Moscow

General information about Moscow

Distinctive features. Moscow is one of the most unique European capitals. It is the most populated, has the largest agglomeration in terms of area, and after the last expansion – the largest urban area. Everything here is the highest in Russia: the standard of living, housing prices, salaries, density of cars on the roads, the number of millionaires and even billionaires per square kilometer. Indeed, our capital ranks first in the world in the number of dollar millionaires.

Moscow is divided into 12 administrative districts, each of which is a whole city in its own scale. Here is the largest number of sights, museums, historical monuments, cultural and entertainment institutions in Russia. And of course, it is the largest transportation hub. High salaries, many times higher than the average in Russia, attract natives from different parts of our homeland, as well as from neighboring countries. Not all of them find happiness here, but as they say, “Moscow does not believe in tears”.

Geographical location. Moscow is located in the central part of the East European Plain. It spreads out on the banks of the Moskva River. On the territories of remote areas of the city there are beautiful forests, where you can enjoy the native Russian nature. Moscow is located on a plain, the average height is 156 meters.

Population. “Non-zino” Moscow continues to attract huge flows of migrants. And the real population of the city is much higher than the official data. If agglomeration is included here, the population will far exceed 15 million people.

The population density is 4,770 people/sq. km. The percentage ratio of men to women is 46:54. The share of residents of retirement age is 23.5%, and this figure is constantly growing. Although Moscow is aging, its population is still growing due to newcomers. 91.65% of the population is Russian. About 1% are Ukrainians, Tatars and Armenians.

Crime. The crime rate in the capital is quite high, because the wealth of Moscow attracts seekers of easy profit from all over Russia and the CIS. The nature of crimes here is very different – from petty theft to extortion. And corruption in the state authorities, well known in any corner of Russia, in Moscow has taken on truly metropolitan proportions.

Unemployment in Moscow is 5.7% of the economically active population of the city. This is not such a small figure. On the other hand, Muscovites value themselves and are not going to work anywhere else. Therefore, natives of other republics of the former Soviet Union solve the problem of the lack of workers for unskilled labor. Moscow is a clear leader in terms of population income.

The cost of real estate in Moscow depends greatly on the district. The highest prices for housing are in the city center, in the Arbat or Tverskaya districts. More favorable prices – in the southern districts of the capital, not to mention the recently joined territories – Novomoskovsk and Troitsk administrative districts.

The climate of Moscow is moderately continental. Winter here lasts from mid-November to March, with temperatures often dropping to -20°C. In summer it is +24°C. The average annual amount of precipitation is 600-800 mm, and most of it falls in summer. But there are also very dry and hot summers. Then it becomes especially dangerous to be in the city because of peat bog fires, which regularly occur at abnormally high heat. And every year it happens more and more often.

Moscow districts

The Central Administrative District is the historical center of Moscow, its heart. Most of Moscow’s sights, monuments, train stations, and government offices are located here. Living in the center of Moscow is both prestigious and convenient: there is no need to spend hours of precious time to get to work. But there are also many disadvantages: it is the most crime-prone district of Moscow, it has a very bad ecological situation and very few green areas.

Northern Administrative District – here is a fairly large area of industrial zones and abundant traffic on the highway connecting Moscow with the northern capital – St. Petersburg. Despite these disadvantages, there are also prestigious districts here, located closer to the city center. In general, the Northern District is quite a “mediocre” – it does not have stars from the sky, but provides its residents with work, and the infrastructure here is one of the best in the capital.

North-Eastern Administrative District is famous for the presence of VDNKh, botanical garden and Ostankino TV tower on its territory. It is one of the greenest districts of the capital. But the abundance of industrial enterprises and intensive motor traffic flows through the territory of the district spoil the seemingly favorable environmental situation. In addition, the criminal situation is worsening, and in some areas in the evenings it has long been unsafe to walk in the evenings.

