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| Some of the major landmarks that make up the Olympia, AT skyline (click to enlarge). |
This diagram showcases some of the landmarks of Olympia, the largest city (and metropolitan area) in the U.S. state of Altamasstachia. Olympia is known for two distinct skylines - the main skyline and the Camille Row skyline, which are separated from each other by the River Humbarton (which flows through the city from the west eastward and then southward towards its mouth at Esteban and the Pacific Ocean). The main skyline is thought of as the "South Humbarton" skyline while Camille Row is considered the "North Humbarton" skyline. Olympia City Hall is located in Pighman Park, south of the River Humbarton but north of and separated from the main skyline. This diagram examines the Camille Row skyline looking northwards from the main skyline, the Olympia City Hall looking north-northwest (with an aerial view) from the main skyline, and the main skyline looking southwards from the Camille Row skyline. On a general note, Olympia can be described geographically as being like Los Angeles, New Orleans, London and Rome, and culturally as being like Los Angeles, New York, and London.
Camille Row - Florence, Italy (and Rome to some extent) meets an American cosmopolitan megalopolis in this part of Olympia, north of the River Humbarton. Olympia is one of America's oldest cities, established in 1591 by settlers and colonists from Italy, Spain, Portugal and England. So it is no surprise that this corner of the city would become known as the "Italy of the Pacific" by the mid-1600s, as Olympia's northern neighborhoods began with an inspired blend of Renaissance and neoclassical architecture and was historically a residential area with some marketplaces and upscale boutiques while the main downtown area south of the River Humbarton was where commerce and industry flourished. Needing a main center of worship as Olympia was (and is, to this day) majority-Catholic, the Olympia Grand Cathedral began to welcome church-goers, new believers and other faithful pilgrims in the late 1840s and was not only the centerpiece of the neighborhood but also an important testament to the faith of the people and the Old World traditions that were and are being kept alive to this day here. A northern retreat from the hustle and bustle of the main downtown southwards, the Camille Row area would eventually be shaken to its core in the 1960s, when city planners and developers laid out their vision for a new downtown business park in the area. Beginning with the Camille Tower (the 19th-tallest building in the state), this would come to life over the years under much protest of the locals, who were very much unsettled by these new developments and did not want parts of their cityscape and heritage erased away by new civic and economic progresses - feeling that new high-rises should be kept south of the Humbarton. Today, Camille Row remains an upscale part of downtown Olympia and is home to business high-rises and luxury hotels amongst the terracotta roofed villas, hostels, restaurants and boutique shops. The high rise structures are generally located on 8th Avenue which runs east-west through this part of town (for instance, the Camille Tower is located at 1650 8th Avenue). Like the rest of Olympia's downtown areas, civic and state highway planners and engineers deliberately routed the freeways around town from the 1930s through the 1950s to ensure minimal right-of-way acquisitions in the Camille Row and Miantonomo areas, owing to the historical significance of the area.
Olympia City Hall - Built 1918-1922, opened at minimal operations in 1919, fully completed in 1922. This is the seventh and current city hall in the 430-year history of Olympia, nestled on a small hill in Pighman Park in the heart of the city. Facing the main skyline of Olympia is the nearby statue of Mark Jones (1877-1951), the most famous ten-pin bowler in history, who was born in Olympia and would go on to captain the Olympia Generals to a dynasty from the late 1890s through the early 1910s, winning ten Wittimer Cup championships. The statue of Altamasstachia's biggest folk hero is across from City Hall.
Main Skyline (AKA Larger Quarter) - From the 1910s to the present day (as of 2021), the skyline of Altamasstachia's largest city and metropolitan area has evolved - all architectural trends through the 20th century and the first two decades of the 21st century have been incorporated by city planners looking to create a lively, bustling city through every scope of their combined imaginations and fantasies. It wasn't until the late 1950s and early 1960s that the skyline as we know it today really began to take shape, and with construction of a newer skyline north of the River Humbarton (that also took aural dominance away from the Olympia Grand Cathedral), business leaders, politicians and architects alike saw fit to keep ramping up development south of the River Humbarton, possibly to send a message that this was the "main skyline" and Olympia's real downtown. Since then, gerrymandering has been a nuisance hindering low-key commercial and residential operations in both the Main Skyline and Camille Row, although politicians and community organizers are working to keep high costs of living at bay. Many of the main skyline's high-rise buildings are located on 3rd Avenue (similar to Camille Row's skyscrapers being located on 8th Avenue), and visitors often say the skyline evokes vibes of New York, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, San Francisco and London. The main downtown of Olympia also features casinos and hotels amidst the major residential and commercial developments that define the area. This area is also known as the Larger Quarter.
