Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev announced on March 16, 2022, that the region would be created. The area split off from Almaty Region when Tokayev's decree came into force on June 8, 2022. The administrative center of the region is Taldykorgan, and the center of Almaty Region was moved to Qonayev.[4] On June 11, 2022, Beibit Isabayev was appointed as akim of the region.[5] The region's borders roughly correspond to the old Taldykorgan Region which was liquidated in 1997 and merged with Almaty Region.
It is named after the historical Zhetysu region of Central Asia, which is primarily situated within the modern-day region.