Ruins and artifacts in Arkaim and other sites in the region indicate a relatively advanced civilization existing in the area since the 2nd millennium BC, which was of proto-Indo-Iranian origin.

[13] The Arkaim site, located in the Sintashta-Petrovka cultural area, was known by Russian archaeologists for at least 70 years, however, it was mostly ignored by non-Russian anthropological circles.

In addition, a so-called "customs fracture" was created in Chelyabinsk, which imposed duties on the shipment of goods between the European and Asian parts of Russia, which led to the emergence of mills and notably, a tea-packing factory.

Because of its rapid growth at the turn of the 20th century, similar to that of midwestern American cities, Chelyabinsk was sometimes called "the Chicago of the Urals".

This brought new industries and thousands of workers to Chelyabinsk, including facilities for the production of T-34 tanks and Katyusha rocket launchers.

[18] The meteor created a momentary flash as bright as the sun and generated a shock wave that injured over a thousand people.

Interior Ministry spokesman Vadim Kolesnikov said 1,100 people had called for medical assistance following the incident, mostly for treatment of injuries from broken glass by the explosions.

[citation needed] Kolesnikov also said about 600 square meters (6,000 sq ft) of a roof at a zinc factory had collapsed.

[22][23][24] The power of the explosion was about 500 kilotons of TNT (about 1.8 PJ), which is 20–30 times more energy than was released from the atomic bomb detonated in Hiroshima.

No residential buildings were built directly in the fortress itself; the houses of the inhabitants were located in the adjoining settlement, which was surrounded by a defensive wall.

Soon it received the name Sibirskaya (now Truda Street), since outside Chelyabinsk it crossed into the Siberian tract leading to Tobolsk.

[29] The western end of the street in the last years of the 18th century acquired an independent name – on the pasture near the outskirts of the Ivanovo fair appeared.

The city developed around the historical core, including by cutting down the island birch forest, in the planning of the central part, a rectangular grid of streets was preserved, but with the enlargement of quarters.

The relocation of 60 industrial enterprises from the center of the country, and the evacuation of the population were accompanied by mass construction of isolated villages from barracks and dugouts in free territories.

Chelyabinsk was considered a center of energy-intensive production, so the main attention was paid to the formation of four industrial hubs based on the capacities of existing enterprises.

The issues of transport construction were actively resolved: the creation of a bypass ring highway connecting the city districts, the routing of the main highways from east to west (Pobedy Avenue, Khudyakov – Dzerzhinsky) and from north to south ("Meridian" and Tchaikovsky Street) with access to the main roads beyond outside the city.

Building on the free territories of the northwestern residential area, designed for a population of up to 300 thousand people, as a new direction for the development of the city, proposed by the master plan, has been carried out since the late 1960s.

[33] The city has a humid continental climate (Köppen: Dfb) similar to that of the Canadian prairies, despite being located slightly further north.

The range of extremes allegedly reaches 70 °C or 130 °F, claimed to be typical of a mid-latitude climate on a large continent such as Eurasia.

Total precipitation reaches an average of 429 millimetres or 16.89 inches annually, consistent with the city's semi-arid influence.

With the market reforms of the 1990s, there was an increase in the construction of office buildings and major shopping malls in postmodern and high-tech styles.

After World War II, Chelyabinsk became the main center of vocational education in the entire Ural region.

Heavy industries, especially metallurgy and military production are predominant in the area, notably the Chelyabinsk Metallurgical Combinate (CMK, ChMK), owned by the mining corporation Mechel.

The American corporation Emerson Electric owns part of the local company Metran, as well as a factory for the production of industrial equipment.

Public transport in Chelyabinsk consists of bus (since 1925), tram (since 1932) and trolleybus (since 1942) networks, as well as private marshrutka (routed cab) services.

Chelyabinsk started the construction of a three-line subway network in 1992, but it has never been finished, and part of the extant line is now in disrepair.

Important expositions include the "Land of Cities" exhibit relating to the 2nd and 3rd millennium BCE settlement of Arkaim, the 570 kg (1,260 lb) largest fragment of the Chelyabinsk meteor, ornate 19th- and 20th-century blades made by Zlatoust arms factory, exhibits of Kasli artistic cast iron, and more.

The museum displays collections of Russian, European, and international works originating from the Middle Ages to modern times.

It has 16 exhibits, including models of T-34 and IS-3 tanks, along with Katyusha rocket launchers produced in Chelyabinsk during World War II.

The zoo participates in international programs for the conservation of endangered species, including amur (siberian) tigers, far eastern leopards and polar bears.