Ekaterinburg founded as a factory fortress on the Iset river in 1723. Factory chose Century Tatishchev. The plant was built under the leadership of W. de Gennin. The city is named in honour of Empress Catherine I. capacities of the Ekaterinburg factory included: 2 blast furnaces, 14 hammers, iron factory, steel and anchor factories, machines for drilling of guns and more. The main products of iron, cast iron and copper. The full capacity of the factory were never used. In 1737 stopped a blast furnace. Since the end of the 1750s gradually decreased the output of the hammer, steel and wire factories, and in 1769 terminated copper melting production. In 1808 the Ekaterinburg factory is closed.
 In the XVIII century Ekaterinburg develops as the administrative center of the metallurgical industry in the Urals and Siberia. The system of sectoral management of mining plants of the Urals, Transbaikalia and Altai was independent of the local provincial authorities. Its Central authority was located in Yekaterinburg. After 1781 management of mountain part has been decentralised and subordinated to state chambers of provincial boards.

In 1738 founded the stone-cutting workshop has become in 1765 the Ekaterinburg lapidary factory. In 1761 through Ekaterinburg has passed the Siberian post road.

In 1781 Yekaterinburg received a status of a district city of the Perm province. In 1783 he was given the emblem, and in 1787 first elections in a city (шестигласную) Duma. In city self-management in the XVIII - first half of XIX century was dominated by the merchants of old believers.

In 1807 Ekaterinburg received the status of the mountain city, according to the Project of mountain position. Mining chief of the plants of the Ekaterinburg mountain district, on a par with the city Duma, was responsible for municipal economy and the rule of law. Artisans and peasants of state factories were exempted from local taxes. In 1831 transferred to Ekaterinburg, the residence of the Chief head of mining plants of the Ural range, from the beginning 1850, he was virtually single-handedly ruled the city.
 Since 1726 in Ekaterinburg manufacturing of copper money, first payments (heavy square plates where the denomination was equalized with the metal price), and then back to 1735 the Russian copper coins. Ekaterinburg mint made up 80% copper coin in Russia, closed in June, 1876. Made at the Yekaterinburg lapidary works vases and bowls decorated the Winter Palace. At founded in 1839 mechanical factory produced water wheels and turbines, steam engines, machine tools, etc. In 1874 he lost orders and closed.

The major classes of merchants - салотопенное, tanning manufactures, trade in meat and cattle, contracts for the transportation of metals. The first Creamery was founded in 1776, tanning - 1782, the soap factory has begun since 1787, malt fishing since 1785. According to the 1804 fat it was melted by 10 plants on the 603 thousand roubles, 20 tanning enterprises manufactured skin on 30 thousand roubles, 9 brick plants made to 400 thousand bricks annually (3.6 thousand). Besides the Ekaterinburg merchants owned several flour mills, soap, oil and malting enterprises. They are located in the manor near to the house. Old believers settled in the so-called «new settlement», in the southern part of the city.

1820 the richest of Ekaterinburg merchants engaged in placer gold mines in West Siberia. In June 1826 Ekaterinburg merchant Jakim Ryazanov, one of the first in Russia to obtain permission to engage in the gold. In company with merchants F. and S. Kazantsev Баландиным at the turn of the 1820's-1830's he worked on a mine in the area of R. Кундустуюл of Tomsk province. In the first 5 years they managed to get over 116 pounds of gold. Major золотопромышленником was Titus Zotov, who owned the mines by R. Севагликон Yenisei lips. Among the artisans prevailed stone-cutting and jewelry art. Yekaterinburg was the center of the Ural-Siberian old believers беглопоповского consent.

After the abolition of serfdom mining Urals went through a serious crisis. In 1863 Ekaterinburg society has achieved cancellation of the status of the mountain city. In 1872 the new municipal Duma by a qualification principle is selected. Influence of the mountain authorities in Ekaterinburg gradually decreased, which has a positive effect on the urban economy.

В тот же период происходила смена торгово-промышленной элиты, начали развиваться транспорт, мукомольная промышленность, сфера услуг. В 1847 году в Екатеринбурге открылась контора Государственного коммерческого банка для кредитования горной промышленности. В 1864 году учрежден Общественный банк, основу капитала которого составили средства из городского бюджета. В 1871 году появилось отделение Волжско-Камского банка – первого в городе коммерческого кредитного учреждения. В 1872 году создан Сибирский торговый банк, к началу XX века ставший одним из крупнейших в России.

