Rosslyn

Rosslyn, officially the City of Rosslyn, is a city in the Commonwealth of Verona and the seat of Santa Rosa County. At the 2030 census, the population was 766,301, making it the eighth-most populous city in Verona and the nineteenth-most populous city in Cartadania. The city has annexed a number of unincorporated areas, contributing to the large population increase over the past two decades, while also focusing efforts on urbanizing its more core regions and reducing car dependency across its local area. Coupled with rapid urban development and a higher than average birthrate, Rosslyn has the highest percent population growth per year of any city in Cartadania, though this trend has begun to slow as housing costs in the city have risen.

Rosslyn
Charter city
City of Rosslyn
From top down, left to right: Downtown Rosslyn; Santa Rosa County Superior Court; Rosslyn City Hall; Mermaid Statue in West Respass; Axiom HQ; Museu do Sol; El Dorado Park; Palm Coast Light Rail in ; and Porto Ciano with the Porto Ciano Bridge and East Llewelyn in distance.
Flag Logo
Location of Rosslyn in Santa Rosa County and Verona
Country	Cartadania
State	Verona
Counties	Santa Rosa
Prefecture-level division	1504
Formed as town	1862
Incorporated as city	1986
Government
• Type	Mayor-council
• Body	City Council
• Mayor	Sidnei Aguiar (SDP)
Area
• Total	556.9 km2 (215.0 sq mi)
• Land	533.1 km2 (205.8 sq mi)
• Water	23.8 km2 (9.2 sq mi)
Population  (2020)
• Total	766,301
• Density	1,400/km2 (3,600/sq mi)
Demonym(s)	Rosslynite Rosslino
Area code(s)	579/770
Website	Rosslyn Government Website

Rosslyn is one of 77 cities across five counties that constitute the Palm Coast metropolitan area, named for the abundance of palms along Verona's northeastern coastlines. It is the southernmost city in the metropolitan region and its seventh-most populous.

History

Today what comprises the city of Rosslyn is the result of many municipal mergers and annexations. The city traces its roots to the former town of Rosalyn, a resort town in Santa Rosa County's southeastern corner, south of the former city of Avilla. It was named for the wife, Rosa Lynn Marti, of the town incorporater, Ernesto Marti, and was founded in 1902. The town was mostly a resort destination just outside of the booming metropolis of Sierra, where tourists typically went to escape the ever growing swarms of people. Maybe much to their dismay, the town reincorporated as a city in 1986 and promptly began an aggressive expansion and development campaign.

In March 1986, the new city, now named Rosslyn, annexed an unincorporated area nearly three times its pre-incorporation area. Some of this included land in Sierra County which would eventually vote to secede from the city and form their own community (mostly over differences in costs of living). The city began growing quickly to meet the needs of new residents. Residents in the cities of Agueria, Cobia, and Terasto voted to merge with Rosslyn in July of the same year and the city of Rosslyn fully annexed all three by September. By this point the city had exploded from its original 43,000 residents to well over 350,000 in less than a year. This alone earned the city the title of fastest growing city in the state. With an exploding younger generation, a trend that continues today, Rosslyn also became the city with the highest percent growth per year of any city in Cartadania.

The City of Rosslyn is known for its easy-going atmosphere, and this is reinforced by its booming day- and nightlife. The Rosslyn Tourism and Casino District has quickly become one of the most popular destinations in the region, so much so that the City of Sierra has even monetarily funded its development. The two cities have many intercity agreements, as well as both being a part of the Palm Coast Consortium of Metropolitan County Governments via their respective counties. The two cities have a history of shared services, despite not sharing a physical border.

In the late 2010s, it was clear that the city had completely transformed from a tiny resort town to a major city, and had done so in the span of 50 years. There had been talk of the city annexing the remaining area of the county and merging with the then-remaining five cities. While the Code of Verona does not allow for consolidated city-county governments, the municipality would essentially have functioned as such. Much of the reasoning behind this talk was due to lack of available land. Rosslyn has, in the past, grown by annexation and merging, however development has halted this process and the city had run out of open land for development.

