Downtown Capitalis Part I
To the west of the Capitol District are two important commercial areas.
Downtown Capitalis is the Central Business District of Paradise. Commercial office (CO) buildings here are the headquarters of the top local financial businesses. Banks and insurance companies hold the majority of office space here.
Numerous residential buildings are located in Downtown. Some CO buildings were converted into residential, as the housing market in Capitalis is fiercely competative. R$$ Sims inhabit the majority of these buildings. In recent years, R$$$ high-rises were built, reflecting the high demand for housing within the Capitalis urban core.
The newest CO building in Downtown Capitalis is the First Paradisian Center, built in 1996. It currently holds the title of being the tallest building in the State. The building is the headquarters of the First Paradisian Bank.
To the west is SimChinatown. This area has always been where immigrants begin their lives in Capitalis. Towards the mountains, R$ and R$$ apartments crowd Brittania Street. Towards the harbor, the buildings of the low-rise past are preserved. The Nu'uanu River acts as a border between SimChinatown and the lower Ririta area.
Historically, SimChinatown was known for vice and poverty. In the recent past, the City and the neighborhood have taken steps to take the area back from the criminal elements. Today, SimChinatown is bustling with open-air markets of locally-grown organic produce, speciality shops, art galleries, restaurants, bars and nightclubs. The area's problems are still visible, but significantly less than before.
Ivirei was once a system of fishponds. The ponds were filled in to expand the cargo and industrial capacity of Capitalis Harbor. In the early 20th century, Ivirei was a manufacturing center and the rail hub of Capitalis. The Community Rail & Land Company (CR&L Co.) rail lines ended at 'A'ara Park and interfaced with the Capitalis Rapid Transit Company (CRT Co.) streetcar system. Produce from the plantations were processed here, before they were shipped all over the world. Today, Ivirei is being redeveloped into a retail and high tech district.
Gravel Island is across the harbor from Downtown Capitalis. It was originally two separate islands and a shallow reef. As Capitalis Harbor was expanded and dredged, a single island was created. In the 19th century, the island was used for quarantine and had an incinerator. Today, Gravel Island handles much of the harbor cargo capacity, has an industrial park and is the site of Capitalis' main water treatment plant.
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