Illuminopolis: The City of Light
Illuminopolis is so named not for its bright electric lights (though it has plenty of those), but for the "light of knowledge", as it is home to the most prestigious schools and museums in the Underwood Industrial Empire. While Underwood City is the seat of power, the City of Light is the U.I.E.'s intellectual center; without the scientists trained at its colleges and research centers, the U.I.E. would not have been able to reach beyond the sky and establish a foothold on the Red Planet. This makes Illuminopolis second only to Underwood City in the entire Empire, in terms of both importance and political power.
Illuminopolis is located along the Skytrail River high in the Blackstone Mountains, far to the east of Underwood City. Two freeways - the Blackstone Pass Freeway and the City of Light Expressway - branch off from the Caymarnia-U.I.E. Highway, an international motorway connecting the U.I.E. to its eastern neighbor, the Empire of Caymarnia. They merge in the Southbank district of Illuminopolis to form the Emperor's Turnpike, which runs through Underwood City and then onward to the coast at Amesport.
Illuminopolis combines the urban comforts of a modern city, the provincialism of a "college town", and the spectacular scenery of a nature preserve. Nestled in Blackstone Pass, the City of Light is run on geothermal power, an energy source favored over nuclear power (banned in the U.I.E. due to its inherent risks as well as the use of nuclear fuel by others to create weapons, a practice Grand Admiral Underwood finds abhorrent).
While there are many colleges in Illuminopolis, the largest and most prestigious is Blackstone University, which is also the first to have been established within the city. The university's sports team, the Torchbearers, play at the great University Field, and both the Blackstone Observatory and the Museum of the Blackstone Mountains fall under its jurisdiction. While the astronauts were trained in Underwood City and Amesport, Blackstone University provided the scientists and engineers that helped make the establishment of Industria Planitia, the U.I.E. colony (and newest city-state) in the equatorial Elysium region of Mars, possible.
The Northbank district is home to the Blackstone International Airport, as well as the City of Light Convention Center - the largest such center outside of Underwood City. Scientific symposiums are regularly held here, and its close proximity to the airport allows scientists from around the world easy access - provided the airport doesn't end up being inundated by the weather.
As part of a nation that has "Industrial" right in the name, Illuminopolis also has a thriving lumber industry, such as woodcutting for furniture and pulp factories for paper. However, the industry is largely contained within sustainable tree farms in the Blackstone Foothills; logging in the forested mountains around the city is strictly forbidden, punishable by heavy fines and imprisonment. Mining and other heavily polluting industry is also forbidden.
South of the city is Blackstone Mountains National Park, meant to preserve the natural wonders of the Blackstone Mountains as well as make them accessable for campers, hikers, and those interested in photography. A viewing tower and platform within the park allows visitors to look out across the City of Light, while the paths and bridges set up to reach it provide a challenge to those wishing to take in the breathtaking scenery. Sometimes, even the wildlife is cooperative, though there have been occasions where people have been stupid enough to come close enough to the bears of the region and been mauled to death for their troubles.
The Blackstone Mountains are perennially covered in snow, and the region has endured fierce weather as a result. Blizzards are common, as are lightning storms that have on occasion sparked forest fires. Illuminopolis' fire department maintains several firewatch towers and aircraft to deal with such threats.
Though it will likely never reach the size of the capital - partly by terrain limitations, but predominantly by choice - the City of Light will likely remain the intellectual giant of the U.I.E. for generations to come. And for the city leaders, that's more than enough.
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