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| A map of Olympia's 140 neighborhoods (click to enlarge). |
Olympia, the largest city in the U.S. state of Altamasstachia, is divided into 140 distinct neighborhoods.
Being one of the oldest cities in the United States, civic leaders, local & state transportation officials and engineers designed the freeways (Altamasstachia State Freeway Routes 10 and 55) and major thoroughfares in the city to avoid the main downtown areas (Larger Quarter, City Hall/Pighman Park, Civic Glen, Ponsonby Village, Camille Row, Miantonomo). From the late 1500s to the early 1800s, the city of Olympia (which was first settled by Italian, Spanish, Portuguese and English colonists as Olympus after much deliberation over what the name of the community should be, adopting the name Olympia in 1765) was a quaint, small town which would begin to see major growth in the 1800s with the advent of the Industrial Revolution. The city grew in area from five known areas (Larger Quarter, Miantonomo, Civic Glen, Century Landing, Ponsonby Village) by the beginning of the 1800s to over 120 neighborhoods by the start of the 1900s. The most recently created neighborhood, Yellowbud, was annexed from the city of Bethany Valley in 1931 due to Bethany Valley becoming bankrupt in the Great Depression and in need of civic reorganization. As the largest city and metropolitan area in Altamasstachia, Olympia is home to some of America's largest corporate firms and has a rich sporting tradition (the Olympia Generals of the Altamasstachia Bowling Federation are the winningest club in the league with 31 Wittimer Cup championships). The University of Altamasstachia, Olympia is located in Cardinal Campus and University Circus, and the stadiums for Olympia's professional teams in bowling, baseball, football, basketball and hockey are located in Hubway. Owing to the city's strong Italian heritage, many of Olympia's neighborhoods have Italian and Italian-inspired names.
The principal city of the Olympia-Esteban-Wetsitburrell metropolitan area, Olympia is geographically similar to Los Angeles, New Orleans (particularly the underground drainage canals) and London and culturally similar to Los Angeles, New York, London, Rome and Tokyo.
Neighborhoods list (in alphabetical order): Addiscombe Market, Agrigento, Aluminette, Arleta, Asbury-Russell, Ballard-Waddon, Beekman, Bellatoria, Bloomsbury, Bloomsbury Industrial, Bond Boulevard, Borgo Pinti, Bristolwood, Broadmoor, Burness, Burness Park, Burness Vista, Cagliari Galleria, Calliopia, Caltagirone, Camille Row, Capercaillie, Cardinal Campus, Cascade-Marmaduke, Century Landing, Charnham, Chartiers-Tyndas, Chinatown, Chosewood, Civic Glen, Colchester-Halcott, Colvin Gardens, Cordes-Poulter, Cowlishaw, Cressingmoor, D'Addario, Danbury, Don Bosco Square, Dunwich-Warrent, East Stehchass, Edenvale, Eiderdown District, Eskridge-Trillium, Eustace Commons, Farris-Swadeley, Ferrandina, Fifth Ward, Fir Heights, First Ward, Fontainebleau, Fourth Ward, Gibson Cannery, Grant Brook, Greavesford, Greenwich & Worcester, Guccione-Vanderpump, Heygate, Holdman Ridge, Holworthy, Hubway, Humbarton Wharf, Ingrando-Robindell, Jaynesworth, Justinian Hills, Justinian Overlook, Kevingbottom, Koreatown, Kroehler, La Motte, Lamborness, Larger Quarter, Lars Lake, Leightend & Hull, Lennox Terrace, Little Tokyo, Lotuswater Gardens, Lovageboro, Lyle Strip, McDonough, McLane, Meriline, Messina Branch, Miantonomo, Montespertoli, Morse Boulevard District, Neil Pointe, New Bexleyheath, New Bombay, New Wyghchester, Newtonboro, Nomentano Vista, North Kellogg Park, Northscotch, Nova de Gaia, Nuevo Hortaleza, Nuovo Santa Maria Maggiore, Oakstead, Olympiatown Projects, Orpington, Pacoima, Parsons-Walham, Penumbra Gardens, Pescatore, Pictorialawn, Pighman Park, Poggibonsi Heights, Polynesian Village, Ponsonby Village, Premberdale, Ramsgate, Randfontein, Rebordelo, Rembrandt, Risechurch Grove, Roehampton Elms, Sallier-Brothreaux, San Benedetto, Sant'Ambrogio, Second Ward, Southscotch, Spelling Gardens, Stapleton, Stehchass, Stevensmont, Tarragon Gardens, Taunton Knoll, Tequesta, Third Ward, Torricelli, Torvaianica, University Circus, Upney Heath, Verona Cross, Walford, Whitehall Park, Winchmore Grange, Winston Heights, Yellowbud, Zealandton, Zoellick
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| The ten tallest buildings that help make up Esteban's skyline (click to enlarge). |
The state's oldest city (founded in 1588), Esteban is a major city in the Olympia-Esteban-Wetsitburrell metropolitan area (the largest metro area in Altamasstachia) and has a rich history and culture.
