уездные города

The article examines socio-cultural environment (or cultural community) of Saratov province district towns that had been founded as fortresses: Tsaritsin, Kamyshin and Petrovsk. Their social structure did not differ much from that of the other district towns of the province. Their socio-cultural environment was dominated by folk culture marked by legends, traditions and relics that kept the memories of the war-time past of the fortress-cities alive.

On the basis of archival and published sources, the author explores the number and occupations of the inhabitants of the district towns of Saratov province in the 1780s — early 1800s. This article also tells about changes in the social-economic development of settlements after receiving city status.