The resettlement of workers in the initial period of the development of the basin developed almost spontaneously and was carried out in the settlements that existed at that time. Mikhailovka, Staraya Tnkhonovka. Old Maikuduk, Kompaneysk and others. and mainly in newly created settlements for emergency service in the immediate vicinity of mines and auxiliary enterprises of the coal industry.
In order to streamline questions about the resettlement of workers by the end of 1937. a scheme was developed for the prospective development of the central region of the basin, providing for the cessation of the development of small settlements and the concentration of construction in a single city, the population of which by 1950. should have totaled 260-300 thousand. human.
The resettlement scheme and the general plan of such a city were drawn up by the Mosobliroekt Institute, and at the end of the 30s in the southeastern part of the Industrial site, in the immediate vicinity of the village of B. Mikhailovka, the New City of Karaganda began to be created. However, due to objective reasons, the creation of a single city turned out to be impossible, and further resettlement led to the dispersion of buildings throughout the Industrial section of the basin on the territory of more than 57 thousand. ha. The new city has become one of the residential areas. Along with it, settlements for emergency service continued to be created in the center of the Industrial Section. Gradually merging, these settlements (more than 42) formed the second residential area, called the Old Town. The formation of a city with a pronounced tendency to bring housing construction closer to industrial enterprises has led to the fact that the main residential areas being developed, with the exception of the villages of Maykuduk. partially Novaya Tikhonovka and Kompaiisk-Sortirovochnaya, turned out to be located on coal-bearing areas.
The Old Town and the adjoining village of Prnshakhtinsky are built up mainly with one-story buildings, among which two-three-story brick residential buildings, public buildings and industrial enterprises are scattered in separate patches. The area is provided with a fairly developed network of water supply and, to a lesser extent, sewerage.