Styxie

  

Styxie
Region
Clockwise from top left: skyline of Bernheim, aerial view of San Joaquin's capital from the southbound; the Interprovincial 5-K.S. Scenic Route 4 interchange in Downtown Bernehim, San Joaquin; a view of Mount Hamilton from the Diablo Range in Santa Clara; view from Mono Lake, San Joaquin; view of Lake Tahoe from Emerald Bay in Plumas; a general store in Juno, Plumas; a commuter train en route to Lathrop from Tracy, San Joaquin.
Flag Battle flag
Motto(s): "Our traditions will not/never die"
Location of the Styxie (light red) in Sierra; the northeastern parts of Santa Clara (white dashed) are always considered part of the Styxie while the entire province is usually but not always included and all of Plumas (pink) is similarly considered a part of the Styxie
Composition	Core provinces Plumas Reno San Joaquin Santa Clara Tahoe Satellite provinces Central Valley San Francisco Shasta
Sovereign state	Kingdom of Sierra
Country	Sierra
Largest metropolitan area	Bernheim-Oakalona-Plainsfield metropolitan area
Largest city	San Jose, Santa Clara
Area
• Total	57,225 sq mi (148,210 km2)
• Land	55,531 sq mi (143,820 km2)
• Water	1,694 sq mi (4,390 km2)
Population (2015 est.)
• Total	17,888,112
• Density	Bad rounding here310/sq mi (Bad rounding here120/km2)
Demonym(s)	Styxer(s)
GDP
• Total	$989 billion
Dialects	Styxer English, Sierran Dutch-->

The Styxie is a geopolitical region in Sierra, that, although does not have official, agreed upon boundaries, generally consists of five provinces: Plumas, Reno, San Joaquin, Santa Clara, and Tahoe. Narrower conceptions of the region may restrict the Styxie to only the western part of San Joaquin, northeastern part of Santa Clara, Tahoe, and Reno, while broader conceptions may even include San Francisco, Central Valley, and Shasta. The wide spectrum of varying definitions on the Styxie are a reflection of the area's dynamic history, culture, and geography.

Prior to European contact, the Styxie was dominated by a diverse community of various Indian tribes who were generally pacifist and lived in egalitarian hunter-gatherer societies. The Spaniards were the first Europeans to properly claim and explore the region, although the Dutch and the Russians also established a presence in the region by the 18th century, especially the former.

Over the next 250 years, the region came under the control of Spain, Mexico, California, and then Sierra, developing into a thriving agrarian society with predominantly white republicans opposed to the Monarchy of Sierra. In the late 18th century, radical Democratic-Republican Styxers rebelled and started the Sierran Civil War, a conflict that lasted for nearly four years before the self-declared Second California Republic centered within the Styxie was defeated. Following the war, the most populated region of the Styxie rapidly industrialized, and overtook San Francisco and Porciúncula as the manufacturing capital of the Kingdom in the early 20th century.

The Styxie was generally resistant to the changes brought forth by the Sierran Cultural Revolution and continued to grow during and after World War II. During the Cold War era, the Styxie faced The Disturbances, which at its peak in the 1970s, saw an intense conflict between the cultural republicans and the monarchists (most prominently, the Sierran Jacobites). In the contemporary era, the Styxie remains fiercely Democratic-Republican, with a visible Jacobite minority, and a manufacturing center. Nonetheless, the region has been plagued with urban decay and social strife as the Kingdom's poorest and unhealthiest region.

Historically, the Styxie was heavily reliant on agriculture and was primarily rural in nature. By the end of the 1920s however, Styxie had evolved into an industrialized region open to migrants domestic and abroad. The largest city in the Styxie is Bernehim, the capital city of San Joaquin. The culture of Styxie (concentrated heavily in western San Joaquin, eastern Santa Clara, Tahoe, and southern Reno) is noticeably distinct from the rest of Sierra, retaining a culture similar to the Southern United States and Brazoria from which most of Styxers' ancestors originated from. The Styxie is much more socially conservative than its northern coastal neighbors and although is predominantly Protestant as the rest of the Kingdom, does not necessarily feature Confucian or Eastern influences introduced by the Sierran Cultural Revolution to the rest of the nation. Styxers are generally more conservative on morality, politics, and race relations, although are divided on religion, with a significantly higher amount of the irreligious and non-affiliated individuals than in any other region in Sierra except for the Pacific Northwest. There is a disproportionately higher amount of Catholics in the region compared to the Kingdom overall as well, due to the presence of the Jacobites. Despite obvious differences between general Sierran and Styxer culture, the Styxer daily life is relatively similar to that of most other Sierrans.

