I want a house in Siberia: choosing an ideal place to live in Russia

Siberia is an amazing land with
difficult climate, the richest subsoil and stunning beauty of nature. They say that the most sincere and open people – about 12% of the total population of the country – live here. Many by the end of their lives think about changing the climate zone, but many remain – they get used to it.

The Siberian Federal District consists of three regions – Krasnoyarsk, Trans-Baikal, Altai, five regions – Novosibirsk, Irkutsk, Kemerovo, Omsk and Tomsk, three republics – Altai, Khakassia, Tyva.

Baikal, swamps and taiga sea

Siberian is the second largest district after the Far East. Most of it is occupied by taiga with spruces, firs, larches and the famous Siberian pines., which are often mistakenly considered cedars. This is the most extensive forest on the planet, the “lungs” of the entire northern hemisphere. There are more nature reserves, national parks and hunting grounds in the Siberian Federal District than anywhere else in the country.

Lake Baikal in the Irkutsk region is the deepest in the world. They say that the heart of all Siberia is hidden somewhere there, under the layers of the purest water in the world, one and a half thousand meters from the surface. The lake does not age, it is tens of millions of years old – none of the existing water bodies on Earth lives so long. There is a version that Baikal is a nascent ocean, otherwise why is it growing in size all the time?!

Another unique place – Vasyugan swamps, which is at the junction of the Novosibirsk, Tomsk and Omsk regions, these are the largest swamps in the world. They are fed by Siberian snow, snowdrifts in winter reach a height of more than a meter and melt only in April. And also swamps are no worse than forests absorb carbon dioxide and produce oxygen. They say that once upon a time people lived in this area, but it is impossible to find out anything about them now: the features of the area do not allow for archaeological excavations.

In the south, the “sea of ​​taiga” is replaced by steppes, turning into a mountain range, which is called the Siberian Alps or Russian Tibet. The Altai Mountains stretch for more than 2,000 km. Snow-capped peaks sparkling in the sun create magnificent landscapes in contrast with turquoise lakes, flowering meadows and clear mountain streams.

The climate in most of the territory of the Siberian District is sharply continental. with severe winters and short hot summers. But many climatologists note that over the past decades, the frosts have become not so harsh, and the wind is not so cold. If we take into account that the surface of the Earth will continue to heat up, in the long term, Siberia may turn out to be one of the most comfortable places to live.

Ecology

The Siberian District is rich in natural resources: there are colossal reserves of lead and platinum, coal and nickel, copper and silver. Therefore, the main environmental problems are created by a powerful industrial complex. Production is concentrated in the Novosibirsk, Tomsk, Kemerovo regions, in the Krasnoyarsk Territory. In Altai and the Republic of Tuva, people mostly live off tourism and agriculture.

According to the winter rating of 2021-22, the all-Russian public organization “Green Patrol”, The Altai Republic and the Altai Territory are recognized as the cleanest in Siberia. Both regions entered the top 10 and ranked third and sixth respectively. The experts separately explained that the Altai Territory deserved its high marks for the active position of local residents and authorities. The management monitors the amount of harmful emissions in production, monitors the purity of water resources. Air quality control points are installed along major highways. At the same time, the Omsk and Irkutsk Regions, as well as the Krasnoyarsk and Trans-Baikal Territories, ended up at the very bottom of the ranking.

The quality of life

In terms of the quality of life in the regions of Russia, according to RIA Rating for 2021, The Novosibirsk region, which is the leader in the Siberian Federal District, ranks 23rd in the country. The Krasnoyarsk Territory was on the 44th position, the Tomsk Region – on the 50th. 67 indicators were taken into account, indicating income, employment, demography, ecology, climate, level of education, etc.

notice, that in 2021, the quality of life in the cities of Siberia was also assessed by researchers from the Financial University under the Government of the Russian Federation. They took sociological research as the basis for the calculation. Then Novosibirsk also became the leader. The city was awarded additional points in the field of “quality of education”. At the same time, experts noted that, for example, residents of Tomsk had a higher demand for cultural values, in Irkutsk the population is larger than in other cities, they are satisfied with the work of local authorities, and in Novokuznetsk the quality of roads and medicine were highly appreciated.

According to a study by the All-Russian Institute of Agrarian Problems and Informatics. Nikonov, which is a branch of the Federal Scientific Center for Agrarian Economics and Social Development of Rural Territories, more rural population lives in the Altai Republic than in any of the territories of Russia – 70.9%. At the same time, the quality of life in towns and villages is quite average.

– the report says.

According to Antonov, if we are not talking about downshifting or hermitage, the motives of which are not always rational, but about moving to a territory with relatively comfortable living conditions, then there are relatively few such places in Siberia.

— The most attractive are the territories of the south of Western Siberia, which are characterized, on the one hand, by the maximum levels of economic development, and, on the other hand, by relatively favorable natural conditions, the availability of opportunities to engage in personal subsidiary plots and purchase products of the local agro-industrial complex. It is worth focusing on the suburban areas of the largest cities, primarily Novosibirsk and, to a lesser extent, Barnaul, as key centers for employment and obtaining the necessary services.

The scientist stressed that it is also important for city dwellers to keep in mind: when moving to a village or village, the quality and availability of services will decrease. This applies to health care, education, trade, catering and many other things. Therefore, you must either immediately accept this fact, or have high mobility.

Work and income

According to Rosstat for January-October 2021, the average salary in the district was 46,922 rubles. The highest salaries were noted in the Krasnoyarsk Territory – 58,099 rubles. On the second and third place – Irkutsk and Tomsk regions. And the inhabitants of the Altai Territory earn the least – 31,738 rubles.

