Pripyat

Pripyat, a city just north of the nuclear complex was under construction as well. It was difficult for officials to convince brand-new graduates to move somewhere so desolate. The town was to hold residents for the plant workers, their families, and friends. The town grew the longer the plant was active. Because of the residents being mostly college graduates with young families, the city was considered the “youngest” in the Soviet Union. It was deemed modern, modest, young, and thriving. It had all the utilities one could think of to be comfortable and thrive.

It contained many utilities one could think of, kindergartens, schools, vocational college, a children’s music and arts school, and as many parks as a child would dream of. For entertainment and health, there were gyms, shooting ranges, swimming pools, stadiums, libraries, a cinema, their very own newspaper, shopping centers, bookshops, supermarkets, canteens, cafes, and so much more. It offered what many throughout the Soviet Union dreamed of and provided a promising future for Pripyat, the nuclear station, and the Soviet Union. It had everything someone in their 20s dreamed for and provided and upscale experience for those that moved to city.

Higginbotham, Adam. Midnight in Chernobyl the untold story of the World’s greatest nuclear disaster. Waterville, ME: Thorndike Press, 2020.