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Many found the new capital remote and inhospitable - there were few hotels and recreational areas until the Depression, and no rail access until 1920. In 1924 the first aerodrome on the island of Capitalia was built at Topstad. Among those who hated Topstad was Prime Minister [[David Turner]], ironically the brother of the man who had declared the city ready to be home to the government. In a letter to his son in July 1920, Turner said: "This place is nothing but a barren plain, made barely liveable by the one hotel and barely tolerable by the many fools." The wartime governments of Donaldson, and later [[Gregory Green]] conducted much of their business from 'secret war rooms' underneath the [[Topstad Hotel]], which were excavated in 1984. | Many found the new capital remote and inhospitable - there were few hotels and recreational areas until the Depression, and no rail access until 1920. In 1924 the first aerodrome on the island of Capitalia was built at Topstad. Among those who hated Topstad was Prime Minister [[David Turner]], ironically the brother of the man who had declared the city ready to be home to the government. In a letter to his son in July 1920, Turner said: "This place is nothing but a barren plain, made barely liveable by the one hotel and barely tolerable by the many fools." The wartime governments of Donaldson, and later [[Gregory Green]] conducted much of their business from 'secret war rooms' underneath the [[Topstad Hotel]], which were excavated in 1984. | ||
=== Mid 20th | === Mid 20th century === | ||
Topstad received its first significant public works funding in 1923 when the government funded a program to double the population of the city within ten years. The ambitious proposal saw the creation of new suburbs and a revitalised central business district, and the development of riverside areas. In 1932, the census recorded Topstad's population at 37,556. It would continue to grow exponentially over the next five decades. | Topstad received its first significant public works funding in 1923 when the government funded a program to double the population of the city within ten years. The ambitious proposal saw the creation of new suburbs and a revitalised central business district, and the development of riverside areas. In 1932, the census recorded Topstad's population at 37,556. It would continue to grow exponentially over the next five decades. | ||
By the end of World War II, Topstad had become the fastest-growing city in Georgeland. [[Fenton Thomas]] had conducted all wartime affairs from the city and had somewhat irked his Cabinet and public servants by insisting all Cabinet meetings and all discussions with military leaders take place in Topstad. While the administrative War Office had relocated iin 1916, most military command infrastructure remained elsewhere. In 1944, Defence Command Headquarters was relocated to Topstad from Santa Christina, which brought with it thousands of ancillary staff. The increase in government activity, spurred by the post-war growth of the public sector, brought in new residents and commercial development, including the expansion and updating of the city's rail network, which by 1968 was in use as a civic mass transit system, as opposed to a simple route in and out of the city. In 1972, Topstad's population was more than 140,000. | By the end of World War II, Topstad had become the fastest-growing city in Georgeland. [[Fenton Thomas]] had conducted all wartime affairs from the city and had somewhat irked his Cabinet and public servants by insisting all Cabinet meetings and all discussions with military leaders take place in Topstad. While the administrative War Office had relocated iin 1916, most military command infrastructure remained elsewhere. In 1944, Defence Command Headquarters was relocated to Topstad from Santa Christina, which brought with it thousands of ancillary staff. The increase in government activity, spurred by the post-war growth of the public sector, brought in new residents and commercial development, including the expansion and updating of the city's rail network, which by 1968 was in use as a civic mass transit system, as opposed to a simple route in and out of the city. In 1972, Topstad's population was more than 140,000. | ||
=== Late 20th | === Late 20th - 21st centuries === | ||
