Stretford
| Statistics | |
|---|---|
| Founded : | 255 AD |
| Population: | 30,756,342 |
| Function : | Financial and Population Hub |
| Administration | |
| District: | City of Stretford and Longford |
| County: | Stretfordshire |
| Region: | Greater Stretford |
| Parties : |
|
| Executive: | Maanenland First |
| Mayor: | Sublieutenant Mark Southworth |
| Location | |
| Map: | File:StretfordCity.gif |
Stretford is one of the oldest and largest cities in Maanenland. It is situated at the heart of the Greater Stretford region which takes it's name from the metropolitan area of the city. The city proper is a national and international centre for financial services and although most of the traffic has moved to other areas it is still recognised internationally as a port city.
The city is part of an urban area that stretches from Mounthatten in the west to Caister in the south-east and Coltishall in the north. The eastern and northern fringes of the city are bordered by the Chesterford river and form the boundary with it's eastern neighbours.
History
One of the earliest recorded civilisations in Maanenland was recorded in the city near Liverswater in 252 AD on the banks of the River Cuerdleigh (today a subterranean river) from where the city began to grow as a small market town helped by traders from the regions first proper settlement at Brombourgh , Coltishall. By 1132 the market had grown to international fame attracting merchants from surrounding areas futher increasing the wealth and population of the town , records from this year call the city Eourchesh meaning Grand Market in the ancient language of the area.
A year after the first national census of 1132 a massive blaze ripped through the neighbouring town of Bromborough. Because of it's fully wooden makeup the entire city was burnt to the ground. The refugees flooded into Eourchesh close after crossing the river and settled a new town that they called Stretford on the road from their former home to the market further down the road. It's strategic position on the main road to the towns of the north of Maanenland meant that it itself started offering services to travellers and soon the new town began to eclipse Eourchesh as the local centre for entertainment and administration. This was finalised in 1376 when it became the capital of the region , now integrated into the Confederacy of Maanenland.
In 1430 the armies of the southern regions marched up to Stretford which was seen as the unofficial capital of the alliance of northern states in the civil war. After the conquest of the region the city was punished by the torching of large portions of the city. Because of the high amounts of fire that the city experianced the town mayor of the time ordered that the new city be built of stone. At a time when masonry was not commonplace in the nation this was a bold decision to be taken. The remnants of these old buildings can still be seen dotted around the city and are popular tourist attractions.
For the next three hundered years the city experianced steady growth growing as the financial centre as a rival to the economic centre of the south , Cliffton.
The industrial revolution in Maanenland saw an explosion in the position of Stretford and people from neighbouring towns and cities flocked to the city looking for work. Although not experiancing heavy industrialisation the city was the financier of the industrial revolution of the northern towns and cities such as Ternpool and Newport. During this time the population skyorcketed and the city physically grew sprawling over the landscape helped by the spread of transportion across the city. Stretford was the home of the Railway Wars whereby railway corporation owners fought to lay lines across the city connecting it to the nation and ensuring that every part of the city was connected. The size of the metropolis proved tempting to businessmen of the day. To this day Stretford has by far the lowest population density of any major Maanenland city.
The 1960s were a time of massive modernisation in Maanenland with heavy investment in infrastructure. It was at this time that many of the cities oldest historic buildings were torn down to make way for new housing projects to replace slums.Large tracts of the city were also built over to make way for the rapidly expanding motorway network in the city. This loss of architecture and destruction of communities is still a talking point in contemporary society.
1982 saw the largest government re-organisation since the civil war. Stretford as a regional centre was designated as the captial for a massive new region that was eventually decided upon as Greater Stretford. For the first time Stretford now had an integrated development plan with it's neighbours in the conurbation after being joined by Mounthattenshire , Stanston and Caister County.
