The Free County of Samara, on the 50th anniversary of its foundation (pop. 187,687)

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Aerial shot of the Free County, on the 50th anniversary of its foundation (pop. 187,687)

The Free County was founded in 2019 when eccentric young billionaire and owner of IshtarCorp, Zenobia Franklin, purchased a plot of land in a desolate corner of Latin America, and negotiated with its cash-strapped government of Misquito for a high degree of autonomy for her new land, which she dubbed "Samara".

The County is governed day-to-day by a Council of Elders, though IshtarCorp (and by extension its CEO) wields a large amount of influence in higher-level policymaking.

The first of the so-called "corporate dominions", Samara has managed to remain one of the most stable and successful postnational polities, boasting a population of almost two hundred thousand and a standard of living rivaling that of the Pacific States.

Map legend:

  • Subura - the old town of Samara, where the initial settlement was located. Seat of county administration.
  • Montrose - sleepy hillside suburb on the eastern slope of Monte Rosa.
  • Montrose Peak - small self-sufficient commune on the highest point of Monte Rosa. Serviced by dirt road and cable car line.
  • Gaia Agri Co-Op - small-scale agriculture and eco-commerce run by cooperatives.
  • University of Samara (main campus) - includes student dorms and ancillary admin offices
  • Agora - (colloquially Long Shore) mixed commercial and business park
  • Larkhill - mixed residential-commercial area on the western side of the interstate from the old town. The top of the eponymous hill is a recreation park.
  • Newtown - terraces of densely-packed apartments.
  • Orensburg, Extramuros - sprawling suburbs.
  • Heliopolis - first Hub to be laid out. Home to thirty-seven thousand citizens, and a balanced mix of residential, commercial and offices. Center of Samarene cultural life.
  • Sunspire - residential Hub, home to almost half of Samara's population. At its center is Sunspire Hall, the spiritual heart of the Free County. Most of Samara's elite and their dependents reside in Sunspire Hub.
  • University of Samara (Sunspire campus) - includes student dorms and ancillary admin offices
  • Eureka - IshtarCorp's own Hub. Eureka Tower at its center is the global headquarters of IshtarCorp and the permanent residence of CEO and Countess-Elect Zenobia. Clustered around the tower are the corporate offices of IshtarCorp's departments and subsidiaries.
  • Selene - high-tech financial Hub. A high-speed monorail runs between Selene and Eureka Hubs.


Note: I started out with the goal of replicating the rough density of Penang island (high-density low-rise sprawl with occasional high-rise). About halfway through this playthrough I was taken by the idea of these orderly radial hubs sitting in the middle of chaotic urban sprawl. Unfortunately I didn't quite get there before the lag became too much. Still like the end-result reasonably well though.

I buried a big chunk of my highway infrastructure underground for this. I usually like them aboveground because I like seeing elevated highways but I gotta say, it feels pretty good to not have the highways feel like a physical border.)

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