It is in the basin of the Iset River, which meanders from west to east through the middle of the district.

The Iset meets the south-north flowing Tobol River about 20km east of the district.

The area has been inhabited since prehistoric times, with the oldest artifacts dated to the Mesolithic (7th-8th century BCE).

The first settlers from Russia arrived in 1650 as part of a military line of defensive forts, including one on the Iset River.

In the 1700s, the fertile agricultural soil attracted colonists from central Russia, and woodworking industries developed around the timber and water-power resources.