Sanctuary City
 | This article or section is in a state of significant expansion or restructuring. You are welcome to assist in its construction by editing it as well. If this article or section has not been edited in several days, please remove this template. If you are the editor who added this template and you are actively editing, please be sure to replace this template with {{in use}} during the active editing session. Click on the link for template parameters to use.
This article was last edited by Revo admin (talk | contribs) 38 hours ago. (Update timer) |
Sanctuary City | |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| State | New Hampshire |
| County | Rockingham |
| Settled | 1630 |
| Incorporated (Portsmouth) | 1653 |
| Incorporated (city) | 1849 |
| Reformed as Sanctuary City | September 10, 1985 |
| Core city | Portsmouth/"Sanctuary City" |
| Satellite cities | |
| Area | |
| • City | 800 sq mi (2,060 km2) |
| • Land | 695 sq mi (1,801 km2) |
| • Water | 100 sq mi (259 km2) 12.6% |
| • Urban | 285.10 sq mi (738.41 km2) |
| • Metro | 410.27 sq mi (1,062.59 km2) |
| Elevation | 70 ft (20 m) |
| Population (2010) | |
| • City | 20,000,000 |
| • Density | 25,000/sq mi (9,700/km2) |
Sanctuary City, officially called The Sanctuary Area of Portsmouth, Exeter, and Derry and sometimes referred to as The Greater Sanctuary Area, is a metropolitan area located in the USA on Earth-0. As the home of the largest population of Meta-Humans on Earth-0, it is a significant region with colorful recent history.
History
Portsmouth, New Hampshire
Settlement and Incorporation
The area that would be settled as Portsmouth was first explored by Europeans in 1603. As the Piscataqua River forms a good natural harbor, the area was of interest to European settlers, and was settled in 1630 by European colonists under the name "Strawbery Banke" due to the amount of wild strawberries growing in the area.
As a European colony, Portsmouth was a beneficiary of the Triangle Trade, and Enslaved Africans were imported to the colony (with records dating back to at least 1645) - these imported slaves were key to the colony's prosperity. Strawbery Banke was incorporated in 1653, and named "Portsmouth" in honor of the colony's founder, who was from Portsmouth, Hampshire.
American Revolution
In 1774, when the American Revolution was brewing, Paul Revere rode to Portsmouth to warn the city that the Royal Navy was coming to capture the city. The risk of invasion from the sea led to the Patriot government moving the captial of the region from Portsmouth in-land to Exeter. As a sea port, Portsmouth was a key location for the American revolutionaries to receive supplies from their French allies.
African Americans were key to defending to defending Portsmouth during the revolutionary war, and as such a group of enslaved African Americans from Portsmouth wrote to the state legistlature of New Hampshire in 1779 to abolition slavery on those grounds - slavery would not be banned in New Hampshire until 1857.
19th Century
The 1807 embargo of American trade with Britain caused financial disruption in Portsmouth, as several local businessmen went bankrupt due to New England's reliance on trade with Canada. Portsmouth was relatively uninvolved in the War of 1812, but did host privateers.
Portsmouth was incoporated as a city in 1849.
Thanks to being a key port and shipbuilding city, Portsmouth was a wealthy city in the 1800s, leading to much of its downtown core consisting of examples of Colonian, Georgian, and Federal style houses. Due to fires in the early 1800s, the city established a fire district that required buildings within its boundaries be built from brick with slate roofs, leading to much of the area's distinctive style.
Portsmouth went into decline with the Industrial Revolution, as focus switched from its port to industrial mill towns located further inland than the city.
Early 20th Century
During World War II, Portsmouth Municipal Airport was converted for military use. By 1956, the airport became Pease Air Force Base, which housed nuclear bombers during the Cold War. The Portsmouth Naval Shipyard was also a key base during the Cold War, being responsible for the construction of significant US Submarines during the period.
As with many other cities, Portsmouth benefitted from mid-20th century federal urban renewal projects, with funds being particularly focused on the North End area due to its high Italian-American population leading to it being perceived as a poor, overcrowded area and a significant fire hazard. Approximately 300 families were displaced due to this project.
Meta-Human Sanctuary
Reformation into an official metropolitan area
Reconstruction
Recent History
Points of Interest
Residential District
Financial District
Mostly rural land prior to the population explosion of Sanctuary City, the Financial District is the strongest example of Sanctuary City's architectural character. Made primarily of modern skyscrapers, the Financial District's skyline rivals that of other mega cities across the world, such as New York, London, and Shanghai. Being mostly zoned for financial use, few people live within the Financial District, but some private residences are present within the area.
Key locations in the Financial District include:
- Archeon Incorporated Campus
- UP Tower
- Hoyokazi Tower
- Futures Tower
- Sanctuary City University
- Valkyrie Research
Administrative District
Formerly Exeter, New Hampshire, what would become the Administrative District hosted much of Rockingham County's county administration before the area was reformed into Sanctuary City, making it a natural fit for the metropolitan area's administrative core. Unlike much of Sanctuary City the administrative district maintains much of its pre-Sanctuary character, with the main notable break from this being the MRD Headquarters, which rises above much of the surrounding area.
Key locations in the Administrative District include:
Industrial District
The Hollows
Notes
- Sanctuary City is the primary location setting for Earth-0, and as such has a lot of happening in it.
- A population of 20 million places Sanctuary City as having a larger population than the New York Metropolitan Area, but not larger than the Combined New York Statistical Area.
- The date of the Portsmouth/Rockingham area being reformed in Sanctuary City officially, September 10, 1985, is the official release date for Uncanny X-Men #200 (titled "The Trial of Magneto!"), a Marvel comic famous for a key legal decision involving Mutants, from whom Meta-Humans take much inspiration.
- Sanctuary City has several sports teams, these include:
- Sanctuary City Sentinels (Baseball)
- Sanctuary City Sunfishes (American Football)
- Basketball Response Division (Basketball)