As statisticians noted, the level of salaries is determined by the structure of the economy and the value of the applied coefficient.
Siberians manage to earn the most in the field of mining, where the average salary is fixed at 44,842 rubles, and least of all in the hotel sector and catering – 19,517 rubles.

According to the job search site hh.ru, most Siberia needs sales specialists – more than 30%. Personnel shortage is observed in construction, transport and logistics and production. The company noted that the average competition is 4 people per seat. Experts call this state of affairs moderate competition in favor of the applicant. But if you look at the branches of activity, then in the district there is a clear overabundance of lawyers, administrative staff, and accountants.

Safety

According to the Prosecutor General’s Office, the largest number of crimes were registered in 2021 in the Kemerovo region. At the same time, the region took the tenth position in terms of crime among other territories of Russia. The second and third places are taken by the Novosibirsk Region and the Krasnoyarsk Territory. BUT the least offenses were committed in the Altai Republic – only 500 per year.

The authorities noted that
Criminogenicity in most regions of the Siberian Federal District is declining. The law enforcement officers of the Novosibirsk region showed themselves especially – they managed to reduce crime by 14% in a year, which is the best indicator in the country.

Communication and Internet

All major Russian mobile operators operate in the Siberian Federal District. The best communication quality, as a rule, is noted near large settlements, as well as along federal highways. Since 2014, companies operating in the area have provided Wi-Fi points even in small towns where 250 to 500 people live. Last year, villages and towns began to be connected to 4G.

The Novosibirsk region in 2020 was one of the leaders in the availability of broadband Internet among the population: almost 40 people out of 100 had access to the network. Approximately the same figures were in Moscow, St. Petersburg and other large cities. On the second and third places – Tomsk and Irkutsk regions. The Internet was the least widespread in the Republic of Tyva and Altai, where the figure did not reach even 10 people.

To stay connected in Siberia with its endless expanses, you should choose an operator with coverage throughout Russia, for example, Yota. The company provides a wide range of communication services. There are ready-made and profitable solutions for living in a private house: routers and modems with unlimited 4G Internet, which are also suitable for offices and apartments.
It is convenient to control expenses through a mobile application and a personal account on the website.

Now for Yota clients there is an opportunity to choose the number of minutes and gigabytes that they need, thanks to the tariff-designer. There are a huge number of possible options: from 0 to 2000 minutes and from 1 to 50 GB. You can connect unlimited access to instant messengers, audio and video services and a package of unlimited SMS messages.

Roads and communications

The cities of Siberia are connected to each other and to the rest of Russia by railways and highways.
The R-254 “Irtysh” highway, stretching for more than 1,500 km, leads from Chelyabinsk through Omsk to Novosibirsk. From there, another federal road R-255 “Siberia” goes to Tomsk, Kemerovo, Krasnoyarsk and Irkutsk. The total length of the latter is about 2000 kilometers.

According to Rosstat, which assessed the quality of roads in the regions in 2019, The Krasnoyarsk Territory entered the top 5 leaders. On its territory, according to the study of the department, more than 70% of highways corresponded to the standards. The Republic of Altai and Khakassia were then among the outsiders.

Siberian airports are well located in fact in the center of Russia. From here it is convenient to get to both the center of Russia and the Far East. So, a direct flight from Tolmachevo in Novosibirsk to Moscow lasts about four hours, and to Vladivostok – five hours. There are airports in Krasnoyarsk, Barnaul, Bratsk, Irkutsk, Kemerovo, Omsk and Orsk, in Tomsk and Ulan-Ude. Trains run from all major cities to the Russian and northern capitals. But the path is not a short one. So from Krasnoyarsk to Moscow by rail will have to go for about two days.

Products

The nature of Siberia is not very conducive to agriculture, but they are quite actively engaged in it here. The county accounts for more than 10% of the total production in the country. The most active region is the Altai Territory, where potatoes, cereals and legumes, vegetables, and livestock feed are grown more than in other regions. In recent years, the production of oilseeds – sunflower seeds, flax, rapeseed and soybeans – has been increasing here. There are large farms in the Omsk, Tomsk and Novosibirsk regions. In the Republic of Altai, Khakassia and the Republic of Tuva, the emphasis is on animal husbandry. From here they supply beef, lamb, goat meat and poultry meat.

There was once a lot of fish in the northern taiga rivers, but the industrial scale of its production is now very limited. Only amateurs and athletes are allowed to fish, in accordance with the approved rules.

In Siberia, the collection of so-called wild plants is developed: pine nuts, mushrooms, berries and wild herbs. Last year, local entrepreneurs reported on the procurement of more than 8,000 tons of gifts of nature.
Most of these enterprises are located in the Krasnoyarsk Territory, Omsk, Tomsk, Irkutsk Regions, as well as in the Altai Republic.

Construction of houses

In Siberia, the leader in terms of construction of private houses is the Irkutsk region. Last year, almost a million square meters were put into operation there. The second and third places are taken by the Novosibirsk Region and the Krasnoyarsk Territory. At the end of the list is the Republic of Tyva. The most popular in the area are houses made of aerated concrete, brick and wood.

Glued laminated timber, from which up to a third of all private houses were previously built, has significantly increased in price over the past year and a half. And today a square meter will cost about 40,000 per square meter. meter. While aerated concrete costs almost half as much – 21,000 rubles per sq. meter.

To build a new house with the connection of all communications and rough finishing will cost from 4.5 to 6 million rubles on average in the district. It is much cheaper to purchase a ready-made building on sites near the city. Such houses are put up for 2-5 million rubles, depending on the material and area of ​​​​the building.

Residents of the Siberian Federal District have access to a preferential mortgage program for purchasing housing in rural areas – in towns and villages where no more than 30,000 people live. A loan of up to 3 million rubles can be taken at 3% per annum, the down payment is 10%, the loan term is 25 years.