Etymology

The name "Styxie" derives from the nickname of the San Joaquin River, the Styx, itself a reference to the Greek goddess and the river of the same name that separated the Earth from the Underworld in Greek mythology. The river runs through Central Valley, eastern Santa Clara, western San Joaquin, and western Tahoe, and is an integral part of the regional economy and geography. The river received its nickname from the Anglo-speaking settlers who arrived in the region during Mexican rule in the early 19th century. The term "Styxie" was not used to describe the modern-day region until its introduction by local newspapers in 1850. It would not be popularly adopted nationwide until the Sierran Civil War broke out however. The term was viewed by locals as a name of endearment and bore similarity to the term "Dixie" used to describe the Southern United States (now the Southern United Commonwealth), a region similar to the Styxie culturally, politically, and ethnically.

Residents of the Styxie are known as Styxers, a term in of itself which did not emerge until the early 20th century. Prior to this term's coinage, people who were born in the Styxie or lived there would state that they were from the Styxie.

Geography

The definition of the Styxie geographically varies from different sources. The Sierra Royal Bureau of Census lists the Styxie as a division overlapping both Northwestern and Central Sierra. The Styxie, with the exception of eastern San Joaquin and Reno form a part of the California region, while the aforementioned two areas form a part of the Nevada region. The Census Bureau has defined two smaller divisions within the Styxie:

• Heartland Provinces: Reno, San Joaquin, Santa Clara, and Tahoe
• Pacific Northwest Provinces: Plumas, San Francisco, and Shasta

In addition to the official geographical divisions, there are several other unofficial groupings that involve the Styxie:

• The Heartland: Always includes western San Joaquin and eastern Santa Clara but usually extends to include Reno and Tahoe
• Cultural Styxie: Always includes western San Joaquin, eastern Santa Clara, Tahoe, southern Reno, and usually includes Central Valley and southern Plumas. Rarely includes Shasta, and parts of Kings and Clark.
• Northern Styxie: Reno and Tahoe, and occasionally Plumas and Shasta
• Southern Styxie: San Joaquin and Santa Clara, and occasionally Central Valley
• Central Sierra: Various definitions but usually includes Central Valley, Clark, San Francisco, San Joaquin, and Santa Clara
• Northern Central Sierra: All of San Francisco and San Joaquin, and most of Santa Clara and Clark, and a small portion of Central Valley
• Southern Central Sierra: Most of Central Valley and the southern part of Clark, and a small portion of Santa Clara
• Lost Republic: Refers to all of the lands directly controlled by the Second California Republic at any point during the Sierran Civil War (Central Valley, Kings, Plumas, Reno, San Francisco, San Joaquin, Santa Clara, Shasta, Tahoe, and parts of Clark and the Inland Empire).

The provinces of the Heartland Styxie have a combined area of 34,918 sq mi (90,437 sq km²), making it larger than every province except Washumko, and slightly larger than the country of Jordan. San Joaquin constitutes nearly a half of the Heartland's area alone yet is only the 12th largest province in the Kingdom, slightly smaller than Sonora but larger than Kings.

Geographically, the Styxie features two mountain ranges: the Coast Ranges on the western, coastal side and the Sierra Nevada, on the eastern, inland side, both of which run in a general northwest-southeast direction. The latter ranges are much more mountainous and topographically varied than the latter, and is the primary divider between the California and Nevada megaregions in northern Sierra. Between the two mountain ranges lies Central Valley of which central Styxie lies within the valley's northern half. At its widest, the valley spans across 60 miles from the base of both ranges.

