The city of Verny, now known as Almaty, was founded as a military fortification by the Russian government on February 4, 1854. Over time, it grew and became a large Cossack settlement, where people actively migrated from central regions of Russia, such as Voronezh, Oryol, and Kursk provinces. In 1867, Verny became the administrative center of the Semirechye region.

From mid-1855, Russian settlers began arriving at the fortification, which contributed to the rapid development of the city. In 1865, a settler from Voronezh province, Georgy Filippovich Redko, brought the first seedlings of the Aport apple variety to the vicinity of Verny. Thanks to selection and crossbreeding with the local Sivers apple tree, this variety became known even in the imperial era.

Near the fortification, the Large and Small stanitsas, as well as the Tatar settlement, emerged. In 1856, the "State Garden" was established, now the Central Park of Culture and Leisure, and in 1857, the first water mill was built in the Tatar settlement area. In 1858, the first brewery began operations, marking the beginning of the local processing industry. In 1859, surveyor Golubev from St. Petersburg marked Verny on the world map. By May of that year, the fortification had a population of five thousand people. In 1860, the first post office and hospital opened.

On April 11, 1867, Verny became the center of the Semirechye region within the Turkestan General Governorship. Major General Gerasim Kolpakovsky was appointed military governor, punitive ataman of the Semirechye Cossacks, and commander of the troops in the region.