (Russian: Ноя́брьск) is the largest town in Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug, Russia, located in the middle of the West Siberian oil fields, on the Tyumen–Novy Urengoy railway about 300 kilometres (190 mi) north of Surgut.
HistoryThe town 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 town and camped out by the 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 Ноя́брь. The settlement was granted status of work settlement on November 12, 1979 and that of a town on April 28, 1982.1 Media and communicationThe oldest local newspaper is "Severnaya Vakhta" (Russian: Се́верная Ва́хта, "Northern Watch"). Its first issue came out in January 1983. As of 2007, the paper is printed thrice a week and is distributed not only in the town but also in the neighbouring settlements - Hanymey, Vingapurovskiy, Muravlenko, Kholmy. There is also a local newspaper called Region 57 after the registration plate code for cars from the area, and a newspaper Slovo Neftyanika (Russian: Сло́во Нефтя́ника, "The word of the Oil-Worker"). The town has its radio stations, such as Radio Noyabrsk, a TV channel Mig (Russian: Миг, a moment), a Tele-express studio. Recreation, sports, sightsNoyabrsk boasts numerous sport facilities, including artificial ice rink and a number of open-air rinks in the winter, cross-country skiing tracks, several indoor swimming pools, a number of gyms and indoor playing fields used for football, basketball, volleyball, lawn-tennis, ping-pong, martial arts training, boxing. Notable facilities include the indoor ice skating rink near school no.6 and the "Yamal" complex near the town center, which combines a swimming pool, gym, and concert hall\movie theater. The motocross track of Noyabrsk presents an arena for the annual Yamal motocross cup championship; one of stages of Russian motocross championship is also conducted here. Recreation for the visiting oil worker or resident also includes a theater and several movie theaters, shopping centers, bars. During summer, Lake Khanto 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) north of the town is popular for walking and barbecues. A little further from the town are other popular lakes, Svetloye and Szemchuzhnoye. In the summer and during early autumn the forests and marshes attract many people for hiking, camping and gathering berries and mushrooms. In winter, there is a cross-country ski-club to the immediate west of the residential districts. Winter also normally has an "Ice Palace" constructed for some weeks in the town center's park, beside the city administrative offices. There is a park with a Ferris wheel in the center of the town. There is a Great Patriotic War memorial in the town, with the traditional eternal flame. The Museum Resource Center of Noyabrsk comprises three departments: arts museum, town history museum, and the museum of children art. It boasts a rich ethnographical collection and provides place for diverse thematical expositions.2 In 2007 the center was awarded Grand Prix at the annual Yamal Museum Projects festival.3 Two religious landmarks of the town are the Russian Orthodox Archangel Michael Temple, which stands on a hill surrounded by trees, and a mosque. EducationThe first school of Noyabrsk was opened in 1977, barely a year after the beginning of the settlement. Now Noyabrsk has 14 schools, a pedagogical college, an evening school, a children's art and a children's musical schools, driving schools and other learning institutions, including the branches of several institutes. EconomySeveral companies operate in Noyabsk, including:
Gazprom Neft oil company is the largest single employer.citation needed TransportApproximately six km to the west of the town there is Noyabrsk Airport. There are flights most days to Moscow (Domodedovo or Vnukovo Airports), several times a week to Salekhard, and to a variety of other locations. The town is divided into a smaller southern part, Noyabrsk-I, and a larger northern part, Noyabrsk-II. Each has its own train station, which has caught novice travellers out in the past. The railway line separates the residential part of the town from the industrial sites that service the oil fields. DemographicsThe exact numbers are from 1989 census and from 2002 Census. Other years' numbers are estimations.
Notable Citizens
CrimeNoyabrsk was a very young and partially closed town during the Soviet era, with a predominantly professional working population, which provided some protection from external criminal influence. With its opening in the early 1990s and with oil and gas industry maintaining relatively high living standarts in the economic turmoil of Post-Soviet Russia, illicit drug business became highly profitable, drawing criminal elements from other regions. The situation was compounded by the militsiya and officials being corrupted and ill equipped to tackle the problem and by the general lack of occupation for the teenagers. The drug abuse situation in Noyabrsk was covered on national TV and in other media and finally official and citizen organisations arose to fight the problem.4 Crime is a minor problem for visitors, though the ubiquity of metal bars on ground-floor residence windows and 5 millimetres (0.20 in)-thick steel sheeted apartment doors indicates a continuing burglary issue. The park beside the city administration offices sports abundant used syringes and hypodermic needles, giving adequate testimony to the presence of injecting addicts and the consequent need for "street awareness" in the visitor. Muggings have been reported, but tend to get hushed up.citation needed Photos of the townReferences
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