Horseshoe Bay
For the body of water, see: Horseshoe Bay (body of water)
Horseshoe Bay | |
|---|---|
City | |
| City of Horseshoe Bay | |
.jpg) Downtown Horseshoe Bay | |
| Country | Zamastan |
| Province | Northern Isle |
| Population (2018) | |
| • Total | 3,412,000 (14th) |
Horseshoe Bay is a coastal city in Zamastan, named after the body of water that it cradles. It is the 14th most populous city in the country and the third-largest city in the province of Northern Isle with a population of 3.43 million people. A port of entry, with 30.7 miles (49.4 km) of waterfront and extensive rail infrastructure and connectivity, the city is an important transportation terminus and distribution and manufacturing center for the Ports of Providence and Lower Tariel, the two largest cities in the province which it sits between. Redevelopment of the Horseshoe Bay waterfront has made the city one of the largest centers of banking and finance in Zamastan and has led to the district and city being nicknamed the Bay Zone.
Settled in 1626 by Elbresians from colonies further down the coast, Horseshoe Bay is one of the oldest cities in Zamastan. Its location at the mouth of the Tissaic River (where it flows into Horseshoe Bay) allowed for materials to be shipped in and out of the interior from key mining sites throughout the northern Zian Mountains, and has made the city's waterfront an integral part of the ports of the Northern Isle coastal region. Today, Port Horseshoe–Elizabeth is one of the primary container shipping terminals in the country. Horseshoe Bay International Airport was the third municipal commercial airport in Zamastan, and today is one of its busiest.
Several domestic and international companies have their headquarters in the city. A number of higher education institutions are also in the city, including Horseshoe University, the city's campus of the University of Northern Isle (which includes law and medical schools and the NI Institute of Jazz Studies); University Hospital (formerly the University of Medicine and Dentistry of Northern Isle which included the schools of medicine and dentistry now under University of NI); the Horseshoe Institute of Technology; and Aese Hall University's law school. Local cultural venues include the Horseshoe Bay Performing Arts Center, Horseshoe Symphony Hall, the Aese Center, The Horseshoe Bay Museum of Art, and the Northern Isle Historical Society. The city is divided into five political wards (East, West, South, North and Central) and contains neighborhoods ranging in character from bustling urban districts to quiet suburban enclaves.