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Oktyabrsk is one of the oldest cities of Samara region. It was founded in 1684 as the Ancient settlement to protect from attacks of Nogai nomads from Zavolzhye. Since then there have been various settlements on this place – Kostychi, Batraki, Pravaya Volga, Pechersky, Pervomaysky. Later (1941) they became a part of Oktyabrsky district and were included in city limits of Syzran.
On August 7, 1956 Oktyabrsky district was transformed to the city of regional submission, and since December 28, 2004 Oktyabrsk has been municipal entity which is allocated with the status of city district.
Modern Oktyabrsk is located in southwest part of Samarskaya Luka, on the right bank of Volga River, 154 km to the West from Samara. The city is at crossing of Volga with a railway line Moscow-Samara and M5 main road Moscow – Chelyabinsk.
Oktyabrsk has economically advantageous location because the oldest railroad in Russia connecting the center of the country with Siberia and Central Asia passes through the city. Rail Road Bridge through Volga constructed in 1880 near the present settlement of Pravaya Volga ranks the first longest in Europe.
Extent of Oktyabrsk along the southern flank of Volga Upland (between three main traffic arteries) makes 27 kilometers. It’s also the only city in Samara region located on the right bank of Volga River which has 6 moorings of "River — Sea" class.
The population of city district is 27,7 thousand people (2009). The annual natural population increase makes on an average 1,3%.
Various enterprises of the construction, light and food, machine-building industries as well as small business make a good contribution in development of a city economy.
Before, resinous limestone applying by production of asphalt was extracted in outskirts of Oktyabrsk. The Volga asphalt was used everywhere and even gained the international recognition. Cultural life of the city is presented by several Recreation centers, the library network, schools of arts, museum of local lore and municipal Russian folk orchestra.
T he city museum of local lore, besides numerous exhibits, possesses a unique collection of subjects related to the Great Patriotic War. Building of the museum constructed in the 1890s as the railway passenger station represents weather-boarded timber blocking. Exclusiveness of this museum is that in the small town with the population slightly less than 30 thousand people exist a museum with a full historical exposition of the city and rich repository collections.
The Aleksandrovsky railway bridge through Volga constructed in 1890 is considered to be the main sight of Oktyabrsk. This monument of construction art is still the longest in Europe. Besides Aleksandrovsky Bridge there are some other noticeable architectural monuments in Oktyabrsk. These are buildings of railway stations of the end of the 19th – the middle of the 20th centuries, the ancient building of a water tower, and the building of depot of the end of the 19th century, and an incomplete construction of a tunnel for the bypass railroad of the beginning of the 20th century.
