Saint James
| Saint James | |
|---|---|
| City | |
| City of Saint James | |
| Nickname(s): The Finest City in Ivalice | |
| Country | Ivalice |
| State | Califia |
| Incorporated | 1789 |
| Named for | Saint James the Greater |
| Government | |
| • Type | Mayor-Council |
| • Mayor | Dan Whitfield |
| • Councillors | List |
| Population (2008) | |
| • Total | 859,132 |
| • Estimate (Q2 2010) | 902,400 |
| ME Code | CA101-CA127 |
| Regional Telephone Code | 247 |
Saint James, named after James, son of Zebedee (Spanish: Santiago el Mayor), is the sixth-largest city in Ivalice and second-largest city in Califia, after Ivalion, with a population of 902,400 (Apr 2010) within city limits. The metropolitan area of Saint James extends beyond the city limits with a population of 2,478,000. Combined with the Ivalion and Marcosia Metropolitan Areas, the three make the Ivalion Regional Agglomeration, with a total population of 24,912,750.
The city is the county seat of Saint James County, and the economic center of the Saint James Metropolitan Area, which includes the county and two adjacent counties. The city was rated the best place to live in Ivalice in 2004 by Money magazine. Saint James' top four industries are defense, tourism, technology, and agriculture. Saint James' economy is largely composed of agriculture, biotechnology/biosciences, computer sciences, electronics manufacturing, defense-related manufacturing, financial and business services, ship repair, ship construction, software development, telecommunications, wireless research, and tourism.
Geography
Saint James is located at the mouth of the James River, where the Saint James Bay serves as its estuary. Downtown Saint James lies along the north banks of the river. The Didacus Peninsula, location of Naval Station Liberty Bay, separates Saint James Bay and the city from the Atlantic Ocean.
Saint James is built on several hills, with deep canyons and sharp ridges accompanying them. These canyons create gaps between neighborhoods, leading to a low-density, car-centric development pattern in the western areas of the city.
Cityscape
Saint James is composed of three main areas, Downtown and North, South Saint James, and the Western Heights. Each is divided into tens of neighborhoods:
Downtown and North
- Downtown
- Tellus Technica
- University Square
- University of Califia, Saint James
South Saint James
- Grouton
- Melrose Hills
- South Saint James
- El Barrio
- Jefferson
- Soca
Western Heights
- Sam Hills
- Don Park
- Yorkton
- Imperial Heights
Didacus Peninsula
- Naval Station Liberty Bay
- Roper Beach
- Didacus
Economy
Saint James' top four industries are defense, tourism, technology, and agriculture.
Defense
The Saint James area is home to many major military installations, notably Naval Station Liberty Bay, headquarters of the Northern Military Command of the Armed Forces of Ivalice, and the Ivalician Marine Navy's Eastern Fleet. Other Naval facilities in the area include the Jack Arkamson National Naval Medical Center and the South Califia Radar Array.
Tourism
Saint James' many beaches and mild climate have made it into a popular tourist center. In addition to natural sites, many historical places from Ivalice's early history are in Saint James. More than 27 million visitors visited the city in 2008, who contributed as much as 12 billion intos to the city economy. Saint James is a popular embarkation point for cruise ships to the Caribbean and the Yucatan Peninsula. In 2010, the Port of Saint James fielded 157 ship calls, and more than 575,000 passengers.
Technology
Tellus Technica, a region of the city to the west of downtown, along the James River, is likened to the Silicon Valley of Ivalice, is a key technological development center, containing the headquarters of several software development companies.
Education
Primary and Secondary Schools
The Saint James Consolidated School District is the school district that serves the the city and surrounding county of Saint James. It includes 76 elementary schools, 38 middle schools, 19 high schools, and 7 charter schools.
Libraries
The city has many public libraries, run by the city, including the flagship Saint James Public Library on Water Street in Downtown. There are 22 branches throughout the city. There are also several research libraries, including at the Califia Polytechnical Institute and the University of Califia at Saint James.
Infrastructure
Utilities
Water service is provided by the Utility District of Saint James. Electricity generation services are provided by Calsouth Energy.
Transport
Saint James is extremely car-dependent. As such, it has a widely developed network of roadways and controlled-access freeways. This includes National Route 4, which runs north to Ivalion and south to Marcosia, National Route 8, running southwest to North Bend, National Route 6 travels north to Ivalion through the Didacus Peninsula, and National Route 804, which connects Saint James with Ivalion in a loop.
Saint James is served by a light rail and bus system operated by the Southeast Califia Metropolitan Transit System. The light rail primarily serves downtown and the surrounding areas. INR and the Metroconnect Saint James Line connect Saint James with Ivalion and other communities along the coast. There are two INR stations in Saint James, Saint James and Saint James International Airport. Ferries connect downtown, the port, and Didacus.
Saint James International Airport, located to the north of the city, is the primary commercial airport serving the city. There are regular flights to other parts of Ivalice and the United States. It is a focus city for Eastern Airlines.