With about as high a population density as Singapore and a metropolitan area stretching about 300 sq. miles, Lotus City is one of the larger cities in North America. In classic comic-book style, it will simply be said that it is somewhere in the northwestern United States, and is a kind of mirror image to New York City, just smaller in area. Lotus City, though, like most northwestern cities, is highly gentrified and environmentally conscious, and is home to some of the most beautiful cityscapes in the world. Lotus City, despite having one of the highest populations in the world and some very capable police departments, is rampant with crime.
That's where you come in.
Either as a masked vigilante, a skilled agent, or a bystander who can no longer stand idly by while his city burns (lame), you will be the difference to make Lotus City, and eventually the world of Masked a better, safer (or worse, more dangerous) place.
Areas
Roughly speaking, Lotus City is divided into several regions (much like the boroughs of New York City) - the urban City area, the suburban North End, to the east the highly industrial Port Carmichael, and the mean streets of the South. For a breakdown on in-character housing, please consult this page.
City
The City area is nestled on the western end of Bayliss Peninsula and includes the Lotus City University campus on the western tip, as well as MacKenzie to the south. MacKenzie is the location of Lindelof-Cuse International Airport, Lotus City's largest airport. Highly urbanized and almost scathingly modern, the buildings are both beautiful and durable, able to withstand most of the collateral damage a city with a high density of superhumans would produce. With numerous apartment complexes and town homes, the inner City of Lotus City is home to millions of denizens.
The inner city is a hodgepodge of different cultures, mainly Greek, German, Arabian, Lebanese, American, Japanese, and Indian. The main City - downtown, main street, what have you - is very well organized and, unlike most American cities, impeccably neat. Near-inhumanly strict clutter and trash laws leave the streets of all of Lotus City clean and pristine, and the large force of street sweepers employed by the city help keep the city looking great. Financially, Lotus City is always quite ahead of most cities, having many corporate headquarters and highly-successful business branches. The main population of inner Lotus City is well-off and upper-middle class.
North End
Separated from the City by Guerrero Inlet, it is often accessed through the Delta Bridge, the Killamook Crossing, or the LC Ferry service. Known to be the richest part of town, North End is the suburban, mansion-filled part of Lotus City that many commuters live with their families in.
Houses - rarely smaller than 4500 square feet and even rarely less than a few million dollars - are very high end and designed to be both environmentally-conscious and luxurious. There are less flashy homes within North End, ones that won't break the bank, and they are mainly populated by upper-middle class and upper-crust types. North End is famous for it's Art galleries and Opera houses, specifically the LCMM - the Lotus City Metropolitan Museum and the TAC - the Tamez Art Center, both of which house thousands of valuable artifacts and artworks.
Port Carmichael
East of the City proper, Port Carmichael started out as a port in the late nineteenth century and has since become a city incorporated into Lotus City - much like the neighborhoods of New York. It is bordered by the Coastal Mountains to the north and by East.
Highly industrial yet very green, Port Carmichael is home to various law firms and advertisement agencies. Among other things, it is home to the corporate headquarters of Brown & Gay, a world-wide conglomerate and one of the most successful businesses in the world. It alone provides hundreds of thousands of jobs in the city, from everything to simple services (they own numerous restaurant chains), entertainment (they own numerous movie theaters), white-collar work (they operate dozens of design, advertising, building, law, and medical supply firms in Lotus City alone), and even education (they fund numerous universities extensively worldwide).
Port Carmichael is very urban and very stylized, having been redesigned entirely just a few years ago in a city-wide reconstruction. The new, aesthetically-oriented Port Carmichael is now one of the most respected parts of Lotus City. It's citizens are mostly urbanites and yuppies looking to get ahead in their field of choice. It is almost exclusively populated by the 22-35 age group. Accordingly, its citizens only consider themselves a part of Lotus City "ironically". Fucking douches.
South
Home to the region's second largest city - Plymouth, commonly grouped with Lotus City as a Metropolitan area - South is appropriately located south of the City and Port Carmichael. Home to numerous churches, several sports stadiums and more than a few very exclusive clubs, South (yes, it is referred to as "South") is one of the trendiest places in the city. It is home to several of the cities finest establishments, dozens of up-scale restaurants and wine-bars and even Peak.
Plymouth, having been founded by religious fanatics in the 19th century expansion, was not very successful until its sister-city to the north began making efforts to expand and absorb it. Almost as urbanized as the inner City, South is populated by middle-class and lower-class social citizens, mainly green-collar workers who find work in engineering firms, construction/architectural companies, or in sales. The crime-rate in South is substantially high, even more so than Lotus City proper. It is home to Lotus City's sprawling, intensely authentic Chinatown and Koreatown. This part of the city, despite being crime-ridden, is still very clean and incredibly beautiful, having been redesigned along with the rest of the city a few years back in a massive Brown & Gay-funded charity project.
Geography and Climate
Located in the northwestern United States, Lotus City is perpetually under some form of inclement weather - usually rain (in the spring and summer months) and biting cold the rest of the year. The fall and winter see a large amount of wind and snow, with some of the lowest temperatures in the country. As such, long sleeves and sweaters are common in six or so months out of the year. Lotus City is about 950 miles north of Los Angeles, California.
Demographics
Lotus City is perhaps the most diverse city in the United States. With a White population of about 25%, a Chinese population of 13%, a Japanese population of 7%, a Middle Eastern population of 6%, an African-American population of 6%, a Latin-American population of 15%, a Korean population of 6%, a Greek population of 9%, an Indian population of 8%, a 4% Native American population and the other 11% being various other ethnic backgrounds, Lotus City is so mixed and well-incorporated it is known in some history texts as the Second Melting-Pot, due to it's rich, culturally-diverse population and it's general acceptance due to its overwhelmingly progressive political stances.
