Mentone City, Mentone

Mentone City, Mentone
State capital and city
Left to right from top: Downtown Mentone City, Mentone City Station, and the Mentone State Capitol
Nickname:  "Magic City of the Plains" (historic)
Location in Shelby County in Mentone
Country	Pherigo
State	Mentone
County	Shelby
Established	1590
Named for	Fort Mentone
Government
• Mayor	Patrick Collins
Area
• City	133 sq mi (340 km2)
Population  (2020)
• City	105,094
• Density	790.2/sq mi (305.1/km2)
• Urban	131,915

Mentone City is the capital and most populous city of the state of Mentone, as well as the county seat of Shelby County, with 105,094 residents, per the 2020 Census. It is the principal city of the Mentone City metropolitan statistical area which encompasses all of Shelby, Roberts, Franklin, Travis, Parker and Young counties, and had 255,120 residents as of the 2020 census. Local residents named the town for Fort Mentone in 1590 when it was founded in the Jefferson District during Albionite colonization.

History

Albion colonial authorities established Fort Mentone near the site of the modern day installation of the same name in the 1498, as a foothold to establish control over the eastern plains of the Pherigo Territories. Throughout the next century, a settlement grew around the fort to support civilian farming and ranching in the area. In 1590, Mentone City was incorporated. In 1610, the city became the capital on the new Mentone District spilt off from the Jefferson District.

Around this time, the effects of the Pherigo Revolution began to reach this part of the Territoy, and the district split was done in order to relocate colonial officials from Calpurnia. Fort Mentone was one of the last hold outs of Albion forces in Pherigo, falling to local forces in 1634.

Following the Revolution and Pherigo's independence, the Mentone District became the state of Mentone, with Mentone City being named the capital of the new state. Today, Mentone City's economy is primarily driven by Fort Mentone and administration, as well as the food processing industry.

Geography

According to the Pherigo Census Service, the city has a total area of 133 square miles (344.47 km²). The city is located just northeast of the center of that state, along the Mentone River.

Climate

Mentone City, like much of Mentone, has a cold semi-arid climate (Köppen BSk). Winters are cold and moderately long, but relatively dry with highs often above freezing, having a normal mean temperature of 27.7 °F (−2.4 °C), highs that fail to breach freezing for 35 days per year, and lows that dip to the 0 °F (−18 °C) mark on 9.2 mornings. However, the cold is often interrupted, with winds blowing downslope from the Hamilton Highlands that can bring warm conditions, bringing the high above 50 °F (10 °C) on twenty days from December to February.

Parks and recreation

Lions Park

The Mentone City Community Recreation and Events Department operates an Ice and Events center, swimming pool, spray park, skateboard park, two golf courses, Mentone Botanic Gardens (including the Children's Village at the Gardens), paddle boat rentals in Lions Park (summers only), cemeteries, forestry operations, community house, Youth Activity Center and a miniature golf park. The Mentone City Parks and Recreation Department, in partnership with Shelby County Public Works, also operates a 37 miles (60 kilometers)) Greater Mentone City Greenway system. The greenway connects parks and neighborhoods of greater Mentone. It includes many bridges and underpasses where travelers can avoid high traffic roads and travel above waterways and drainages.

Government

Mentone City's government consists of a mayor and a city council, elected on a non-partisan basis. The mayor is elected in a citywide vote. The city council has nine members each of whom are elected from one of five wards. Each ward elects two members. The mayor's office is responsible for managing the various city departments which consist of Police, Fire Rescue, Planning and Development, Engineering, Public Works, Treasury, Attorney's Office, Human Resources, and Municipal Court. The Mentone City Board of Public Utilities is owned by the city but is semi-autonomous.

Education

Public education in Mentone City is provided by Mentone City Unified School District. The district is served by two high schools, three middle schools, and ten elementary schools.

Mentone City is home to the University of Mentone, the only four year university in the state.

Infrastructure

Transportation

Major highways

• The only national route serving the city, built to freeway standards through town, runs north-south across the state from Buffalo to Norge just across the state line in Cumberland.
• is a major state highway runing east-west across the state, heading west to Harper, and east to Trenton.
• is a major state highway runing north-south across the state, heading north to Helena, and south to Carmen.
• serves as a partial loop around the west side of the city built as one of the only two controled access freeways in the state.

Public transit

Mentone City Transit provides local hourly bus service from 6:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m. Monday to Friday and 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. on Saturday. There is no Sunday service.

Airports

Mentone City Regional Airport is the only airport in the state with scheduled commercial flights.

Railroads

Mentone City is served by the Pherigo National Passenger Rail Service's green line, running north to Edmonson, Cumberland and south to Taiyavia City, Cataldo.