В 1878 году построена первая на Урале железная дорога Екатеринбург-Пермь, связавшая заводы Среднего Урала с губернской столицей. Ее строительство финансировалось частным капиталом. В последующие десятилетия Екатеринбург стал крупным железнодорожным узлом: направления Екатеринбург – Тюмень – Омск (1885 год) и Екатеринбург – Челябинск (1896 год) давали выход на Сибирскую железную дорогу, а новая железнодорожная ветка Екатеринбург – Кунгур - Пермь (1909 год) - прямой путь к Санкт-Петербургу. Спроектированная в начале XX века железная дорога московского направления Екатеринбург – Казань была закончена только в 1920 году.

 The growth of the population of Ekaterinburg and the network of Railways promoted the development of the milling industry. In 1884 the first in Ural region steam mill mayor I. I. Симанова become a leading enterprise in this industry in the Ural-Siberian region. Second steam mill, A. E. Борчанинова, built in 1906 - 1908. Great importance for the economic and social life of the city was held in Yekaterinburg in 1887 Sibirsko-Ural scientific промышленая exhibition. By 1904 in Ekaterinburg (without suburbs) were 49 industrial enterprises with annual turnover 4070 thousand rubles and more than 300 small handicraft establishments and workshops. The largest of them: mechanical plant F. Jatesa, wrought steam machines, cloth factory of the brothers makarovyh, brewery brothers Злоказовых.

In 1917, the transfer of power to the Bolsheviks in Ekaterinburg has occurred peacefully, since March of 1918, the city Duma was replaced by the Executive Committee of the City Council. The city was located, the Ural regional Council, headed by A. Белобородовым the Supreme body of the Soviet power in the Urals. Soon after the beginning of full-scale civil war in June - beginning of July, 1918 Bolshevist forces were advancing on the city from the Chelyabinsk and Tyumen. In the night of 16 to 17 July was Nikolai II and his family. July 25, red left Yekaterinburg, and on July 28 in the city without a fight entered the Czechoslovak part C. Voitsekhovsky. In Ekaterinburg was founded Temporary Urals regional government resumed the activities of the city Duma, came to several deputies of the national Constituent Assembly (A. Chernov and others). After Omsk coup of November 18, 1918 Executive power is transferred to the designated Century Kolchak, the head of the Ural region S. S. Постникову, deputies of the Constituent Assembly were arrested. Ekaterinburg at that time - one of the centres of military control and formation of the Siberian army, here was going to transfer the rate of Kolchak. During the offensive Ekaterinburg operation of 2nd and 3rd armies 14 July 1919 red again occupied the city, Soviet authorities have been restored.

 After the civil war of essential changes in the structure of production occurred, the main attention was paid to rebuild the war-torn and nationalised enterprises: factory «Metallist» (former Jatesa), flax-mill behalf of the Century Lenin (former makarovyh), Verkh-Isetsky metallurgical plant and others. By 1924, the volume of gross output has reached 4/5 level of the year 1913. During the new economic policy was developed a private handicraft production, mainly sewing, Shoe, baking, Metalworking (2178 handicraftsmen for autumn of 1925). In Sverdlovsk there was a bakery.

In 1923 Ekaterinburg became the capital of the Ural region, including modern Kurgan, Chelyabinsk, Perm, Tyumen and Sverdlovsk regions. In 1924 it was renamed into Sverdlovsk. January 17, 1934 from the Ural region of Sverdlovsk area is allocated.

In the years of the first five enterprises were reconstructed and built new large factories (Ural heavy machinery plant (1933), Уралэлектромашина (1934), the Ural turbomotorny Zavod (1939) and others). It is in this period formed the industrial profile of Sverdlovsk. By the beginning of the 1940s in the city operated 85 state enterprises of the Union and Republican value, 40% from the total volume of manufactured products accounted for mechanical engineering and metal working. There was a public transport, new power station, Sewerage and water supply, apartment buildings, schools and universities, a drama theater and the Philharmonic society, a circus and a zoo.

During the great Patriotic war of 1941-45 there was one major transformation of the industry of the city. In Sverdlovsk were evacuated more than 50 large enterprises on the basis of which were created new or old factories are expanded: the Ural chemical engineering plant, Ural instrument-making plant, Ural optical-mechanical plant and others. Industry of Sverdlovsk made various military equipment (tanks, self-propelled artillery installations, tools and much more). In General, during the war, production increased in six times.
In the postwar years, the city's economy continued to dominate the mechanical engineering and metal working, but there were the enterprises oriented on the consumer market: fat factory, knitting factory, factory of large-panel house-building. In 1970-1980 continued to expand military-industrial complex, which accounted for up to 20% of total industrial output.

In 1991 the city was given back its original name.