The city continued to grow and during the 1970s was one of the country's fastest-growing cities due in part to the large expansion of the federal government and civil service. By the early 1980s, however, population growth had outstripped infrastructure, leading to much of the city being poorly-serviced by transport, sanitation and policing. Topstad during this period gained a somewhat dubious reputation as a city of high crime and poor standard of living; this was not entirely accurate, but popular perception led to a decline in the city's tourism. Around the same time, the city's population began to diversify with an influx of migrants from Africa and South Asia. These communities were often poorly-integrated into the city at large and poverty rates in Topstad remained much higher among migrant families than among white citizens. | |||
The federal Labour government of [[Noel Quarton]] made a concerted effort to address the city's crime and infrastructure issues during the mid-to-late 1980s, aided by the Labour mayor [[Neil Coles]], elected in 1983 as the city's first left-wing mayor in decades. Massive increases in infrastructure spending, policing and especially education had a significant impact - the city's crime rate had halved by 1990, and literacy rates among the poorer citizens increased by almost 40%. By the mid-1990s the city's economic and social downturn had been reversed. In the early 2000s, local and federal governments made an active effort to promote Topstad as a tourism, finance and technology hub. Under conservative mayors [[David Duncan]] and [[Gary Trent]] in the 2000s and 2010s, business investment had increased to the point Topstad was ranked third in the country for corporate financial stability. Several major technology companies, particularly in the software development field, moved to or established offices in the city. The Conservative government of [[Luke Macaulay]] also provided a significant benefit to the city through its encouragement of growth in defence technology, already one of the city's biggest industries. | |||
The single biggest change to the city's administrative arrangements took place in 2015 when, after decades of reviews, reports and recommendations on the subject, the city was granted self-government. The [[Federal District Government Act]] established a [[Federal District Legislative Council|Legislative Council]], replacing the city's municipal council, and the directly-elected mayor with a parliamentary system headed by a [[Head of Government of the Federal District|Head of Government]], equivalent to a state Chief Minister (though with different powers as the district remains under federal jurisdiction). [[Federal District of Georgeland election, 2016|At the first elections for the new council in 2016]], former [[Deputy Prime Minister of Georgeland|Deputy Prime Minister]] [[Andrea Perkins]] was elected as Head of Government, leading a government of the Liberal Democrats. In 2019, Perkins resigned and was replaced by [[Jennifer Dugdale]], who was followed by fellow Liberal Democrats [[Andrew Fisher (Topstad politician)|Andrew Fisher]] (2022-23) and [[Lois Marks]] (2023-). From 2020, the Liberal Democrats governed in coalition with the [[Socialist Workers Party of Georgeland|Socialist Workers Party]]. The biggest infrastructure project of the 21st century, the city's [[CapitaLink|new tram network]], stretching from parliament to [[The Octagon (Topstad)|the Octagon]] and as far south as [[Northam, Topstad|Northam]], was inaugurated in 2023. | |||
== Geography == | == Geography == | ||
Topstad sits on the [[Gordon River]], which flows | Topstad sits on the [[Gordon River]], which flows through the circular [[Lake Northam]], from which the city was named. The Gordon flows into the lake southwards and eastwards from the lake, with the Upper Gordon flowing via its source in the Breckinridge Mountains and Lake Caedwaller, while the Lower Gordon flows into Lake Garibaldi around 250km away. The confluence of these rivers creates a natural flood plain, and the city's topography is a gentle slope towards the river. The city's urban area takes up roughly 50% of the district, with the remainder devoted to farmland and nature reserve. The urban environment is relatively flat, while the undeveloped areas outside it tend to be hillier. Topstad's average elevation is around 800m above sea level. | ||
=== Climate and environment === | === Climate and environment === | ||
Topstad has a largely oceanic climate, marked by warm summers and mild winters, although climate change has recently influenced temperature extremes, with Topstad's average summer day temperature rising from 32°C in 1990 to 34°C in 2020. The average winter temperature in 2020 was 15°C, though temperatures as low as -13° have been recorded in July. Precipitation averages around 650mm annually. Snow is rare, but sleet is relatively common in winter months. | |||
=== Urban structure === | === Urban structure === | ||
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== Government and politics == | == Government and politics == | ||