Economy
Lotus City is not feeling the recession - though in Masked, there really isn't one in the first place. Home to hundreds of corporate offices and dozens of company headquarters (including two of the top 5 largest companies in the world - Brown & Gay and MetroCorp), Lotus City is one of the most financially secure - not to mention richest - cities in the world. It's economy is mostly white-and-green-collar driven, with very few factories or blue-collar jobs available. A vast majority of the population is employed, though some percentage is comfortably retired. The city seems to have bottomless pockets, as they are not only constantly expanding social projects and updating parks and recreational facilities into the new millennium, but unceasingly building new constructs, roads, metro tracks, and tunnels leading through the city.
Government
Lotus City uses the mayor-council form of government, surprisingly (to many of its neighbors and denizens) sticking to a strong executive presence. It provides more services and utilities than most American cities, and is notoriously liberal. Predictably, the Republican party is remarkably weak in Lotus City, though it still has enough support to not be outright abolished. Current politics generally revolves around the Democratic and Green Party - with the Democrats currently in national positions, while the Independents and Green Party hold most of local offices. There is a noticeably strong independent presence. Congressman David Lim (I) is expected to run for Mayor in the next elections.
Law Enforcement
Despite all the progress Lotus City has made - it hides a viciously dark underbelly, and as such, Law Enforcement has been one of the city's primary concerns. Especially since most other issues have been solved, Lotians often debate the reasons why their city is still steeped in crime. The Drug Trade and Auto Theft rank first, despite (relatively) strict gun laws. The Lotus City Police Department works hand in hand with surrounding Police Departments, and the last decade has seen a steady increase in Police employment. It was the second (The first was New York in 1998; Lotus City followed in 1999) American city to establish a Cowl Division - which operates as a superhuman crimes division - and Metahuman Response Team - which employs human and metahuman officers to keep the city clean and safe. It is currently led by a Chief and his Council, selected by the Mayor and City Council respectively.
History
The city was incorporated in 1852 when it was found that the area that would become Lotus City contained deposits of precious minerals.
Transportation
Lotus City has long relied on public transportation, dating back to the streetcars of the nineteenth century. Its bus system, MetroLink, is partially owned by the City, and despite this, is rated as one of the world's most efficient. Trans-Track (Owned by MetroCorp), the city's public automated transportation system, was established in 1987 and has been periodically refurbished and expanded. The last expansion was completed in September 2009. All buses and trains include bike racks and many of the roads downtown include bicycle lanes. In fact, during summer evenings, the bicycle is the most common vehicle seen downtown.
Education
A United States Census Bureau stated that Lotus City had the highest percentage of college and university graduates of any major city in the United States. Of the city's population over the age of 24, 58.3 percent hold an undergraduate's degree or higher and 98.3 percent hold a high school diploma or GED. The public school systems are broken up into several districts, but most are ranked among the nation's top 500 public schools, something the local government attributes to 'creative teaching'. In addition, several parochial and preparatory schools are available. Of note is The Loblaw Academy, a private academy whose students are all awarded scholarships. The selection process is largely unknown, but its mystery has attracted various applicants - most of which are turned down.
Lotus City University is home to one of the nation's foremost Liberal Arts programs on top of receiving recognition as a top research university. The Simon R. Erikson University is as prestigious as any Ivy League school whose alumni includes some of the world's top minds. The Santillian University was recently established in 1998 by the esteemed Santillian family. The Port Carmichael Art Institute attracts art students from across the world. In addition, the Lotus City Community College System offers Associate Degrees and an opportunity for direct matriculation into Lotus City University, as well as several bordering states State College systems.
Arts & Culture
The City has steadily become a center for Art - specifically, with the variety of museums available for the discerning dilettante. The TAC (yes, pronounced like "tack") caters to contemporary art, and several exhibitions visit year round while the LCMM caters to more traditional, though equally pretentious, art. The Performing Arts of Lotus City features a lively theater, opera, and dance scene. Local bands can be found in your corner cafe, though the City is not yet on the music map.
Being so large, diverse, and one of the most populated cities in America, it is no surprise that Lotus City rivals new York, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, and San Francisco as one of the nations (and probably the worlds) best food cities. With dozens of four star chain restaurants from world-famous chef-driven backers, Lotus City is also home to some of the best one-shot restaurants in the United States. With as diverse a population as Lotus City's, there are dozens of unique cuisines richly represented through the streets. As a side note, it should be known that Lotus City has notoriously authentic street food, from some of the best burrito, schwarma, various Asian dumpling, sushi, kebab, hot dog, rice ball, noodle, and wrap vendors the world over. Despite having one of the healthiest (least fat) populations, Lotus City is one of the most recognized and respected cities for exceptionally outstanding cuisine.
Media
There are two major newspapers that compete for Lotus City's newsreaders: The Coast Times and The Lotus City Gazette. Several 'alternative' papers are available, with the weekly Eaters recently becoming a competitor for New York's Village Voice. A multitude of subculture (from the LGBT Fresh and Asian American Pacific Weekly to the music scene's Fuck Punk and the alternative to Cat Fancy made directly in Lotus City, He Haz Cheezburger) and culture specific publications cater to Lotians and various neighboring cities - extending to neighboring states.
Lotus City is well served by television and radio channels - a handful of which are operated by the City's universities and public high schools.
