Penguin City

Click here to listen to Penguin City's anthem!

NOT to be confused with the capital of the ancient Penguin Empire.

Penguin City, known officially as The Eastern City of Penguins, is the capital of the Eastern Shops. The city is located off the eastern Shops Sea and is in close proximity to the Mario Mountains. As of 2015, the city's population is about 625,000 penguins, making it the third largest city on Shops Island mainland and the 5th largest Shopper city overall.

The city was founded in October 2011 as one of the first cities on the Eastern Shops. Thanks to a large amount of government funding, the city grew to what it is today. A few corporations, like Penguin Air, Inc. and Yes! have their corporate headquarters in the city. Penguin City is the second most economically powerful city in the state. The leader, Bro Town, is a lot more financially stable.

Penguin City and San Vancelton form the Penguin City Metropolitan Area. Their combines population comprises of about 717,000 penguins. The Penguin City Metropolitan Area combines San Vancelton's tourist destinations with Penguin City's many businesses, creating an economically stable area. The metropolitan area is not to be confused with the actual city.

Early Settlements (2010)
Back in 2010, when Shops Island was first discovered, penguins flocked to the new land. Many from nearby lands in the Asiapelago, like the Zhounese and the Finipino, settled on the east coast of the island, with only few coming from the Ninja Archipelago. This is where Penguin City is today, but at the time, it was just a village. At first, the village was small and quaint, with only a few hundred penguins living there. There was no formal government, questionable infrastructure, and there was barely any economy.

However, the immigrants did establish a culture. While those like the Snoss traveled to mountainous regions like Bro Town, the Zhounese made a living on the coast. Using fish from the shores and pine nuts from the nearby forests, they were able to stop hunger. Soon, as more people came to the village, the infrastructure improved greatly, and the economy was becoming better. There were even lodges like the Royal Citizen, which was a great place to rest and get supplies. However, it still wasn't an official city.

A New City and Population Boom (2011-2012)
By 2011, it became that the town was becoming too big. Without a proper government, it would probably crumble. On October 22, 2011, the town was officially declared a city by Ben, the corrupt leader of Shops Island at the time. Guo Paz Bird, a local resident, was selected as mayor. After Penguin City officially became a city, and with the help of government funds, the city was now a decent place to live in.

During the February of 2012, Shops Island received worldwide attention when gold was found in the nearby Mario Mountains. This caused the Shops Island Gold Rush to happen. Settlements were created in the Beakerton Forests near the city, and the Royal Citizen, Penguin City's only hotel at the time, was overwhelming with visitors. Although the event only lasted for a few months, the impact on Penguin City was huge. The economy escalated very quickly, and many penguins established settlements in the city.

It didn't stop there, though. When Shops Island needed a new national anthem, they wanted their residents to take a part of the contest. There weren't many submissions, but Lee Sencit, a resident of Penguin City, submitted what is now known as Never never never give up! His anthem was a bold and striking one, and it eventually became Shops' national anthem. He received national fame, and the original manuscript of the song can be viewed at Penguin City Hall.

Tourism in the City (2013-present)
Because of its coastal location and great climate, Penguin City caught the eyes of many hospitality companies. On top of that, the Royal Citizen hotel was always overcrowded, and those who wanted to visit the city usually needed to look elsewhere. One of the first new hotels in Penguin City was the Walton Shoppian Village, a multi-million WB$ resort project that contained thousands of rooms. Other companies, like the Four Puffles Hotel, started to build hotels on the coast. Today, this area is known as Paikiki.

By now, Penguin City had a well established place in the tourism industry. Airlines like Penguin Shops Air allowed tourists to visit the city with ease, and public transportation systems were well developed. Penguin City's economy was doing quite well, and it became (and still is) the largest city in Eastern Shops.

However, during the 2015 Shopper Economic Crisis, things started to go downhill. One of the city's major companies, Yes!, went bust after lack of consumer interest. This was followed by many other small businesses having economic troubles. However, because Penguin City's primary economy was based on tourism, they were able to stay afloat. The tourists kept on coming, albeit at a slightly lower rate.

Locations


Penguin City is divided into four distinct communities.

Beakerton Forests
The Beakerton Forests are an extensive array of forests, popular with campers. There are plenty of cabins for those visiting the area. Smoking is strictly prohibited, and all campers must follow strict rules when lighting a fire. These new policies were introduced on June 8, 2013, to prevent a large fire. Since then, designated camping areas have been built, complete with pre-made wildfires and restrooms. However, nature activists aren't too happy about this, because these areas "ruin the fun" of camping. Tons of native puffles roam the forests, and many species of trees grow here.

