Episode 4: An Ethnic View
To start Nyhaven's time as the cultural capital of the Alliance of Independent Nations, I'm dedicating a whole episode to the city's many ethnic neighborhoods. This isn't the first time I've done this - I first did it seven years ago, at the start of the Nyhaven 2.0 era - but it's only fitting to start the festivities with a celebration of the many cultures that have found a home in Nyhaven. I've already shown you two neighborhoods - Chinatown and Okatown - in previous episodes, but today, we're going on a tour of 13 more.
We begin our tour at Saint Mark's Square, the epicenter of Nyhaven's Mediterranean immigrant communities. Just north of the square is Greektown, with its Orthodox church and... did you hear that? It sounded like thunder. I hope everyone brought their umbrellas, because it looks like it's about to rain.
Sure enough, it's raining as our tour reaches New Cattala. The city's Cattalian population has called this area between the square and the University of Nyhaven home since the first immigrants arrived in the 1870s, after Italy invaded and annexed Cattala. Unemployment was high in Cattala at the time, so the prospects of work in Lower Columbia drew many Cattalians across the ocean.
Of course, times weren't good in mainland Italy either, so many Italians also immigrated to Lower Columbia. Those who came to Nyhaven settled down just a few blocks from New Cattala, closer to the Elochoman Slough. Tensions between the neighboring ethnic groups were high for many decades, and gang violence claimed many lives in both districts in the early 20th century. Fortunately, those tensions have subsided in the ensuing years.
The storm seems to be passing as we reach the Croisian Quarter, or Rive Croisienne as the locals call it. People have been migrating from Sainte-Croix to Lower Columbia since the country's first settlers arrived in the Northwest in the 1560s, but a new wave of Croisian immigrants established this little community on the embankment in the early 1900s.
As we reach Little Soviyya to the north of Hunters Island, the sun is just starting to break through the clouds. One of the three communities of Slavic immigrants near Burgess Square, this neighborhood lies just south of the square and west of the R-3 freeway.
On the other side of the square is New Moscow, with its ornate Russian Orthodox church.
A few blocks north of Yule Avenue, we come to Hiigara Town. The various crises and conflicts that have engulfed the Hiigaran United Confederacy and its member states over the years sent many Hiigarans in search of safer homes. Those who came to Nyhaven settled here, around Lower Columbia's only Kran'et temple.
Crossing onto Hunters Island, we come to Little Tokyo. Like most immigrants from East Asia, the Japanese chose to settle on Hunters Island, specifically, just south of East Center Street. Many of the business executives who work in the neighboring towers come here when they want a little taste of home.
Further south, close to midtown, is Nakamatown, where Nyhaven's Nakamese population is centered.
As we approach the southern tip of Hunters Island, we reach Koreatown. Located close to Cathlamet and the local campus of Royal University, Koreatown has become popular with both students and boaters.
Returning to the mainland across from uptown Nyhaven, we come to Spanish Town. Our tour is almost at its end...
Finally, we visit two neighboring ethnic districts. To the west is New Casablanca, which is home to Nyhaven's largest mosque, as well as most of its Moroccan-born residents. To the east, meanwhile, is Little Ascadylea, on the other side of Hazel Avenue.
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