Alagir (Russian: Алаги́р) is an industrial town in the Republic of North Ossetia-Alania, an autonomous republic within Russia. It is situated on the west of the Ardon River , located 33 miles (54 km) west of the republic's capital Vladikavkaz. In 2001, it had an estimated population of 22,700 people.
The city was established in 1850 by Prince Mikhail Semyonovich Vorontsov, the Viceregent of the Caucasus, near an ancient silver/lead mine in the nearby Alagir Gorge . It was built up as a fortified settlement around a smelting plant and became a major mining center; it was granted town status in 1938. Alagir's economy is still dominated by mining and mineral extraction, but it also has a significant woodworking, canning and manufacturing industry.