Houses in the Beakerton Forests are small, yet they're somewhat cozy. Most of these houses are made of wood and logs, which is a major fire risk. Some of the newer homes are made of brick with wood on the inside. Brick isn't flammable, yet it still has that authentic forest feeling.

Somewhere in the woods is the Yoshi Egg Center, a large, multi-story outlet mall. It can be accessed by either Beakerton Avenue or the "Forest - YEC" Penguin City Subway station. "Yoshi", a green dinosaur, is (obviously) the mascot of the mall, appearing in exterior shots of the mall.

Paikiki


The Paikiki community mainly specializes in tourism. This area is Penguin City's main source of income. Paikiki is known for its large amount of hotels and resorts, attracting tourists around Antarctica. Paikiki is also known for its large beach, called the Paikiki beach. Every year, thousands of people visit the hotels and attractions every year, spending lots of money along the way.

Some of the most famous resorts include the Royal Citizen, also known as the "Magenta Mansion". The Royal Citizen was initially just a lodge for immigrants, but it soon became an overcrowded hotel. To combat this, hotels like the Walton Shoppian Village were built, which allows more penguins to have good accommodations. The resorts, along with the many recreational activities tourists can do, is why Paikiki is so successful.

The only people that live in Paikiki works for the hotels and attractions. Penguins usually choose to live in the Downtown area, which is usually not infested with lost tourists.

Downtown


The Downtown area is Penguin City's central business district and is home to most major government buildings, like the Penguin City Hall and the Eastern Shops Capitol. This area of Penguin City is where corporate businesses operate their offices. While the business sector of the city's economy is dwarfed by the tourism sector, corporate businesses still play a major role in the city's economy. A Zhoutown is also located here, but despite its name, there are barely any Zhounese restaurants or shops.

The Downtown area is home to rich and upper middle class people, with residential towers and fancy plazas. The tallest building is the 21 story Bird Tower, a residential tower named after Guo Paz Bird. There is also a large homeless population in this area in town, though the government is looking for ways to combat this.

Downtown is also home to the Eastern Shops' only major athletic facility, the PWA Arena. The Penguin City Pelicans play baseball games in the stadium, and many other events take place here. The PWA Arena is distinguished by its retractable roof and the Walton PWA Arena hotel.

Wright Center
Wright Center is basically the suburban part of Penguin City. The center includes the Penguin City Airport, a small international airport that serves as Penguin Shops Air's hub and headquarters. PSA is the largest airline on Shops Island, based on the fleet size and amount of passengers. This is also the location of all AutoCountry dealers of Penguin City, though there are few of them. Nearby the airport is a small aviation museum. It is independently owned and operated.

Wright Center has your standard middle-class houses, and many of the original Zhounese settlers live here. There's many restaurants that serve local cuisines, and there's plenty of tourist free recreational areas. While there are some slums and homeless people, Wright Center is still nicely kept. The vast majority of Penguin City resides in this community.

Architecture
Penguin City is all about modern architecture. From houses to towers, almost all of the buildings in Penguin city are modern. Being a very young city, Penguin City only has a few Victorian-style buildings. Residents love the sleek, modern architecture due to its unique characteristics. Modern buildings help reduce Penguin City's electricity bill because modern building let in a lot of natural light. The 21-story Bird Tower, located in the Downtown area, is the tallest building in Penguin City. It is also one of the strangest buildings. The windows are angled and the building gets bigger as the tower gets higher.

Zoning
Penguin City specializes mainly in commercial buildings and tourists attractions. There are little to no industrial buildings within Penguin City or the metropolitan area as a whole. In all neighborhoods but Paikiki, residential zones are mixed in with the commercial zones, decreasing the time penguins get to work. In Paikiki, commercial dominates the area, and there are few residential buildings.

Geography
The geography of Penguin City is quite strange. The city is located just off the coast of the Shops Sea. Sandy beaches and palm trees occupy most of the area, while an SIA harbor is located near the Downtown area. Temperatures are usually about 70 degrees fahrenheit in this area, making it unusually warm. The coast is what Penguin City is most famous for.

Just about 40 miles away, however, there's a forest area. Pine trees and wild puffles occupy this area. This area is known for being colder than the rest of the city. There's the occasional snow during winter months. Mountains appear just outside city limits, and in 132 miles, you reach Bro Town.

Sports
Penguin City is somewhat known as a place for sporting fans, though these are mainly catered towards locals. The PWA Arena houses a variety of sports, like baseball. The Penguin City Pelicans are part of the Shopper Baseball Association. The team sucks at playing baseball, since most of the players were just randomly selected. Nevertheless, fans love seeing the Pelicans fail, even those who live in the city! The arena also houses a few small hockey games that don't draw up as many people.

