Following the outbreak of World War II, the city hosted many factories relocated from the Russian core.

[23] Novosibirsk was founded on the right side of the Ob, near an area traditionally inhabited by Chat Tatars (Chertovo gorodishche [ru]).

[24] It superseded Bolshoye Krivoshchyokovo village, located on the opposite side of the Ob, which was founded in 1696 and was resettled in 1893 due to the construction of the Novosibirsk Rail Bridge.

The city had steady and rapid economic growth, becoming one of the largest commercial and industrial centers of Siberia.

It developed a significant agricultural-processing industry,[26] as well as a power station, iron foundry, commodity market, several banks, and commercial and shipping companies.

In May 1918, the Czechoslovak Legion rose in opposition to the revolutionary government and, together with the White Guards, captured Novonikolayevsk (26 May 1918).

[27] The city received its present name on 12 September 1926,[4] -Novosibirsk, which, in the Russian language, translates roughly as "New Siberian [town]".

Several massive industrial facilities developed, including the 'Sibkombain' plant, specializing in the production of heavy mining equipment.

[25] Reflecting international recognition of its rapid growth and industrialization, in the US media Novosibirsk was referred to as the "Chicago of Siberia".

[30] Tram rails were laid down in 1934, by which time the population had reached 287,000, making Novosibirsk the largest city in Siberia.

[25] Between 1941 and 1942, the Soviets crated up and relocated more than 50 substantial factories from western Russia to Novosibirsk in order to reduce the risk of their destruction through war, and at this time the city became a major supply base for the Red Army.

[31] The rapid growth of the city prompted the construction during the 1950s of a hydroelectric power station with a capacity of 400 megawatts,[32] necessitating the creation of a giant water reservoir, now known as the Ob Sea.

As a direct result of the station's construction, vast areas of fertile land were flooded, as were relic pine woods in the area; additionally, the new open space created by the reservoir's surface caused average wind speeds to double, increasing the rate of soil erosion.

[33] On 8 June 1965, the city was the scene of a dramatic aerial stunt when Lieutenant Valentin Privalov flew his MiG-17 under the October Bridge; an image which purportedly showed the event was later found to be a photocollage.

The 1930s brought many changes to the development of the city: Its former Bazarnaya Ploschad (Market Square) was chosen as the site for the construction of the Opera House which started in 1931.

Among the reasons for these temperatures are the absence of a nearby ocean and the lack of tall mountains at the north of Novosibirsk that could have held back freezing Arctic winds.

[citation needed] In fact, Novosibirsk is the second-farthest substantially populated city from the ocean, the first being Ürümqi in China.

[citation needed] The climate is humid continental (Köppen Dfb), with warm summers and bitterly cold winters.

The many regular intercity trains connect Novosibirsk with Russian cities in Siberia, the Far East, Ural, and European Russia.

The old Novosibirsk Bus Station located on Krasny Avenue in the right bank part of the city near Kommunalny Bridge was opened in 1964 and eventually closed on 6 April 2020.

Сhronologically, Novosibirsk was the fourth city in Russia in which a metro system was established, after Moscow, Saint Petersburg, and Nizhny Novgorod.

[citation needed] The Novosibirsk fixed-route taxi system (marshrutka), which utilizes minibuses, has operated in the city since late 1970s.

The Rich Family multi-national retailer was founded in Novosibirsk in 2002 and continues to maintain their headquarters in the city.

In February 2023, deputies of the Legislative Assembly of the Novosibirsk Oblast, in two readings, adopted a bill to abolish direct elections of the heads of Novosibirsk and the scientific settlement of Koltsovo; the election of heads of municipal administrations will take place on a competitive basis.

[56] On 28 December 2023, the governor of Novosibirsk Oblast, Andrey Travnikov, announced that Anatoly Lokot was going on vacation with subsequent dismissal.

[58] Professional sports clubs active in the city: Novosibirsk is the home town of several former Olympians, including Aleksandr Karelin, a twelve-time world Greco-Roman wrestling champion who has been voted the greatest Greco-Roman wrestler of the twentieth century by the sport's international governing body of FILA.

[61] Several contemporary classical violinists, such as Vadim Repin,[62] the late Alexander Skwortsow, Natalia Lomeiko,[63] and Maxim Vengerov,[64] are natives of Novosibirsk.

All other higher education institutions are located in the central part of the city of Novosibirsk on both banks of the Ob river.

Novosibirsk is twinned with:[72] Violinist Mikhail Simonyan, playwright and prose writer Nina Mikhailovna Sadur, three-time Olympic Greco-Roman wrestling champion Aleksandr Karelin, pop singer Shura, singer and The Voice judge Pelageya, rapper Allj and top model Sofia Steinberg were born and raised in Novosibirsk.

Aleksandr Akimov, who was also born here, was the night shift supervisor on duty for Reactor 4 of the Chernobyl Nuclear Plant at the time of the explosion in April 1986.