Altaithe

Altaithe Numadu
Town
Motto:  Giving thanks for your work
Country	Imagua and the Assimas
Parish	Saint Ellen's
Founded	1534
Government
• Mayor	Harvey O'Hartigan
Population  (2011)
• Town	75,503
• Rank	3rd in Imagua and the Assimas
• Urban	75,503
• Metro	545,281
Time zone	UTC+11 (Imaguan Standard Time)
• Summer (DST)	not observed

Altaithe (Western Imaguan Creole: Numadu) is the third largest settlement in Imagua and the Assimas, the second-largest settlement in the Cuanstad metropolitan area, and the capital of Saint Ellen's Parish, as well as the largest settlement in Imagua to not be situated on a coast.

Established in 1534 by Caldish settlers, it is the second oldest settlement in Imagua and the Assimas, with control of the town changing hands between Caldia, Geatland, and Estmere, with temporary occupation by Gaullica and (TBD).

It is now primarily a commuter town, as many residents of Altaithe commute to and from Cuanstad for work, as housing in Altaithe has generally been cheaper than in Cuanstad since the 1960s.

Etymology

The name Altaithe derives from the Caldish word meaning "to give thanks," as according to tradition, Altaithe was established after purchasing the land of what would become Altaithe in 1534 from the native Arucians, with the Caldish name being given as a way of thanking the natives.

The Western Imaguan Creole name for Altaithe, derives from a contraction of the Imaguan words, numá, meaning "my friend," and aüdü, meaning town. Thus, Numadu literally means "town of my friend," which is believed to have been the indigenous Arucian name for what would become Altaithe.

The traditional local pronunciation of Altaithe is ALL-taith, although since the 1950s, ALL-tithe has become a more common pronunciation, mostly among those migrating to Altaithe for cheaper housing while still wanting to work in Cuanstad.

History

Pre-colonial era

Prior to the colonial era, the area that would become Altaithe was inhabited by the indigenous Arucians. While it was never a centre of trade like what would become Cuanstad, Altaithe was a major agricultural centre, with archaeological evidence suggesting the existence of farms, which were matched by records made by the first Caldish explorers beyond the shore and into the Glen Valley.

Colonial era

In 1534, Altaithe was established, with the construction of a church and some houses along what would become known as the an Bothar Road (from Caldish an Bóthar, meaning the Road).

However, as the seat of Saint Ellen's was in Cuanstad, Altaithe was mostly an agricultural centre, with farming being the main source of revenue for the settlement. This continued after Geatland took over the island of Imagua from Caldia in 1562, although the farming shifted away from subsistence farming to sugar plantations, with Altaithe becoming a major centre for sugar production.

(TBC)

Contemporary era

Since the 1950s, Altaithe began growing as an "outlying suburb" of Cuanstad, as prices in Cuanstad's city centre started rising to the point that many families were unable to afford buying a home in Cuanstad. As more and more people moved from Cuanstad to Altaithe, but still wanting to work in Cuanstad, there was a pressing need to build a motorway to connect the two communities. This was accomplished by 1960.

In 1961, when Cuanstad became its own parish, Altaithe became the centre of the parochial government of Saint Ellen's Parish, which meant that Altaithe started to become a job centre, as opposed to purely being a commuter town. Despite this, the 1971 census reported that three-fifths of Altaitheans commuted to and from Cuanstad for work, with most of those working in Altaithe working as shopkeepers, or for the government (either national, parochial, or local).

While the move to Altaithe slowed down between 1971 and 1981, due to the worsening economic conditions and a recession in the late 1970s and early 1980s, towards the end of the 1980s, more people were migrating to Altaithe, as prices in Cuanstad continued to rise, with a high proportion of them commuting to and from Altaithe.

Since the 2000s, there has been talk about merging Altaithe and Cuanstad into one city (and thus being subsumed under the parochial government of Cuanstad), but there has been backlash from many Altaitheans who feel that Cuanstad's taxes are too high, and who feel that such a merger would lead to their interests being ignored.

Geography

Situated in the Glen Valley, it is defined by its location along the Glen River. Unlike Cuanstad, which is relatively flat, Altaithe is hillier, and higher in elevation, with its lowest point being at 153 meters above sea level at the border between Altaithe and Cuanstad, and the highest point being at O'Hartigan Ridge, at 872 meters above sea level.

Like the rest of the country, it experiences a tropical monsoon climate, with average high temperatures being 32 °C (89.6 °F), and average low temperatures being 20.5 °C (68.9 °F). The wet season is generally from May to October, while the dry season typically lasts from November to April, although the months of April and November receive more rain than any other month in the dry season.

The highest recorded temperature in Cuanstad was 35.7 °C (96.3 °F), recorded on 28 July 1939, while the lowest recorded temperature in Cuanstad was 11.5 °C (52.7 °F), recorded on 1 January, 1911.

Government

Local government in Altaithe has a sixteen member town council (Vespasian: consiglio comunale), and is headed by a mayor (Vespasian: sindaco), which are all elected by residents of Altaithe every four years. Like other town councils in Imagua, all politicians and candidates are required to be independent politicians, as it is meant to operate as a non-partisan government.

The current mayor is Harvey O'Hartigan, who was first elected in 2016 to succeed outgoing mayor Cathy Meighan.

On the parochial level, Altaithe receives thirty seats of the fifty seats in Saint Ellen's parochial council.

On the national level, Altaithe is allocated seven seats in the Lesser House, as it is the third largest settlement in the country, and the largest settlement in Saint Ellen's.

Demographics

A church in Altaithe, 2019

As of the 2011 census, Altaithe has 75,503 people, making Altaithe the third-largest settlement in Imagua and the Assimas, and is part of the Cuanstad metropolitan area.

Ethnically, 45,302 people in Altaithe, or around sixty percent of the town's population are Bahio-Imaguan, while 26,928 people, or thirty-six percent of the population, are Eucleo-Imaguan. only 3,273 people, or one percent of the population, belong to other ethnicities, including indigenous peoples.

Religiously, Altaithe is split relatively evenly between the Solarian Catholic Church, with 24,827 adherents, the Gospelites, with 24,817 adherents, and the Embrian Communion, with 24,806 adherents. Only 1,043 people, or about 1.3% of the settlement's population follow other religions or sects, with only eleven people identifying as irreligious.

Linguistically, 70,067 people, or 92.8% of the population report using Estmerish on a regular basis, while 4,803 people, or 6.4% of the population, report that they use Vespasian on a regular basis. Only 633 people, or about 0.8% of the population, report using neither official language on a regular basis.

The largest non-official language reported is Western Imaguan Creole, with around sixty-five percent of Altaithe's population, or 49,077 people, reporting it as a native language. The next largest non-official languages include Eastern Imaguan Creole, Gaullican, and Geatish.

Transportation

As a commuter town, Altaithe's road infrastructure is primarily focused towards connecting Altaithe to Cuanstad, with only a few roads continuing up the Glen Valley.

The most busy international airport in the country, and the city's only international airport is Peter Hansson International Airport, located in Saint Ellen's near Altaithe.

Altaithe has two bus systems: Altaithe Public Transit, which primarily focuses on routes within Altaithe, and Cuanstad Transit, who primarily serves routes going towards Cuanstad. In addition, it is served by a bus rapid transit system connecting Altaithe with Cuanstad, Cuanstad Metro.

Culture

Despite its close proximity to Cuanstad, Altaithe has managed to develop a distinct cultural identity over the years.