Orekhovo-Zuyevo, Russia

Capital City

With a population of just over 104,000, this industrial city in Moscow Oblast is a far cry from the glitz and glamor of the Russian capital. The economy was once dominated by the textile industry, though the collapse of the Soviet textile sector in the 1990s has left the city struggling to reinvent itself. Bureaucracy is a persistent headache, and the long, harsh winters can test the resolve of even the hardiest residents. While Orekhovo-Zuyevo has a storied history as the birthplace of Russia's labor movement, today it offers little to entice the average expat seeking a comfortable, cosmopolitan lifestyle abroad.