Demographics

In 2010, the Sierra Royal Bureau of Census counted 14,955,970 residents living in the Styxie (under the Census, only the Heartland Provinces which consists of Reno, San Joaquin, Santa Clara, and Tahoe were included), accounting for about 5.5% of Sierra's total population, and 5.9% of the Kingdom as a whole. The Styxie is the fourth most populous region in Sierra, behind the Southwest Corridor, Colorado, and Central Sierra. San Joaquin is the most populous province with a population of 6,785,443, while Tahoe is the least populous with 1,029,339 residents. San Jose is by far the largest city in the region (1,000,382), almost double the population of Bernheim (567,227), the next most populous city.

48.3% of Styxers were male while 51.7% were female, and approximately 26.1% of the population was under the age of 18; 12.5% were over the age of 65. The Styxie has the highest infant mortality rates in the country with 3.2 deaths for every 1,000 live births coupled with having the nation's second lowest birth rate by region (behind the Pacific Northwest).

The Styxie is the most racially homogenous region in Sierra, and the second most after the Deseret, with White Sierrans making up for 71.3% of Styxie's population, with 67.9% being non-Hispanic Whites. Asian Sierrans composed of 13.4% of the region's population, of which 12.6% were of non-Hispanic Asians. 12.9% of Styxers identified as Black Sierran, with 12.3% being non-Hispanic Blacks. The remaining 2.4% consisted of individuals identifying with other races, or more than one race. Northern and Eastern Styxie have a much larger percentage of whites (86%) compared to Southern Styxie where the majority of Styxie's large Asian population resides within western San Joaquin and Santa Clara, especially within the San Jose metropolitan area.

Asian Sierrans are the largest racial minority in Styxie with the highest proportion in Santa Clara (22.15%) at 1,503,074, a percentage similar to the national average. Santa Clara alone accounts for roughly three-fourths of all Asians living within the census-defined Styxie, while Reno had the lowest (4.5%). Black Sierrans make up the next largest racial minority, with the majority of the community residing in western San Joaquin, especially the Bernheim-Oakalona-Plainsfield metropolitan area.

According to the Census, the self-reported ancestries, nationalities, or ethnicities with over 250,000 people were as the following estimates in 2010:

• Scots-Irish: 22.0% (3.3 million)*
• English: 14.7% (2.2 million)*
• German: 12.3% (1.8 million)*
• Dutch: 10.8% (1.6 million)
• African American: 10.0% (1.5 million)
• French: 6.6% (989,000)
• Mexican: 6.1% (912,000)
  • Tondolese: 6.1% (912,000)
• Vietnamese: 4.4% (658,000)
• Chinese: 3.8% (598,000)
• Japanese: 2.5% (374,000)
• Korean: 2.4% (360,000)

*Among these European ancestries, 33.9% identified themselves as ethnic "American" or "white" in addition to the self-reported entry.

English is the most widely spoken language at home in the Styxie. Approximately 82.6% of Styxers (12.2 million) above the age of 5 spoke English at home exclusively. Roughly 1.07 million (7.3% of the population above 5) spoke Spanish at home, and another 810,000 (5.5%) spoke some other Indo-European language. Over 209,000 (1.4%) spoke an Asian or Pacific Islander language at home.

As of 2016, approximately 83% of Styxie's population were born in the Kingdom, while over 16% were foreign-born. 45% of foreign-born residents were born in Latin America, 20% were born in Asia or Oceania, 20% were born in Europe, and 15% were born in Africa.

Largest cities

Despite not usually being considered a part of the Styxie, San Francisco City has a profound impact and influence on the regional economy. The western counties of San Joaquin including the Bernheim-Oakalona-Plainsfield metropolitan area, northern counties of Santa Clara, the San Jose metropolitan area, the San Francisco City-Oakland area, and several other areas are officially part of the San Francisco Bay Area combined statistical area, the second largest aggregated population region in the Kingdom after the Greater Porciúncula area.

