Serov (Finn. Serovi) is a Uralican city which serves as the county seat of East Uralica. Given its location in the foothills of the Ural Mountains, it is a very important town for the mining industry, particularly where silver is concerned. It was actually near Serov where silver was first discovered within Uralica. It sits on the Kakva River, a minor river within the Ob-Irtysh drainage basin.
Mining is nothing new to Serov, which has been a source of valuable metals for centuries. Iron has been a staple resource, although a series of caveins that weren't completely dug out until mid-2009 cut them off from this for some time. Lignite coal, bauxite, and gold were all once mined in the area, but these have long since run out, even before Uralica had expanded into the area. There are, however, still decent amounts of chromite (chromium ore) in the area.
Not surprisingly, a lot of Serov's economy is based on metallurgy. The production of ferrochrome alloy, a common ingredient in stainless steel, is very important, and of course alloying of iron with other minerals is as well. There is a decent hi-tech sector as well, plus a reasonable retail sector and even a small finance sector.
During the late Soviet Era, the town had gone into an economic tailspin that hit rock-bottom in 1993 when a nearby dam burst, flooding the town and leaving hundreds homeless. However, in the 21st century, this began a remarkable turnaround - one only slightly shaken by the Cataclysm - and by the time Great War I rolled around, it was one of the world's most important stainless steel production towns, despite the fact that the population was only two-thirds of what it was before Cataclysm.
Unlike the almost-abandoned Perm' and the heavily-damaged Krasnokamsk, Serov was a town relatively unaffected by Great War III, which only served to boost the town's burgeoning economy. Although the population was not yet back to its 1980s apex, it was consistently growing, and the positive reception of the influx consisting of Uralic Purges refugees gave it a reputation as a friendly, welcoming large town.
Then came its annexation into Uralica, which brought with it a whole host of new people. In the first two months, a large number of Finns moved into the city, replacing a large outflow of Russians who had left Perm', who were now returning to the same.
Serov sits on Highway UH-6, around 25 km. southeast of Punaturjin.
Culture
As mentioned earlier, Serov is one of the more fondly spoken-of cities in Uralica because of its earlier role as a haven for those Uralics fleeing the Uralic Purges. Even with the return of Uralics to traditional homelands, many Uralics would stay behind because of the relatively friendly, tolerant atmosphere. Russians are still the dominant ethnic group, however the population is very diverse, with Khants, Mansis, Komi speaking both languages, Mari speaking both languages, Moksha and Erzya-speaking Mordvins, Finns, Estonians, Hungarians and Udmurts all having a presence in Serov.
The Church of the Annunciation (Uralican Orthodox), The Church of The Transfiguration (Uralican Catholic), Medyakino Baptist Church, and the Borovoi Synagogue are the most prominent religious buildings in the city, although the tallest building in the city is the enourmous UralStal Zdaniye in the city's large industrial area, which is a factory dedicated solely to the production of stainless steel. It is Uralica's tallest single-building factory. There is also a large palace in the city.
Sport
Football (soccer)
Kolmonen
- FK Serov
Nelonen
- Metallurg Serov
- Spartak Serov
Ice Hockey
- HK Serov
Handball
- Serovski RMS
Rugby Sevens
- Serov Saints
Other
- Serov Olympic Pool - most water sports available here. Water polo nets available upon request.
Neighbourhoods and Suburbs
- Myakotkino
- Kakva
- Borovoy
- Krasnoglinny
- Zelyony
- Medyankino (Finn. Medänkino)
- Novaya Kola (Finn. Uusikola)
- Garniki
- Fil'kino (Finn. Filikino, subordinate town)
- Gres
- Chekletseva