User:Xerxes b/Igrim

Igrim is an urban-type settlement in Beryozovsky District, Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug. It is on the right bank of the river Northern Sosva, which is a tributary of the Lesser Ob. It has a population of 8,900 people. The settlement also includes the villages of Aneevo, Novinskaya and Vanzetur, also located on the Northern Sosva.

Etymology
The word Igrim originates from a Mansi word. However the etymology is uncertain; according to one version, it comes from the Mansi word ягр (transliterated: yagr), meaning lake.

Previous names of the town
Throughout its history, the town has had many names; all however have included a form of the fundamental element 'yagr' or 'Igrim', often with a Russian adjective added:


 * Egrim
 * Yagrim
 * Yurtu Igryumskiy (Yurts of Igrim )
 * Egrim-nel
 * Igrim-Lugovoy
 * Igrim-Lednik
 * Igrim-Gornyy

History
The town is considered to have been founded in 1902 by the merchant Beshkiltsev (on the left bank of the river, unlike the modern town), although the settlement features in official documents of the 19th century. The settlement at this time was named Igrim-Ludovoy, or Igrim-Meadow. For the purposes of the 1926 Russian census, Igrim was merged into the Berezovo soviet, and in 1932 the Anyeyevskiy Rural soviet was formed, centred at Igrim. In the early history of the settlement, the main occupation of the inhabitants was fishing, and in the 1930s exiles built the settlement of Igrim-Lednik, on the right bank of the river. The main building of the settlement was the fish factory, along with its ice-house, after which the town was named (Lednik is the Russian word for ice-house). Igrim-Ludovoy ceased to exist in the '50s, and shortly after part of Igrim-Lednik was destroyed by a flood. Following the destruction of both towns, the modern town of Igrim was built. It was located south-east of the remains of Igrim-Lednik, in the mountains, and was therefore initially known as Igrim-Gornyy, meaning Mountainous-Igrim. During this time, in 1959, the Anyeyevskiy Rural soviet was renamed in 1959 to the Igrim Rural soviet, and in 1964 achieved the status of a Workers' Settlement. The town expanded rapidly in the 1960s, growing fivefold. Most of this growth was in a north-west direction, and forests were cleared and marshes drained to provide room for this growth.

In the years 1959 to 1961 several large gas deposits were found near the settlement. Exploration of the North Igrim deposits began in 1966 with the goal of providing the town of Igrim with gas, and three years later a pipeline was built between Igrim and the town of Punga (the pipeline also continued on to Serov). At this time active development of Igrim began, spurred on by the discovery of gas. The gas industry replaced fishing as the main livelihood of the inhabitants of Igrim, and today a large proportion of the population works in the gas industry, for Тюменьтрансгаз (Tyumen'transgaz), a trust of Югорскремстройгаз (Yugorkremctroygaz).

Educational facilities
Igrim has the following educational facilities:
 * 5 kindergartens
 * A school of arts.
 * 2 high schools.
 * A professional college, which was founded in 1983 as a branch of the Berezovo house of pioneers, and achieved the status of college in 2005.

Entertainment facilities

 * A town library.
 * An exhibition hall, opened in 1984; a new building was also built in 2006.
 * A fitness complex.
 * A sports hall for young people and children.
 * A youth centre.

Other buildings not yet open

 * In 2006 the construction of a Orthodox church begun; it is to be in honour of the Transfiguration of Jesus.
 * An ice rink capable of accomadating 600 people is planned to open in 2009.

Transport
The town is a river port. It also has an airport, with an unpaved runway 2030 metres long; the airport's code is USHI. There are daily flights to Berezovo and Khanty-Mansiysk. An important Igrim road is the 30 km road to the nearby village of Nizhnie Narykary. Almost the entire road consists of crushed stone, but in the summer of 2009 the first 7 km of the road were laid with asphalt. In the colder part of the year a winter road is opened to the towns of Priobye, Berezovo, and Svetlyy, as well as other towns in the Berezovo Region. A road which can be used all year round is also being planned; it will connect Berezovo, Igrim and Svetlyy.

Miscellaneous
The Igrim hockey team is in the second league of the Russian Championship, and won the bronze medal in 2006.