Commonwealth of Paradise
The Commonwealth of Paradise is a newly devloping country in the Pacific Ocean. It is one of many future parts of the countries of the continent Lamona.
Introduction and History
To talk of Paradise is to speak of Lamona and you can’t talk about Lamona without mentioning Paradise. Lamona was discovered by native peoples of the Pacific thousands of years ago. They described it as a “mass that covered half the sea.” They called it “Sealand” (not to be confused with New Zealand!). Later, during World War II, Japanese kamikaze fighter pilots on their way to bomb Pearl Harbor saw the large continent like island. Naturally, they didn’t live to tell the tale. However, when American soldiers heading to Japan saw Sealand, they came back telling of a marvelous island out to sea the size of India. They speculated that the US would annex it as a state, like Hawaii and Alaska. The US government saw it as a major line of defense from the Japanese and other foreign enemies, using the western part of the island as a combination air and naval base and as a refueling point for planes en route to Japan. During the Cold War, it was proposed that Pacifica (the name used by the government now) be used as a meeting point if the mainland US were bombed with nuclear weapons from the Soviet Union, as well as a missile storage and launch area. During the Cuba missile crisis, ships full to the brim with supplies such as food, water, building material and other essential items were being sent to Pacifica from Pearl Harbor, HI, while evacuation boats were waiting in the harbor of every city with a port that could access the ocean, ready to take citizens to the island. However, when the situation was averted, the boats at Pacifica were promptly sent back to the mainland. Over the years, the island was forgotten as US troops pulled out for the Vietnam and Korean wars. By 1990, none on earth knew that Lamona had ever existed.
By 2050, the predicament of the US was dire. Running out of space and natural resources to keep their country alive and well, the country’s top leaders met at a summit to discuss solutions. However, there was no general consensus on what the US should do. Some suggested drilling for oil in the contingent 48 or Alaska, others suggested trading with other countries for oil. Still others suggested annexing Mexico or giving every city in the US the population density of New York. At the end of the summit, no solution was available that all could agree on. By the time the election of 2054 came around, the American public was fed up and ready for some solutions to their country’s problems. A man from the Independent Party had those solutions.>>
John Cleary was a simple man from Maryland who never imagined he would save the US from imminent doom, but the documents he found pertaining to Pacifica say otherwise. His father, General Jeffrey Cleary II, had lived on Pacifica during WWII and was in charge of the base there, and left documents pertaining to the location, size and other important things about Pacifica. Cleary figured if he could become president, he could solve the country’s problems. So he went on the campaign trail. Astonishingly enough, the American public overwhelmingly supported him, as opposed to the main Republican and Democratic Party candidates, Scott Miller (Rep.) and Robert Erickson (Dem.), both of whom claimed to have the solution to America’s problems, but in fact had no definite answer. Cleary won by a landslide, marking the first time ever that an independent party candidate won an election. He immediately informed the general population of the existence of Pacifica and announced that he and a city-sized group of settlers would go to begin populating the continent.
The Commonwealth currently has six towns and one large city, with another on the way.
Galloway City
The settlers landed in the south of the continent in an expansive sea. They did not land on the landmass itself, but rather a small island off the coast. The president named it Delia Island after one of his sisters. They established a small town on the island, a mostly agricultural village. They named it Galloway City, after the first mayor of the town, Harry Galloway. Eventually, the small island began to get crowded, so the settlers looked to settle the northern bank of what they called American Bay. However, some settlers were opposed to having polluting factories on the bank fouling up their water. These dissenters moved to the southern part of the island and named their town South Galloway City (guess they couldn’t think of a more original name). The pro-industry sector ignored the dissenters (which was a shame, because the dissenters soon built a state fair in their town). The towns still remain divided to this day, and the people consider themselves Southerners or Northerners depending on which town they live in. Anyway, using the materials they had on hand, the northerners started a couple of factories on the mainland and began to produce some of the materials the continent had to offer, such as wood and fish. They also established a small village on the west of Delia Island. They named it Lubbock, after some person (a co-author of a physics book, I think). Eventually, the small town became a big town. 11,536 citizens live there today.
Paradise City
The pro-industry settlers told the dissenters, “See ya!” and left to find a place to import and export goods. Well they found it….less than 10 miles away too. A huge island, compared to Delia Island, was staring them in the face. It was a doozy. It was perfect for a large port city. “It was Paradise,” said the president. And that’s when he knew what the area, island and city would be called; Paradise, Paradise Island, and Paradise City. So they started building. But they didn’t build like any other person would build a city, from the inside out. Oh no. they built the city from the outside in. That’s right. They built the suburbs before they built the city. Pretty odd yes but it looks like it’s working out. Paradise City is home to 39,850 people.