Other sports in Penguin City include surfing. Every month, a surfing competition takes place on the waters south of Downtown. The thrills and prize money attract many local surfers. Skiing also plays a role in Penguin City, though it's not a main part of the economy. Alpine skiers go to the mountains outside the city to go down the slopes and have fun. Even though the park is outside the city limits, Penguin City maintains it anyways.

Cuisine
Besides the standard Shops Island cuisine, Penguin City has developed its own cuisine, inspired by the unique clash of forest and a coastal environment. One of the most famous dishes is luómǔ yú, more commonly known as simply "luómǔ". This literally translate to "nut fish", and it consists of a grilled pine nut crusted Fluffy filet, as well as some lemon juice and coconut as a garnish. This dish was first prepared by some Zhounese settlers, and it soon became Penguin City's flagship dish.

Other types of food unique to Penguin City is "panmin", which consists of Zhounese mein noodles in a light broth. It is served with dried seaweed, eggs, and sometimes Japalandese fishcakes. Other items include fish musubi, a jumbo piece of sushi, feng leng, which consists of eggs and fish patties smothered in a rich gravy, and even "fresh shaved ice", consisting of real fruit juices instead of artificial syrups.

Bus
The Penguin City Bus, or the PCB, is the Penguin City Metropolitan Area's public transportation system, operated by the Penguin City Department of Transportation. There are several different lines and many more stops within this system. The PCB also offers an express shuttle from the airport to Paikiki that operates every fifteen minutes. Double-decker busses are popular in Paikiki, while small, shuttle buses are used in the Beakerton forests, along with the Paikiki shuttle. Standard busses are found in Downtown and Wright Center. Previously, the PCB operated in conjunction with the Ele Moano Bus and the San Vancelton Bus before downright acquiring those companies.

Some of the busses the PCB operates are hybrids. This helps reduce pollution and increase tourists. Some of the newer buses are painted green instead of blue. The green buses are some of the cleanest and most efficient buses in the state. However, some of the older, used busses are stuffy, cramped, and are less appealing altogether. Older busses are phased out when funding becomes available.

Roads
The Penguin City Department of Transportation maintains about 67% of the roads in the city, including the Beakerton forests. The rest are maintained by private entities. There are four main roads or "highways", serving many of the main areas in Penguin City. Each of the main roads have 8 lanes, with four lanes on each side. These are usually the busiest surface streets in the city. Roads within Downtown and Paikiki are usually pretty narrow, but the suburban Wright Center community are more open and arranged in a grid.

There is only one freeway in the city, which is the central road. Sometimes refereed to as the "Bird" highway, the freeway has 12 lanes, with six lanes on each side. Modern facilities include HOT (high occupancy toll) lanes and lots of variable message signs. This freeway is the SI3, a part of the Shops Island Highway System. The control city for the Westbound lanes is Bro Town, while the Eastbound (actually going South by this point) lanes go to the freeway's terminus at San Vancelton.

Rail
Despite its rather small population, Penguin City has a subway system called the Penguin City Area Rapid Transit, also known as P-CART (originally known as the Penguin City Subway), operated by the Shops Island Subway. Originally only serving the Penguin City proper, P-CART now serves the entire Penguin City Metropolitan Area (including San Vancelton). During the year of 2014, low performing stations within Penguin City were shut down, the subway was extended to Paikiki, and a massive new connection to San Vancelton was built, bringing a grand total of 62 stations and over a hundred miles of track.

Tracks are below ground in the Downtown and Paikiki areas. They are above ground in the Wright Center area and are on ground within the forest areas. P-CART is quite dirty in some areas, and vandalism is becoming an increasing problem. However, many police officers roam each of the 62 stations and will arrest vandals in an instant.

Air Travel
There are two airports in the city, both maintained by the Penguin City Airport Authority. The first airport is the Penguin City Airport, which is for commercial and military service. This airport serves as a hub and headquarters for Penguin Shops Air and is the busiest airport in Shops Island. The other airport is used for general aviation, called the Yoshi Egg Airport. This airport is located in the Beakerton forests. On a beautiful day, pilots usually fly their planes around the forest and the beach. Though not technically located in Penguin City, the San Vancelton Regional Airport is another general aviation airport serving the area.

Sister Cities
Some of Penguin City's sister cities are listed below.


 * NewUnitedProvincesFlag.png Dolphinas, United Provinces (Since 2013)
 * ShopsIslandFlag2013.png San Vancelton, Shops Island (Since 2011)

Trivia

 * Penguin City is loosely based on Honolulu.
 * Paikiki is a parody of Waikiki.
 * Coincidentially, Penguin City was the former name of South Pole City.