Hancock City

Hancock City is a fictional city in BearfootTruck's Sonic fanon. A cosmopolitan city, It serves as the capital of the Federal Republic of Columbia, and shares elements of New York City & Washington D.C. Currently, no fanfics have been set here.
==History==
The earliest documented evidence of anyone living in the area dates back 500 years prior to the present day. A century later, the area would be visited by Geert Ruijker, an explorer from Orangeland. After reporting his findings to the king, a colony would be established there, called Nieuw Oranjeland (New Orangeland). For four decades, there wasn't much there besides a trading post and a few houses. Then, a Normanian businessman named Jonathan Amsterdam negotiated the purchase of the colony from the Orangelanders.
After the purchase, New Orangeland would be renamed New Amsterdam. The original trading post remained for a few years before closing up shop, but would be reopened under new management two years later. Aside from this, nothing notable happened until the Independence War. For much of the war, New Amsterdam would be contested by the Columbians & the Hadrians until the Battle of Fort Montauk, when the Columbians finally wrested control of the village from their opponents, at a cost of 1,000 lives.
When Columbia gained independence, New Amsterdam had expanded quite a bit, but was still largely unnoticed, even though the Alliance Articles were drafted in a meeting held at the J & S Inn. Then, after the new Constitution was drawn up, the Leadership Act was passed. Under the Leadership Act, the first president was to decide a location for the capital of the newly-christened Federal Republic of Columbia, and Thomas Hancock selected New Amsterdam. As a result, the town was renamed Hancock City, and a Presidential Palace was constructed in the northern region, near the village of Harwood, which would be assimilated into the city.
As Hancock City grew, it became a major port in the Columbian slave trade. However, it soon became one of the first cities in the FRC to abolish slavery. Nevertheless, racism remained a big problem, and several establishments in the downtown area refused to serve humanoid animals. The problem only got worse when a coyote named Elias Jenkins was found dead near the Federal Courthouse. When the authorities refused to handle the case, it sparked the Empire City Riot, which left 2,477 people dead and dozens more injured. A couple of decades later, during the War of Unity, a few groups of humanoid animals rose up and attempted to overthrow the government of the FRC. The rebellions were put down, but even so, President Leonard Buchholz passed a few laws that gave new rights to humanoid animals.
In the past century, Hancock City had become a major industrial & technological center of the FRC, and a focal point for immigration. It has also been a focal point for various civil rights demonstrations, and was struck by economic collapse half a century ago. Various factors have been cited in regards to this event, and it has been linked to a citywide spike in violent crime that occurred around the same time. Though this spike affected the whole city, it hit the boroughs of Brecken, Kingston & Harwood especially hard, and culminated in another series of riots. Compared to past riots, these riots didn't last as long, but there were still a number of casualties, and looting was rampant.
Since those days, however, Hancock City has largely recovered, although crime remains a problem in certain areas. The city was also hit hard during the Dark Gaia Conflict, but thanks to the efforts of one hedgehog, the city was saved. Because of its reputation for bouncing back after major crises, rsidents of the city have coined the term "Hancock Strong".
==Demographics==
Hancock City is a very multicultural city. At present, humans make up less than half the population, at 45.1%. The most common animal residents in the city are hawks, at 14.7%. The next most common are coyotes, at 10.4%. Cats & dogs are tied at roughly 9.9%. All other species constitute the remaining 19.9%. Of the city’s five boroughs, the human population is highest in Empire, at 64.3%, and lowest in Kingston, at 24.5%.
==Boroughs==
Hancock City is divided into five administrative divisions called "boroughs":
*Empire: The heart of the city. Although it's not the most populous borough, it's certainly the largest. In fact, it's so large & diverse that a number of people consider it to be a city all to itself, calling it "Empire City". Each part of Empire has its own unique character: The northernmost part is home to a number of nature preserves & governmental offices, including the White House & Carver Memorial Park. The center part, or "Midtown", is where all the "action" is, with a number of restaurants, discos & tourist attractions being located here. While a number of desirable apartments are available in Midtown, a lot of them are prohibitively expensive. The southernmost part of Empire is more residential, and is populated by various ethnic groups & bohemians. It is also famous for its various art festivals, theater shows & concerts.
*Brecken: Located southeast of Empire, Brecken is the most populous and most diverse of Hancock City's boroughs. Not only are there neighborhoods populated by various ethnic groups, but neighborhoods also overlap sometimes. Some of the city's most popular restaurants are located in this borough, too. Brecken is also home to Gleason Island, which has a number of amusement parks. In Sonic's opinion, Gleason Island has some of the best chili dogs in the world. On the other hand, Brecken is also home to certain organized crime groups and street gangs, but this borough is very safe compared to Harwood.
*Kingston: Located east of Empire and north of Brecken, Kingston is the second-largest borough of the city. Seen by many as a living testament to history, this borough is home to some national monuments, history museums and some very old houses, a number of which come from the Independence War era. Although rich in history, Kingston certainly hasn't forgotten about the future, either: This borough is home to some high-tech industries, producing class-leading technologies for domestic & foreign firms. In fact, it has often been said that "while Empire is messing around with charts, Kingston is messing around with blueprints."
*Harwood: The northernmost borough of the city. Harwood is an…interesting borough, to say the least. This borough is home to a number of tourist attractions, including the Harwood International Zoo, the George F. Haney Planetarium & the Mount St. Charlton Cathedral. On the other hand, Harwood is rife with violent crime, having one of the highest rates in the Federal Republic of Columbia. Coupled with a high poverty rate, certain parts of this borough are virtual war zones, and some gangs have been known to carry military-grade weaponry. Because of this, it has largely been rumored that there are certain areas where the HCPD won't go, which isn't really true. Despite the crime rate, not all of Harwood is bad. Still, residents & visitors are advised to take caution here.
*Stetson Island: The westernmost borough of the city. Bordering the state of Novarc, it is also the smallest and least populous borough. A quaint atmosphere of the past exists here, particularly in regards to the houses that can be found here. While this borough isn’t as historical as Kingston, and despite the fact that it’s not very far behind the other boroughs, it feels strangely behind in the times. Nevertheless, some people move here because they feel that it’s nice & peaceful compared to the other boroughs.
Category:Federal Republic of Columbia
Category:Locations
Category:Cities
Category:Owner:BearfootTruck