Economy

Overview

Historically, the Styxie has been the center of manufacturing and agriculture in the Kingdom, and has traditionally relied on exporting food products ranging from avocados to grapes, and manufacturing products such as steel and plastic. It continues to be the primary manufacturing center of the Kingdom, although it has since expanded to include the services industry, including tourism and banking. Unlike in the American East, Sierra has been able to keep labor localized in the Styxie due to the region's rigorous efforts to keep labor affordable, and production costs low. Nonetheless, the region is projected to deindustrialize and move towards an advanced technology-based economy with a focus on military defense, construction, and telecommunications. In addition, the Styxie remains one of the leading producers in a variety of food in the Western Hemisphere. The Styxie is the epicenter of the Sierran railroad system, and was the central hub of the Royal Pacific Railroad, Sierra's largest railroad company, allowing the region to play a significant role in logistics and transportation. As of 2014, Styxie's GDP was $989 billion.

Since the 1970s, the Styxie has diversified its economy beyond agriculture and manufacturing. The Bernheim–Oakalona–Plainsfield metropolitan area has become a regional hub in business, finance, banking, education, health care, telecommunications, biotechnology, aviation, and trade. Silicon Valley is located in the San Jose metropolitan area and has been an important source of employment and business in the region.

Exports

Although the Styxie produces and exports the majority of products in Sierra's lucrative agriculture industry, most of its exports today are primarily industrial in nature. The Styxie has been the principal center of steelmaking and other heavy industry, and is the leading exporter in construction supplies, iron, coal, chemicals, airplanes, and automobiles. About a quarter of the region's exports include computers, smartphones, silverware, and clothing.

Government and politics

With the first major settlers of the region being immigrants from the Southern United States, they carried with them ideals of social conservatism, republicanism, and agrarianism. As a predominantly white voting bloc, Styxers were deeply opposed to the enfranchisement or political empowerment of non-whites, and worked towards preventing the creation of a multiracial society. The Styxie was also significantly opposed to the Monarchy, and rallied behind the Democratic-Republican Party, which defended the values of the Styxie, including republicanism. After the Sierran Civil War, the politicization of republicanism declined, in favor of cultural republicanism, whilst the emphasis on protectionist and socialist economic policies grew. The Styxers were steadfast opponents to extending civil rights unto people of color, and for decades, through their overwhelming dominance over the party, helped prevent or delay significant efforts towards racial justice at the national-level during the party's control over the government.

During the early 20th century, the Styxie largely resisted the Sierran Cultural Revolution which have swept across the nation's urban communities. However, the Democratic-Republican Party began to align some of its social policies to accommodate the diversifying demographics of the nation, with the promotion of multiculturalism and racial equality. Consequently, control over the party began to shift away from the traditional Styxie base towards the city where it attracted ethnic immigrants and urban workers who had embraced the Revolution. Although some Democratic-Republicans defected to the Royalist Party, which took longer to accept the ideas of the Revolution at the time, the majority of Styxie Democratic-Republicans remained part of the party, despite being comparatively more conservative socially than the party leadership. The term "Styxiecrat" emerged around this time to distinguish traditional Democratic-Republicans, who were whites primarily hailing from the Styxie, to the new Democratic-Republicans who consisted of a broad coalition of city whites, Asians, Latinos, and blacks.

Culture

Republicanism

Republicanism is nowhere more prevalent in the entire Kingdom than in the Styxie where the region has historically been associated with the ideology very strongly. Republican sentiment in the Styxie was responsible for the outbreak of the Sierran Civil War in the 1870s and has been embraced as a cultural aspect of Styxie life ever since. The prevalence and prominence of republicanism in the Styxie traces its roots back to the original settlers of the region who were primarily American immigrants who came from a very politically engaged background and open republican democracy. Very self-sufficient but economically weak as farmers, Styxers rallied behind the Democratic-Republicans as opposed to the Royalists, the former who vocally supported rural workers and the poor, and republicanism while the latter of whom mainly supported business owners and merchants, and monarchism. This clear paradigm and apparent link between republicanism and the working class was most openly welcomed in the Styxie, with opposition against the Sierran monarchy relatively quickly following the adoption of the 1850 Constitution.

See also

• Styxiecrat
• Republicanism in the Kingdom of Sierra