Eastern Administrative District is the greenest district of the capital, 45% of its territory is occupied by forests, parks and squares. There are also architectural and park ensembles of Kuskovo and Izmailovo estates. Other pluses: developed transport network, a lot of industrial enterprises. The last fact turns out to be a serious disadvantage: the ecology of the district suffers a lot, but this situation is typical for almost all districts of Moscow.

The South-Eastern Administrative District is the most polluted district of the capital. Here there are a lot of harmful industries, intensive traffic, polluting the atmosphere. Despite this, the demand for housing in this district remains stable. Kuzminki or Maryino, where the ecological situation is more favorable than in other areas of the district, are in particular demand.

The Southern Administrative District is one large bedroom district of Moscow. It is a leader both in terms of population and its density. At the same time, there are many industrial zones here, worsening the ecological situation in the district. But many of the former giants, for example, the famous ZIL, rent their territories for offices. There is also something to see here for history lovers, who will surely like the Kolomenskoye and Tsaritsyno manor parks. It is in the South Administrative District is located Biryulevo – one of the cheapest districts of Moscow. To the disadvantages we will add crime – in overpopulated areas of the district you should be afraid of street crime.

South-West Administrative District – If the Center is the heart of the capital, then the South-West is its brain. After all, it is not without reason that the Russian Academy of Sciences is located here, as well as the best scientific institutes of our homeland. This is a favorable for living sleeping area with a good ecological situation. Additional pluses: competently designed transportation network, thanks to which traffic jams on the roads are practically absent. In terms of crime, this is also a very favorable district. The disadvantages of this district are hard to find. Let’s name only the abundance of villages in the areas of new buildings, which does not let all Muscovites living here forget where their origins are.

The Western Administrative District is probably the most prestigious among the capital’s districts. Many important objects and sights are located here – Moscow State University, Poklonnaya Hill, Kutuzovsky Avenue with its triumphal arch – the western gate of the capital. Once upon a time our heroes marched along these roads to fight off Napoleon’s and Hitler’s troops. And now a lot of new elite real estate objects on Vorobyovy Gory, Mosfilmovskaya Street and in Fili. To the disadvantages of the district can be attributed crime (remember the famous “Solntsevskaya” grouping), as well as very high housing prices.

The North-Western Administrative District is rich in a variety of water bodies, occupying 35% of the water area of Moscow. There are also a lot of forests here, so in ecological terms this is a very favorable area. Although not everywhere here you can swim, fresh air and beautiful landscapes will brighten up the harsh everyday life of local residents. The environment would be quite ideal if you remove motor vehicles that pollute the air with their emissions. But who will remove it? Minuses here are not so many in comparison with other districts. A doubtful disadvantage can be called a deficit of industry, so that the economy of the district is kept mainly at the expense of the sphere of services.

Zelenograd Administrative District is the most remote from the center. It was formed in 1991 on the basis of the satellite city of Zelenograd, which is famous for its research institutes in the field of electronics and microelectronics. This city has an excellent infrastructure and attracts many people wishing to move closer to Moscow. Pros: abundance of greenery, good ecological situation. Minuses: remoteness from the center, traffic jams on the roads.

The Novomoskovsk Administrative District is one of the last districts that entered the capital as “New Moscow”. In fact, it is the same Moscow outskirts, but thanks to government programs it is getting closer to the capital’s standards. There are several economically important objects here, around which the construction of infrastructure is deployed. From the pluses we can note a favorable economic situation, from the minuses – remoteness from the center, the lack of subway lines.

Troitsk Administrative District is located on the border with the Kaluga region. Nevertheless, today it is a full-fledged part of Moscow. So far it is only a place of summer vacation of Muscovites, many of whom have acquired dachas here. The abundance of green areas and a favorable environmental situation attract those who can no longer tolerate the air of the capital’s center. The minuses are the same as those of the Novomoskovskiy District: high remoteness from other districts, poor transport links with the city center and underdeveloped industry.