The city is situated on the banks of the river Kodyma. Since the XVI century a settlement Balta in the dexter side bank was a customs point on a territory captured by a sultan. In the XVII century on the sinister side bank there appeared a Polish town known under the name Yuzephgrud.
In 1746 it received the Magdeburg Right.
Since 1791 Balta had been under the jurisdiction of Russia, in 1793 Yuzephgrud became Russian.