Newly formed cities of Russia at the end of the XVIII century

The article examines the changes in the life of newly formed cities of Russia at the end of the XVIII century, such as the composition of the population, the management structure, the specifics of self-government, redevelopment and landscaping, economic life and public education. Comparable material on the state of the empire cities at the turn of the century is taken from the "Dictionary of the Geographical Russian State", published by Afanasy Shchekatov in the early of the XIX century. In the course of a comparative analysis, the author comes to the conclusion that the change in the legal status of the settlement became the starting point in the process of formation and development of special urban forms of life, primarily estate-legal, heraldic, economic, as well as administrative- managerial and self-governing, associated with the introduction of new residential principles, the organization of social infrastructure, contributed to the penetration of innovations into the daily life.