Miass

Сity in Chelyabinsk Oblast, Russia, located 96 kilometers (60 mi) west of Chelyabinsk, on the eastern slope of the Southern Ural Mountains, on the bank of the river Miass. Population: 147,995 (2021 Census). The name Miass is taken from the Bashkirs (Bashkir: Мейәс), the indigenous inhabitants of these places, with the root of the word meaning "water" or "friend".
It was founded in 1773 as a copper mining factory. During the 19th century, the development was driven by the discovery of the richest gold deposits in the Urals. Average annual extraction of gold from the Miass region was about 640 kilograms (1,410 lb). In the mid-19th century, the volume of gold mining went down, and the development of Miass also slowed. Town status was granted to Miass in 1923. In 1941, an automobile factory (which still operates as UralAZ) was built.