On 28 August 2019, Rosslyn officially annexed the cities of Avilla, Cordena, Tarera, and Madria, as well as a small section of land in unincorporated Sierra County, adding over 90 square kilometers to the city's area. Officially, it is now only one of two cities within Santa Rosa County, the other being Rainier. City Hall has redesignated the government buildings of the four cities, considering they were much smaller in population than Rosslyn, into local branches of government offices. Tarera, the biggest of the four, utilized a three-story building near the city's beachfront to serve its 31,000 residents. Unlike Rosslyn, these four cities did not possess an administrative division system, while Rosslyn has eight boroughs. Each of the cities were consolidated into an existing borough, or in the case of Tarera, split between nearby boroughs.

Geography

Climate

Rosslyn has a typical tropical climate, specifically a tropical wet and dry climate (Köppen climate classification: As), with warm to hot temperatures and high relative humidity all throughout the year. However, these conditions are relieved by a near absence of extreme temperatures and pleasant trade winds blowing from the Urlazio. February is the warmest month, with mean maxima of 31 °C (88 °F) and minima of 24 °C (75 °F), while July is the coolest with mean maxima of 29 °C (84 °F) and minima of 22 °C (71 °F). Rainfall is heavy at around 1,720 millimetres (68 in) per year, but there is a dry season between about September and January that is more distinct than further south on the state's coast. The greatest amount of rain falls between March and July.

Known as the "City of the Sun" and also as "Crystal City", Rosslyn is located in the northeastern tip of Verona in central Cartadania. Lying approximately six degrees south of the equator, the sun shines on for more than 3,000 hours every year. This is in contrast to the fact that the city has one of the highest average rainfall volumes in the commonwealth. The average temperature in Rosslyn is about 27 °C (81 °F). During the summer season it normally reaches above 30 °C (86 °F) with the water at a soothing 26 °C (79 °F).

Neighborhoods and districts

The city of Rosslyn is divided into eight boroughs: Bayside, Cypress, Downtown Rosslyn, Fairhill, Highley, Llewelyn, Respass, and Westyn. These boroughs are further divided into 38 neighborhoods and districts. Rosslyn formerly had the issue of being a fully developed city, only being able to spawn more development without demolition of existing structures being annexation of more land. With the addition of the land from recent annexation, the city has been able to develop more infrastructure.

Demographics

Origin and ethnicity in Rosslyn

Ethnicity		Percentage
Pardo (Multiethnic)		51.7%
Cronan or Coscivian		20.1%
Levantine		11.6%
Audonian		8.1%
Alshari		7.1%
Native Cartadanian		1.4%

As of the census of 2030, there were 766,301 people, 278,324 households, and 199,834 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,634 inhabitants per square kilometre (6,820/sq mi). There were 292,419 housing units at an average density of 1005.2 per square kilometer (2,603.9/mi²).

There were 278,324 households out of which 38.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.9% were married couples living together, 16.2% had a female householder with no spouse present, and 24.2% were non-families. 20.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 5.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.70 and the average family size was 3.30.

The median income for a household in the city was €87,615, and the median income for a family €$95,777. The per capita income for the city was €35,890. About 1.3% of families and 6.1% of the population were below the poverty line.

The city of Rosslyn has a lower crime rate than the other large cities of the Palm Coast area, with each city over 500,000 residents meeting or exceeding the national average.

Economy

Rosslyn Bayfront.

Rosslyn is composed of a variety of industries, including national and international corporate headquarters, advanced manufacturers, defense contractors and locally-owned businesses. The city's location and business climate have made it a hub of international commerce, as many foreign firms have established a presence, an office location, or their Sarpedonian headquarters in the city.

Tourism produces a large share of Rosslyn's economy. With an estimated $1.71 billion spent in tourism related industries, 31,000 jobs cater to 6 million visitors. City reserves benefit as tourists and visitors provide over $200 million in revenue. Rosslyn opened a Convention Center in 2013 which caters to large group meetings and events. Hotels not only line the bayfront but also cluster around the city's downtown borough and throughout the city. Restaurants and entertainment industries also directly benefit from Rosslyn's tourism.

Rosslyn has a small agribusiness sector which produces about $30 million for the city economy. Eighty-six farms exist in Rosslyn, mostly in the southwest portion of the city. Farmers can sell their produce and goods at any of city's public farmer's markets.

