Recently, my group began a new campaign, focused on lower-level superheroes, affectionately titled #SuperZeroes. In true comic book form (especially following in the footsteps of DC comics) we decided to create a fictional city for the characters to inhabit. In this way, the city could have everything the characters needed for their concepts to apply without any cognitive dissonance towards knowledge of a real city. …Now there would just be the standard comic “where does this city fit on a map in relation to its cousins.” That’s much easier for us to ignore. The city is Bearport, Oregon. Like many fictional comic book cities, it is an amalgam of cities in the Pacific Northwest like Portland, Seattle, Vancouver, and Astoria. Any actual companies, sports teams, neighborhood names, etc. are purely coincidental.
History
Close to the coast and on the Oregon side of the Columbia River stands Bearport, a beacon of trade and industry with the river on the north edge and the east, west, and southern borders surrounded by forest and mountains. With a population of 808,763, the city stands slightly larger than its neighbors of Seattle and Portland. Bearport was founded in 1812 and takes its name from the Tillamook area it used to occupy, “Gwaheh Nehus” which roughly translates to “where the bear drinks.” Bearport was incorporated by the Oregon Legislative Assembly on January 11, 1859.
Bearport began its history as a British fur trading post, competing with the recently founded US fur trading post in Astoria. The two cities shared a friendly rivalry that continues today, despite Bearport’s growth and population. While the western Astoria was the first city U.S. post office west of the Rocky Mountains, it was the construction of the railroad, tying the city to Spokane, Portland, and Seattle that enabled Bearport to eclipse the growth of Oregon’s other northwest port city.
Today, Bearport is an important export tonnage port as well as a rail hub for the West Coast, making it an important distribution center. The city has a long history of association with research and high-tech industries, beginning with Mosaic Laboratories (a think-tank, research facility, and manufacturer) in 1952. Mosaic Labs continues to be one of the largest employers in the city. The city is also home to Valkyrie Chemicals, a pharmaceutical and hygiene company with a slightly shady reputation.
Bearport operates with a mayor-council government, and the elected mayor has almost total administrative authority with a wide range of political independence. The current mayor of the city is Vanessa Levesque. While she is largely viewed as a good and strong mayor, some of her cooperative decisions with the corporations and a recent rise in crime has tarnished her overall reputation.
Areas
Areas of Bearport, click to expand.
Bearport is made up of many neighborhoods, but is typically seen as having five “areas.” Each of these overall regions have fuzzy, sometimes crossing borders depending on the individual’s point of view, but most Bearportans agree on the overall, unofficial, labeling of their city. Bearport’s areas include: Easton, Market Central, New Haven, The University, and Outer Bearport.
Easton, or Old Bearport, occupies most of the eastern edge of Bearport, starting at the old docks in Daughton, down through the neighborhoods of Frostfield Heights and Moya Glen, to as far south as the now closed Albright Lumber Mill. Easton is the neglected black eye of the city and where crime has struck the hardest–especially in Daughton. The Russian Mafia, also known as the Bratva, made their steak in the city by entering through Daughton when it was a flourishing port, and though the older port does not do as much business as it used to, the Bratva has not released its territory. Easton is also home to the displaced L.A. gang, the Mimixcoas, and fighting between the two organizations sometimes will catch citizens in the crossfire. That said, Easton is also home to the Bearport Zoo and Shakey’s Arena, where one can watch the city’s Double-0 Derby Dolls dish it out against other roller derby teams.
Market Central encompasses downtown, Ursa Square, Sunstone, and the more touristy parts of Bearport’s river walk. This area of the city houses most of the trade and businesses. Corporations and technology centers thrive in downtown, and workers will often take their lunch breaks in Ursa Square to shop for custom art and kitche items. Sunstone is home to the most independent micro breweries and some of the finest dining in the city, as well as some of the highest rent and condo prices. Most of the Mosaic Lab buildings are found downtown, along with numerous other tech industry facilities. The Bearport Herald, the city’s primary newspaper, also makes its editorial stand downtown.
New Haven spans west and northwest corner of the city. It’s made up of Opal Port, Greenleaf, Derleth, St. Cedwick’s, and the condos and apartments along the end of the river walk. Opal Port was built in the 1960’s and its proximity to the mouth of the river and advances in technology made it the official darling of Bearport (though Daughton remained active, it saw a marked decline in usage in the 70’s and 80’s). While the entire city is not short of music and entertainment, the scene thrives in Derleth; along with theaters and other venues, Derleth is home to the city’s two techo-anarchist clubs, Kaiju and Shiba. St. Cedwick’s is the city’s hub of land transportation and is home to Union Station and features the most rail car connections for public transportation within the city.
The University is an appropriately titled area, given the presence of Bearport University. South of Market Central, the area also encompasses many of the city’s sporting venues, like Mosaic Stadium, The Coliseum, and Jasper Court. Most television and radio stations are broadcast from this area, including (but not limited to) the university’s own TV station, KBUU, and it’s radio station, 95.7 BPWK. This area can sometimes be referred to as the Log Jam, given its propensity for high-density traffic.
Outer Bearport is comprised of the districts on the outskirts of the city. It’s made up of suburban neighborhoods like Pleasant Green, Bridgewater Hearth, and Cheshire Downs, but also expands to the more thriving industrial areas of the city like the Beeline Cannery, Heron Logging. This area also includes the more remote Klein Observatory, in the southwest mountains.
Sports Teams
Like any major city, Bearport hosts many sports teams, including:
- Double-0 Derby Dolls (Roller Derby)
- Bearport Typhoons (MLS)
- Mudslides (NBA)
- The Barking Beavers (AHL)
- The Otters (Semi-Pro Football)
- Bearport Bigleafs (MLB)
More to Come…
The above represents what the group essentially laid out as what was needed for their characters in the game. As the game continues and the city develops for both the needs of the characters as well as the game itself, I hope to provided further and more complex write-ups for the city’s areas.
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