History of Esteban, AT
The city of Esteban, Esteban County and the River Esteban (which forms most of Esteban County's northern border) are named for Pablo Esteban (1554-1622), a Spanish explorer who discovered Altamasstachia for Spain in 1601, though his namesake community had been established by native Americans thirteen years earlier. Immediately taking shape as a port city for nearby Olympia, a fusion of Spanish and Portuguese cultures would come together to define city life in Esteban ever since European immigrants began arriving here through the centuries, with an American twist. Today, Esteban boasts one of the busiest seaports in the U.S. state of Altamasstachia and in the nation as the Port of Olympia & Esteban is located at the western tip of the city and county, nearby the mouth of the River Humbarton and the Pacific Ocean. The city holds many festivals throughout the year in honor of its Spanish-Portuguese heritage, and is renowned for its cuisine and nightlife. Esteban has a rich sporting history and is home to the Esteban Colonials of the Altamasstachia Bowling Federation (the first team to win the Wittimer Cup in 1896 and whose rivalry with the Olympia Generals is basically the New York Yankees-Boston Red Sox rivalry of men's ten-pin bowling), the Esteban Horseshoes of the Altamasstachia Baseball League, the Esteban Armada of the Altamasstachia All-Pro Football League, the Esteban Chaparrals of the Altamasstachia Basketball League and the Esteban Seals of the Altamasstachia Hockey League. The southern terminus of Altamasstachia State Route 95 is nearby, with the route known as the Esteban Trail and the highway is signed east-west in Esteban County (signed as a north-south route in the rest of the state). The people of this city market themselves as "Estebanese", and carry much civic pride - and who can fault them?
Other Sights (not shown in the diagram above)
Esteban Municipal Auditorium - The home venue of the Esteban Colonials (Altamasstachia Bowling Federation), Esteban Chaparrals (Altamasstachia Basketball League) and Esteban Seals (Altamasstachia Hockey League). Built 1944-1946, opened in 1946.
Esteban Boardwalk - A seaside amusement park along Esteban Beach.
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| A map of the Olympia-Esteban-Wetsitburrell metropolitan area (click to enlarge). |
The Olympia metropolitan area, defined by the United States Census Bureau as the Olympia-Esteban-Wetsitburrell metropolitan statistical area, is the most populous metropolitan statistical area in the U.S. state of Altamasstachia and the 5th-largest in the United States. Its economic, cultural and demographic center is Olympia, and its total population was 7,422,584 in the 2021 estimate from the U.S. Census Bureau.
