Worthington

Worthington is the third-largest municipality in Central Province of Sober Thought, and would have had an even greater place in any other province. Instead, it has lived in the shadow of the provincial capital and metropolis less than one hundred kilometres away in Schweindorf. Consequently, it has developed something of an inferiority complex despite an impressive list of municipal qualities.

Despite this limitation, it has developed a relationship with its Baranxtu twin city of Naïaž within the International Democratic Union and Hamilton Ontario outside the IDU.

Geography

The city was named in honour of F.F. "Frank" Worthington who established a foundry and smithy along one of the many creeks in the area. In fact, the current city limits are divided almost evenly by an escarpment running through the city. Waterpower was crucial in the establishment of the city, but soon industry itself helped it to grow.

Steel and heavy industry were the leading employers for more than a century, but they in turn have given away to medical research, tertiary education and light industry. Its reputation as a city overrun by brownfields of former industrial sites belies its status as the chartered municipality with the largest proportion of official parkland.

Its major streets are laid out in a rough great grid, with somewhat meandering side streets. They are of course broken up by the fall of land rending the city in two, but the streets above simply bear the name of their lower city counterparts with the prefix "Upper."

Government

Worthington is represented in both the House of the Federation and the provincial legislature by five district seats: Upper Worthington East, Upper Worthington West, Lower Worthington East, Lower Worthington West and Worthington Centre.

The municipal government is run by a ceremonial-chairing mayor elected at large and 17 city councillors elected in their own separate wards.

The Socialist Party is especially active in the city, and usually forms the largest federal, provincial and municipal contingent of legislators. The others are likely to come from other big tent parties, possibly with a Liberal Democrat thrown in for good measure.

Exclusive and associated jurisdiction

The city runs a conventional fire prevention, firefighting, recycling and garbage programs. It also hosts a division of the provincial police.

It raises one battalion of The Worthington Light Infantry and another battalion for the Central Province Civil Guard for every wave of one hundred million national population.

Magnificent Falls

Strangely, considering how much Worthingtoners decry the corrosive influence of larger Schweindorf, it similarly overshadows the sizeable (1.0%) municipality of Magnificent Falls County. This is a bilingual community, known in French as comté Beau Sault, which would be a much more important city if it were located anywhere outside Central Province or away from Worthington.

Its economy is tied directly to the falls, originally as a power generator for heavy industry but for the last half century strictly as a tourist draw. With such a heavy reliance on seasonal and generally low-paying service jobs, its economy is underperforming and vulnerable even at the best of times.

Its municipal government is a ceremonial mayor elected at large chairing a council of twelve ward councillors. It has three federal and provincial ridings: Magnificent Falls Centre, Magnificent Falls North and Beau Sault Sud. It elects party members in a similar manner to its larger neighbour Worthington.