Moinești 5.93

Moinești is a city in Bacău County, Romania, with a population of 21,787. Its name is derived from the Romanian-language word moină, which means "fallow" or "light rain". Moinești once had a large Jewish community; in Jewish contexts the name is often given as Mojnescht. The city administers one village, Găzărie.HistoryFirst mentioned in 1467, the locality was listed among the Moldavian villages on the Bawer map of 1783. A târg was first attested in this location in 1832; it had 188 houses and 588 inhabitants.In 1921, Moinești was designated a comună urbană ("urban commune"), with its own coat of arms and local administration, but a step short of being considered a city. It became a municipality in 2002. The 2011 census counted 20,855 inhabitants.EconomyThe area around Moinești is rich in natural resources such as petroleum, natural gas, salt and timber. Between the years 1950s and 1980s Moinești experienced a steady economic growth thanks to the large petroleum extracting industry. After 1990, however, following the nationwide industry privatization Moinești's economy changed dramatically, at some points reaching level of unemployment of over 20%