[1] Sevan was founded as Yelenovka (Armenian: Ելենովկա, Russian: Еленовка) in 1842 to become a Russian-populated village.

The cyclopean fortress of Metsep dating back to the 3rd millennium BC stands just north of the city.

Initially the monastery was built at the southern shore of a small island, that later turned into a peninsula during the 1st half of the 20th century, as a result of the artificial draining of Lake Sevan under Joseph Stalin's rule, causing the water level to fall around 20 meters.

In 1842, members of Russian Molokan religious sect escaping prosecutions in mainland Russia, arrived in the region and founded the village of Yelenovka.

The 1st urban development plan of Sevan was introduced in 1954, with the purpose of accommodating around 11,000 residents in the town until 1970.

Under the Soviet rule, Sevan was turned into an important industrial hub within the Armenian SSR.

The national reserve occupies major territories around the Lake Sevan, extended from the northeastern parts of the town to the southwest.

The area comprises 1,501 square kilometres (580 sq mi), of which 24,900 hectares (61,529 acres) are lakeside lands.

It is surrounded with the slopes of mountain chains of Areguni, Geghama, Vardenis, Pambak and Sevan.

The basin of Lake Sevan is a crossroad for mesophile and Armenian-Iranian xerophile flora belts.

The Sevan Botanical Garden covering an area of 5 hectares, is located at a height of 2000 meters above sea level and is home to more than 650 local, North American Asian and European species.

It is operating since 1944 as a satellite of the Yerevan Botanical Garden under the supervision of the Armenian National Academy of Sciences.

Despite its southern location, due to elevation and continentality, climate of Sevan is similar to Eastern Finland.

The Sevan flour mill and bakery factory is the only major plant that survived after the independence.

Many professionals and amateurs visit the city to practice their favourite types of sports on the shores including beach soccer, beach volleyball, windsurfing and other types of water sports through numerous swimming beaches and facilities along the entire Sevan shore, such as the water park, the horse-riding club, the tennis courts, the mini football and basketball fields, etc.

[18] In February 2011, the Sevan ropeway was opened at the north of the town, in the area known as "mashtotsner", on the way to Tsovagyugh village.

[19] Sevan is among the 3 towns of Armenia that are allowed to accommodate gambling houses and activities in urban settlements (along with Tsaghkadzor and Jermuk).