Government

Charter of the City of Rosslyn

Rosslyn is a full-service charter city, providing all services to its residents, with the exception of waste management, which is handled by a private corporation to a metropolitan landfill, and a full-court system, which is shared with the county. Rosslyn operated under a Council–manager government form of government.

Rosslyn city government consists of a city council with representatives from each of the eight boroughs serving in a legislative and oversight capacity, as well as a popularly elected, at-large mayor. The city manager serves as head of the executive branch and supervises all city departments and executing policies adopted by the Council.

The City government has an infrastructure to create close working relationships with its citizens. Rosslyn's city government provides services for neighborhoods, including service centers and civic leagues that interact directly with members of City Council. Rosslyn's police department also provides support for neighborhood watch programs including a citizens' training academy, security design, a police athletic program for youth, and business watch programs.

Courts

Rosslyn is the county seat of Santa Rosa County. It maintains the main county courthouse in Santa Rosa Civic Center–the Santa Rosa County Superior Court of Verona, which is located in the city's core. This is the county court of general jurisdiction that hears and decides all civil or criminal action that's not specially designated to be heard in some other court or before a governmental agency. It houses Santa Rosa County Circuit Court, Santa Rosa County General District Court, and Santa Rosa County Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court.

The Verona Court of Appeals for the Second District lies in Sierra County and the District's Ninth Division serves Santa Rosa County. It utilizes its own courthouse and only handles appeals from the county.

Education

K-12 education

Rosslyn Independent School District is a public school district serving the majority of the city of Rosslynn. It is responsible for public K-12 education in the portion of the city within Santa Rosa County. The district has ninety-seven schools and enrolls approximately 93,281 students.

South Sierra Independent School District is responsible for educating students with the recently annexed portion of Rosslyn that lies within Sierra County. It enrolls approximately 114,927 students. The city has been pushing to have this portion of land ceded to Rosslyn ISD, though there hasn't been much development on the issue.

Infrastructure

Healthcare

Ivy Rosslyn Hospital, the city's primary and largest hospital.

Rosslyn is served by several prominent medical facilities, including Ivy Rosslyn Hospital (IRH), which is the largest in the county with 1,265 beds, Ivy Santa Rosa Medical Center (ISRMC), and Buenayuda Medical Center (BMC). Additionally, the city hosts specialized institutions such as Rosslyn Children's Hospital and Fairhill Transitional Care Hospital, catering to pediatric and transitional care needs respectively. Rosslyn is also home to the Verona Tech's Medical School, which utilizes Ivy Rosslyn Hospital as its primary teaching hospital, providing advanced medical education and training to future healthcare professionals.

Ivy Rosslyn Hospital is the only combined Tier 1 Adult and Pediatric Trauma Center located south of downtown Sierra, playing a critical role in the region's emergency healthcare infrastructure. Trauma patients from other hospitals in southern Andina County, Lavanda County, and southern Sinhedes County are airlifted to IRH by Ivy's Nightingale Air Ambulance to assist in rapid and specialized care. The city is also home to a network of smaller healthcare centers and clinics distributed across its districts, ensuring that most citizens have convenient access to healthcare services. For those residing further from medical facilities, Rosslyn's extensive transportation network provides efficient access to both smaller clinics and major hospitals, facilitating comprehensive healthcare coverage throughout the city.

Transportation

Rosslyn's Siren Branch of the Palm Coast Light Rail and an electric PCMTA Bus, both passing through the city's Respass Beach district.

Rosslyn and its surrounding areas in Santa Rosa County receive transit services through the Palm Coast Metropolitan Transit Authority (PCMTA), part of the metropolitan government consortium. Historically, Rosslyn's transit needs were served exclusively by buses and commuter rail, which created a dependency on automobiles within the city's immediate metro area. In the early 2010s, the city government authorized the construction of the Tide Light Rail (RTLR) as a response to being repeatedly excluded from the Palm Coast Light Rail's (PCLR) planned service area. The PCMTA cited prohibitive costs as the reason for Rosslyn's exclusion. Consequently, the city allocated $366 million from its budget for the construction and integration of its own light rail service, with an additional $80 million allocated annually for maintenance and related expenses.