Topstad is contained entirely within the Federal District and has no local government of its own. The city limits of Topstad are coterminous with those of the district, even though only about 60% of the district is urbanised. | Topstad is contained entirely within the Federal District and has no local government of its own. The city limits of Topstad are coterminous with those of the district, even though only about 60% of the district is urbanised. The city is divided into six wards, holdovers from the previous local government from 1938 to 2016, which no longer elect councillors (the entire city votes as one district to elect the [[Federal District Legislative Council]]) but serve administrative functions. Each ward has a local council office staffed by civil servants who provide advice and support to the local community and liaise with the various District commissions (departments) and co-ordinate policy with one another and with the Legislative Council and executive government. Topstad's six wards are '''Central, Gordon, Northam, Paxton, Sheffield''' and '''Walcott.''' | ||
Politically Topstad has swung between long periods of rule by either the [[Conservative Party of Georgeland]] or a left-wing party (Labour until the 21st century, thereafter the Liberal Democrats). The city elected Labour mayors from 1930 to 1951, Conservatives from 1951 to 1983 and again from 2007 to 2016. Since 2016 and the establishment of self-government, Topstad has been governed continuously by the Liberal Democrats, but since 2020 they have been in coalition with the [[Socialist Workers Party of Georgeland|Socialist Workers Party]], the only jurisdiction in Georgeland in which the SWP has ever held any government position. The city's electorate has been becoming more left-wing since the 1990s, and while some neighbourhoods and wards are more reliably conservative, the combined left-wing vote has grown at every election in the 21st century. | |||
Topstad and the Federal District elect five members of the [[Georgeland House of Commons|House of Commons]] under the d'Hondt count and two senators under Single Transferable Vote, in each case voting as a single electorate. At the 2023 election, Topstad elected two MPs from the Reform Alliance ([[Adrian Hopkins]] and [[Linda Losik]]), one Liberal Democrat ([[Jennifer Dugdale]]), one Independent ([[Brian Hughes]]), and one from the Socialist Workers Party ([[Patricia Omar]]). Its current senators, elected in 2019 and 2022 respectively, are [[Petunia Kennedy]] and [[Julia Reubens]], both from the Reform Alliance. | |||
== Economy == | == Economy == | ||
== Education == | == Education == | ||
Topstad is home to two public universities - the [[University of Topstad]], established in 1939, and [[Sheffield University]], founded in 1977. The [[National Army Academy (Georgeland)|National Army Academy]] is also in Topstad, located outside the city proper close to the Capitalian town of [[Canniford, Capitalia|Canniford]], just over the border. | Topstad is home to two public universities - the [[University of Topstad]], established in 1939, and [[Sheffield University]], founded in 1977. The [[National Army Academy (Georgeland)|National Army Academy]] is also in Topstad, located outside the city proper close to the Capitalian town of [[Canniford, Capitalia|Canniford]], just over the border. The city has 130 public primary schools, 33 public high schools, 12 Catholic primary and K-12 schools, and 3 independent K-12 schools, including the prestigious St. Joseph's. | ||
== Culture and lifestyle == | == Culture and lifestyle == | ||
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== Notable people == | == Notable people == | ||
The following is a partial list of notable people who are associated with Topstad. | |||
=== Arts and music === | |||
* [[Kevin Cazares]] | |||
* [[Jordan Grimes]] | |||
* [[Adnan Jack]] | |||
* [[Dag Phan]] | |||
=== Business === | |||
* [[Peter Gall]] | |||
* [[Kelly Lachlan]] | |||
* [[Colin Leech]] | |||
=== Media and entertainment === | |||
* [[Adriana Giannini]] | |||
* [[Freddie Frink]] | |||
* [[Kyle Messner]] | |||
* [[Frankie Hunt]] | |||
* [[Ben Yaxley]] | |||
=== Military === | |||
* [[George DepfordLucy Anne Summers|George Depford]] | |||
* [[George DepfordLucy Anne Summers|Lucy Anne Summers]] | |||
=== Politics === | |||
* [[Lois Daniels]] | |||
* [[Jennifer Dugdale]] | |||
* [[Andrew Fisher]] | |||
* [[Charlotte Lang]] | |||
* [[Lois Marks]] | |||
* [[Andrea Perkins]] | |||
* [[Peter Tsau]] | |||
=== Sport === | |||
* Freddie Holden | |||
* Kelly Huong | |||
* Fiona Jeffords | |||
* Chas Judd | |||
* Ben Kingston | |||
* Ian McLeod | |||
* Sam Stirling | |||
* Peter Tranter | |||
* Scott Yates | |||
=== Other === | |||
* Joanna Dingle | |||
* Margaret Marr | |||
* Clayton Poole | |||