Pearsonville

Pearsonville
City
Pearsonville in the daytime. Pearsonville in the daytime.
Nickname(s):  "Heart of the Empire" "Empress of the North"
Founded	990AD
Declared capital	1930
Government
• Governing body	Pearsonville City Council
• Mayoress	Roxanne Watson
Population  (2014)
• Urban	652,405
• Metropolitan population	3,601,997
Website	pearsonville.gov.acs visitpearsonville.acs

Pearsonville is the capital city of the Allied Castarcian States. The city proper has 652,000 inhabitants, whilst the Pearsonville Metropolitan Area is home to more than 3.6 million people. Pearsonville is the seat of political and economic power in the ACS, with the Imperial Palace being located within the Pearsonville Metropolitan Area. Pearsonville has also long been the most important settlement in the country for transport connections, with all major rail lines converging together in the city. It was also the first location within the country to boast an airport.

History

Early history

The recorded history of Pearsonville began with a fortress founded by Empress Elara in about 990 by the name of Droichead Ardaigh, whilst quelling a rebellion against the throne led by Princess Alicia. The small village was said to have been surrounded by fields of roses, and this claim is backed up by numerous written accounts of the Battle of Droichead Ardaigh that occurred shortly after the establishment of the settlement. The fortress was located near the confluence of two rivers, the Nerana and the Asparon.

The village had no notable history for several centuries thereafter, with the same few families residing within for generations. One of these families were the Pearsons, who maintained a tavern that was popular with those who travelled through. As the Empire of Castarcia became progressively more anglicised, the village became named for the family that maintained the tavern and was known as Pearsonville (literally Pearson-village) as opposed to Rosebridge, an English translation of Droichead Ardaigh.

Industrial Age

During the industrial age, the population of Pearsonville exploded, owing to its location on two rivers. Industrial mills used the Nerana and the Asparon to power waterwheels and what once was a small village grew into a town and then a city. These rivers also allowed goods produced in Pearsonville to be transported downstream.

Recent history

After the Imperial Castarcian Revolution of 1930, Emperor Jeremy I designated Pearsonville as the capital city of the newfound empire, replacing Baile Banríona, which had been the capital 'city' during the Republic of Castarcia and the de facto capital of the first Empire of Castarcia, despite its very small size, as it was where an Empress (and later, parliament) resided. The new Emperor referred to Pearsonville as the 'people's capital', referencing the citys industrial history. To this day, Pearsonville has the largest metropolitan economy in the country.

Pearsonville was heavily bombarded during the Great Castarcian War and even fell to enemy forces during the Battle of Pearsonville, though it was swiftly retaken.

Important places

Pearsonville's buildings display a wide variety of architectural styles, although industrial architecture is widespread and largely typical. Many factory and mill buildings remain in both the city centre and the greater metropolitan area, although most have since been redeveloped into apartment buildings and offices.

After Pearsonville was designated as the capital city of the Allied Connurist States, there was a series of extensive projects and programs to beautify the city. Pearsonville City Hall was built in the Gothic style and was voted the prettiest building in the city in a survey conducted in 2013. Pearsonville also has numerous skyscrapers, the tallest of which being the Castarcian Empire Tower, standing at 561 feet (171m). It is not the tallest building in the country, being surpassed by several hotels and casinos in Los Tesoros and over a hundred buildings in Empire Bay.

Pearsonville Grand Central Station.

The city of Pearsonville is also well known for its Gay Village, although the city lacks a red light district unlike Los Tesoros. Within the city of Pearsonville, there are many notable landmarks, chiefly Elara's Square, containing monuments dedicated to Castarcian rulers from the First and Second Empire alike. Pearsonville Park is the largest municipal park in the country, and is also home to a memorial for all who perished within the Great Castarcian War. Pearsonville Grand Central is by far the busiest train station in the country, and one of the busiest in the entirety of Atlas.

Within the metropolitan area, the Imperial Palace can be found.