Despite being a standalone service, the Tide Light Rail and Palm Coast Light Rail utilized the same fare system in accordance with Verona law, allowing for interoperable metro cards and seamless transfers between the two systems. The RTLR's Green Line featured an exchange station near the Andina-Santa Rosa County line in the city of Pirasende, enabling RTLR riders to transfer to the PCLR's Green Line and connect to other major cities in the Palm Coast area.

In 2030, an agreement was reached between the city of Rosslyn and the PCMTA whereby the metropolitan authority would reimburse the city for its expenditures related to the Tide Light Rail. In return, the city would transfer control of the light rail system to the PCMTA, allowing for its integration into the broader transit network. Consequently, on 1 March 2031, after realigning tracks at the PCLR-RTLR transfer on the Green Line to facilitate through-running, the RTLR was incorporated into the PCLR as the Siren Branch lines. The five RTLR lines—Red, Orange, Green, Blue, and Purple—were re-designated within the PCLR system. The RTLR Green Line was merged with the existing PCLR Orange Line, retaining the Orange Line's color designation, and the RTLR Orange Line was redesignated as the Gold Line.

Verona State Highway 80 with four HOT lanes between eight general purpose lanes

Rosslyn is served by an extensive network of bus lines that ensures all of its residents have access to the broader metropolitan area, tying the region's cities even closer together. Historically, the automobile was the primary means of transportation for the majority of residents due to focus primarily around the central metropolitan area rather than its peripheries, and as such, Rosslyn is also supported by a comprehensive network of freeways and highways. State Highway 80 traverses the city, and its proximity to various other state highways provides numerous routes for residents. The Palm Coast Beltway, designated as State Highway 40, passes just inside the northern city limits and offers direct connections to downtown Sierra, Lynnhaven, the Twin Cities, and central Andina County.

All of the city's controlled-access highways and freeways feature separated High-Occupancy Toll (HOT) lanes, which offer express routes and higher speeds compared to their untolled counterparts. Consistent with the customary practices in the Palm Coast area, all express lanes are configured with HOV 2+ lanes on the left and general toll lanes on the right, with the tolls for general lanes being higher than those for HOV 2+. In recent years, the metro authority has contemplated increasing the HOV requirement to 3+ due to the high volume of drivers in the area; however, this proposal has faced opposition from residents.

While traffic congestion is typically not a significant issue outside the Sierra urban core, thanks to the extensive integration of public transit, certain areas still experience severe congestion during peak seasons, particularly during major festivals and holidays. Currently, no interstate highways connect Rosslyn or Santa Rosa County to other regions. However, the city is included in an impact study evaluating the potential extension of Cartadania Interstate 53 southward into the city limits, with a proposed terminus at State Highway 80.

Utilities

Water and sewer services are provided by the city's Department of Utilities. Rosslyn receives its electricity from Meridian Energy which has local sources including the Sierra Energy Center (a natural gas power plant), as well as Andina Nuclear Power Plant and Six Palms Nuclear Energy Center. Rosslyn-headquartered Marín-Helius Corporation distributes natural gas to the city from storage plants in Arcadia and Los Angeles County.

Rosslyn's water quality is known as one of the cleanest water systems in the country. The city of Rosslyn has a trememendous capactiy for clean fresh water. The city owns fifteen reservoirs throughout Andina, Los Angeles, Santa Rosa, Sierra, and Sinhedes counties. Because the Palm Coast area has grown faster than the local freshwater supply, the cities in the southern portion of the region face some unique challenges. The water of the rivers that flow throughout the area have always had a high salt content (too high to be cheaply treated), and due to large scale pumping, mostly by the city of Sierra, fresh groundwater is no longer available in most areas. Water for Mirada and 14 other cities is pumped from Lake Sedona into the City of Rosslyn's reservoir system and then diverted to the City of Mirada for treatment by the City of Mirada. Los Angeles County's portion of the water is treated by the City of Rosslyn and then piped to the county's water station. The pipeline that connects Rosslyn's reservoir system to Los Angeles County is capable of pumping 80 million gallons of water per day.

The city provides wastewater services for residents and transports this wastewater to the Palm Coast Sanitation District treatments plants in northwestern Andina County.