Beryozovsky, Russia

Capital City

This provincial mining town of 60,752 is a far cry from the glitz of Moscow or St. Petersburg. Founded in 1752 as a gold-mining settlement, Beryozovsky remains a workaday outpost dominated by bureaucracy and heavy industry. The winters are long and the commute to the regional capital Yekaterinburg can be a persistent headache. While the town's small population is led by a mayor, the administrative structure is a complex web of state and local oversight. Unless you have a strong stomach for red tape and a fondness for a rugged, no-frills lifestyle, Beryozovsky is unlikely to be your Russian idyll.