Olympia and Esteban are two of the oldest cities in America (founded in 1591 and 1588, respectively), and share an extensive Italian-Spanish-Portuguese-English heritage through colonization and migration by European settlers. The Olympia metropolitan area gradually morphed into the large urban conglomeration it is known as today through the 1600s and 1700s and became the focal point of the Industrial Revolution in Altamasstachia. Benefiting from its access to a large railroad network spanning the state and the Pacific Ocean, Olympia became the most important destination in the Pan-Pacific trade routes for cargo travelling between North America and Asia. The Olympia metropolitan area was the birthplace of the Altamasstachia Bowling Federation (the highest level of men's ten-pin bowling in the United States and the world) in the 1890s, and Olympia hosted the World's Fair and Olympics in 1904. Massive population growth from the late 19th century into the early 21st century has resulted in Olympia becoming one of America's most important cities, economically and culturally. Olympia is home to 38 Fortune 1000 headquarters, including (but not limited to) the Hidalgo Alvarez Corporation, Tucker Gibson, the Bank of Altamasstachia & Mallettbarr, Mason Sullender, Gerry Lansing and Hogan Wallace Insurance. The metropolitan area includes a massive freeway network (Altamasstachia State Freeway Routes 10, 18, 20, 55, 95, 195, 210, 255, 310, 318, 355, 395, 410, 455, 595, 710, 795), a railroad network (the Olympia-St. Ann-San Gerardo Bravo Railroad is the state's most important railway, owned and operated by Czech Pacific, a subsidiary of the Hidalgo Alvarez Corporation), Olympia-Esteban International Airport (located in Elyria), Gordon Pighman Business Airport (located in Hepperford), the Port of Olympia in Esteban (the busiest seaport in Altamasstachia) and a subway network throughout Olympia. The Olympia metropolitan area is home to the University of Altamasstachia, Olympia (home of the Cardinals), the Ellen Marie Reinhart Medical Institute (a graduate institution of the University of Altamasstachia, located in Wetsitburrell), Altamasstachia Baptist University in Esteban (home of the Pumas), Altamasstachia Methodist University in Steinway (home of the Griffins), Hirschner University of the Cross (home of the Holy Hippos), J.Q. Wittimer University in Celestial Gardens (home of the Greyhounds), Everado Chaminade College in Everado (home of the Deacons), Our Lady of the River College in Ocoeesousa, and Altamasstachia Chiropractic College in Olympia. In professional sports, the metropolitan area plays host to the Esteban Colonials, Olympia Generals, Seville Gardens Pilots and Wetsitburrell Arsenal of the Altamasstachia Bowling Federation, the Esteban Horseshoes and Olympia Challengers of the Altamasstachia Baseball League, the Esteban Armada and Olympia Commandos of the Altamasstachia All-Pro Football League, the Esteban Chaparrals and Olympia Civics of the Altamasstachia Basketball League, and the Esteban Seals and Olympia Admirals of the Altamasstachia Hockey League. Olympia and Esteban enjoy a reputation as two of America's happiest, friendliest and safest large cities and a cosmopolitan vibe is strongly felt across the metropolitan area. Olympia boasts a film industry that rivals that of Hollywood and is also world-renowned for its culinary scene. In addition to being the birthplace of the ice cream cone during the 1904 World's Fair and the home of the best buffets outside of Las Vegas, Olympia is perhaps most famous for being the birthplace of the Toronto Mix soup. A seafood stock chowder that has corn, bacon crumbles, shrimp, scallops and rice, this culinary invention was introduced in the early 1970s when the original chef, slumped from a hangover, threw in the aforementioned ingredients in a pressure cooker. It caught on that the chef was originally from Toronto, Canada - leading to the "Toronto Mix" moniker which has stuck ever since. The metropolitan area also boasts the only Michelin 3-star restaurant in the state of Altamasstachia - Brad Unger, a steakhouse in Bethany Valley that has been in business since 1946 and lands gourmands from all over the world. Peculiarly, while the rest of the state has Taco John's, Taco Bell only operates in the Olympia metropolitan area.
Come see for yourself what Altamasstachia's most populous metropolitan area has to offer as the Pan-Pacific region's most important hub.
Some tidbits...
- Rivers in the U.S. state of Altamasstachia are named as "River [insert name here]" like in the U.K. and some parts of Europe as opposed to "[insert name of river here] River." Saying "Humbarton River" will get as many strange looks from people in Olympia as saying "River Mississippi" will in New Orleans or "Thames River" in London.
- Altamasstachia is one of the most religious states in America (despite also being the most politically liberal state, proving that it is most certainly possible to have a society of people who are both devoutly faithful to a religious belief and hold left-wing political views), and Roman Catholicism is the most common religion in Altamasstachia.
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