“Run away!” Residents criticize Zavokzalny district

Residents of Zavokzalny honestly described how things work in the microdistrict, and the downsides noticeably outweighed the positives. It seems our series “Where in Yekaterinburg is it good to live?” has an obvious outsider.

On the 2GIS service, the microdistrict also has a low rating — only 3.7 stars. Read below what specifically bothers those living in Zavokzalny.

In our Telegram channel and MAX, we ask you questions about microdistricts every week, and then collect honest reviews. There will also be a final ranking: we will count the total number of comments, compile a list of pros and cons, so the microdistrict with more good aspects will come out on top. You can see the current ranking via the link.

“The words ‘pros’ and ‘Zavokzalny district’ could never be in the same sentence,” wrote Anastasia.

“I lived there for about ten years. Every other person said, ‘Are you kidding? There are so many non-Russians. The transport interchange is terrible, no nature, better not move there with kids, no amenities in that regard, few shops,’” wrote Olesya.

“Actually, we call it ‘Zvyozdochka’ after the station. And sometimes ‘Harem.’ We are those from Sortyaga. Generally, it’s pleasing that they are starting to improve the area, demolishing dormitories and shacks and building new housing. I think with new housing and renewed infrastructure, the microdistrict will also become better,” interjected Ekaterina.

“Dense development near the bridge on Kosmonavtov Avenue and in the Ordzhonikidze district raises questions about transport accessibility. There is a lack of parking spaces for such a number of houses. In winter, everyone parks on the lawns, in summer — wherever. There are almost no educational institutions for such a district and new houses, and there are many children in the area.

There is no park to stroll in; it’s good that developers are creating green areas, but they are small; people often walk with strollers along Kosmonavtov. They are pruning the poplars well now; three years ago it was much worse, this season there was little fluff.

New houses are being built beautifully; I live in one of them, but the sound insulation sometimes leaves much to be desired. The courtyards are well maintained; I would like more swings and benches, as the number of children increases with new construction.

There are not ramps for the disabled everywhere. And developers do not particularly care about road safety at construction sites; there was a terrible exit from the Kosmos residential complex with steep inclines and declines and potholes for a couple of years, only recently fixed. In areas between different developers, the territory is often not maintained (no grass mowing, no snow removal). Garbage trucks sometimes cannot enter to collect trash.

The market nearby is convenient, but in autumn and winter it’s hard to leave by public transport. In the evening, it’s sometimes unpredictable: either it runs frequently or you have to wait an hour.

You get a bit tired of the eternal construction; noise starts as early as 7–8 a.m., on weekends at 9–10 a.m. Of course, one can always say that everyone chose where to move themselves, saw everything and knew. However, I would like developers to think about road safety, not abandon territory between each other, plan parking spaces in advance (25-story buildings cannot have a small number of residents), think about educational institutions.

In construction areas where crushed stone is temporarily laid, pedestrians walk. I punctured two pairs of shoes with glass; lucky that the soles were thick,” Margarita shared her impressions in detail.

“There is one plus — the house at 23 Tagilskaya Street. Super courtyard, super neighbors. Green yard, there’s even a hobby (a falcon) that appeared. Only because of them I don’t feel like moving. The rest is trash. Oh, and another plus — quiet area, few cars, but you can walk to the center in half an hour,” wrote Elena.

“Pros: close to the center, exits are more or less convenient, housing is still cheap. Cons: only buses for transport, which are impossible to wait for, few shops, many Ulyumbekovs (a derogatory term for Central Asians) and their children constantly yelling on the street. But I think they will start building up the area, and there will be more transport, more shops, and they will demolish the 4th vegetable storage base,” said Alexey.

“Now in Zavokzalny district, they have made good roads; you can drive through the area calmly without potholes. There is a wonderful hypermarket and a Gazprom gas station where you can find gasoline!” Olesya listed the pluses.

“This happiness is only for those who have no children, no cars, and no dogs. They built houses on a piece of industrial zone, and screwed over everything else. There was a good project from PIK Group, but it died after the first three houses. Instead of a clinic, a residential complex appeared; instead of multi-level parking, another residential complex. Instead of a school, an industrial zone. So kindergartens and schools are three kilometers away.

The children’s clinic on Gotvalda Street is also three kilometers away; you can only get there by taxi. Problems with parking. There is not a single sports field for kids to play football. And this wonder of 15 houses, our urban planning ministry plans to surround it with a parallel road to Kosmonavtov Avenue — to squeeze in the unsqueezable. You can only rent temporary housing here; it’s not worth living here,” said Alyona.

“There are many people from other countries. And that would be fine, but in every nationality there are those who booze and then scream all over the neighborhood at night. Their children are of course very free: they scream, no upbringing. In schools, naturally, there are very many foreigners. Drunks are of course more than in other districts. No parks; young people and pensioners have nowhere to walk, so the former drink and fight, and the latter don’t leave home. No shops. Only at the Pehotintsev terminus is there a selection of shops. The clinic is on Bebelya Street, but in fact it is always overcrowded at Pehota. Queues for any doctor. To get tests done, you have to wait at least a week, often two.

Transport — it’s the worst: there are like one and a half buses that you can never wait for. So run away from here! I don’t recommend it! At the same time, I’m always for multinationality, friendship, and bubble gum. I repeat: in every nation there are its own jerks and, accordingly, good people always outnumber them! But it would be better to choose another district, honestly!” wrote a Yekaterinburg resident.

“For young people who want to live at affordable rental prices and close to the center, it’s just right. But there is a problem with parking,” noted another commenter.

“There were no problems with parking until Uralplastik blocked them and started charging residents for them,” replied Ilya.

We have already published reviews on the center, Uralmash and Elmash, Akadem, VIZ, ZhBI, Pionersky, Khimmash, Uktus, Old and New Sortirovka, Zarechny, Avtovokzal, Botanika, Vokzalny, Shirokaya Rechka, Solnechny, Yugo-Zapadny, Koltsovo, Vtuzgorodok and Vtorchermet.

We also evaluated Zavokzalny using the same criteria as all other microdistricts in the city. You can read the review via the link, and see the entire ranking of the best and worst places to live here.

We also collected public rankings: Yekaterinburg residents named the best and the worst places to live. All materials on the topic can be found in a special section.