Urbanization in Russia and the Importance of Small and Medium-sized Cities in the Development of Rural Areas

The article shows the main indicators of the population of Russia, which testify to the active processes of urbanization, the concentration of the inhabitants of the country in large cities, the outflow of population from small and medium-sized cities. In the regional context, the example of the Vologda region presents the dynamics of the number of city inhabitants. The analysis of the statistical data showed that in most small and medium cities in the region there is a migration loss of population, the processes of which continue to the present. The author put forward the hypothesis that small and medium-sized cities have a direct impact on the development of the adjacent rural areas. The conclusions are drawn that the simultaneous use of the sectoral, industrial and territorial potential of small and medium-sized cities can contribute not only to their effective development, but also to the solution of the social and economic problems of rural areas.