A small city in the Amur region is going through hard times. The territory of advanced development is organized here, which so far does not greatly affect its economic situation. The population of Belogorsk has been steadily declining since 2011.
General information
Belogorsk is the administrative center of the eponymous district and urban district, located on the left bank of the Tom River (tributary of the Zeya) on the territory of the Zeya-Bureya plain. At a distance of 99 km in the south-west is the regional center of Blagoveshchensk. The territory of the settlement covers an area of 135 sq. Km. The Russian government assigned the city to the category of single-industry towns where a worsening of the socio-economic situation is possible. The population of Belogorsk in 2018 is 66 thousand people.
The city in Soviet times became an important transport hub of the Trans-Siberian Railway. A little south of the city territory is the railway to the regional center. Both directions have federal significance, linking Belogorsk with other settlements of the country.
Early years
In 1860, the village of Aleksandrovskoe was founded by immigrants from the Vyatka and Perm provinces, including the peasant families of the Baranovs, Mikhailovs, and Tretyakovs. In 1893, the village of Bochkarevka was built near, on a tributary of the Tom River. And in 1913, during the construction of the Amur Railway, the Bochkarevo railway station was also built. Representatives of all Russian noble families (the highest ranks of the military security guard and the railway), the townspeople, workers and peasants lived in the settlement.
In 1926, all three settlements were united in the city of Aleksandrovsk-on-Tomi, in which 7852 people lived. Then, in the city, there were 857 built-up properties with 1,090 residential buildings.
In 1931, the population of Belogorsk of those times was 11,100 people. Thanks to the railway, the city developed rapidly, gradually turning into an industrial center, oil mills and tanneries, several mills worked. It consisted of 2042 households, of which 1914 were peasant. In the same year, at the initiative of city communists, it was renamed Krasnopartizansk, and in 1936 it was named Kuybyshevka-Vostochnaya. According to the last pre-war census of 1939, 34,000 people lived in Belogorsk. The number of residents increased, including due to the annexation of the village of Vysokoye.
Latest time
In 1957, the city was once again renamed Belogorsk, so named after one of the parts of the city, which was built on a hill and was colloquially called "Mountain". According to the first post-war census, the population of Belogorsk was 48,831 people. In the Soviet years, the city developed rapidly, new residential neighborhoods, cultural and healthcare facilities, and industrial enterprises were built. The economic development was greatly facilitated by a significant increase in freight traffic, including military. Significant military forces were concentrated in the region. By the end of the Soviet period, the population of Belogorsk was 75,000. This is the maximum number of residents registered in the city.
In post-Soviet times, the number of city residents for the most part was constantly decreasing. In 2018, the population of Belogorsk was 66,183 people.