CJ Grosvenor, New Albana

Population:

3780000

Map:

Custom

Game Version:

• Cities XL 2009 - 2011

Welcome to Grosvenor, New Albana




The city of Grosvenor, as seen from far southeastern suburbs.​

Grosvenor is the capital and most populous city of New Albana with an estimated resident population of the metropolitan region being 3.78 million. Grosvenor has the most centralised urban population in New Albana with approximately 76% of the national population lies within the metropolitan region. The vast majority of the Grosvenor metropolitan region is situated on the Yorke Peninsula between Gulf St Vincent and the low-lying Tullamarine Mountains ranges (often dubbed as Grosvenor Hills). Grosvenor stretches 26 kilometres from the coast in west to the foothills in east, and 79 kilometres from Smithfield at its northern extent to Richmond in the south.

The city was founded in 1790 as the planned capital of New Albana, the new freely-settled British colonial province. Grosvenor was named in honour of Lord Albert Grosvenor, the first Governor of New Albana in 1798. Colonel William Light, one of Grosvenor's founding fathers, largely designed the city and chose its location on the southern bank of Avon River. Light's design set out Grosvenor in a grid layout, interspaced by patterns of wide boulevards and small streets, and large public squares. The city is also entirely surrounded by vast, landscaped parklands.

Early Grosvenor was shaped by prosperity and wealth, largely due to the abundance of local industries such as agriculture and manufacturing that drove rapid population growth in the 19th and 20th Centuries. This was also contributed by the construction of railway; after Manchester and Liverpool, Grosvenor has one of the oldest public railway system dating back to 1843. The city has been noted for early examples of religious freedom, a commitment to political progressivism and civil liberties. The local municipal government system was established in Grosvenor in 1816, with 34 municipalities, thus making Grosvenor the first city in the world to have a democratic, electable government system at the local level (city councils).

The period of 1860-1890s was one of extraordinary growth, when consumer confidence, easy access to credit, and steep increases in the price of land, led to an enormous amount of construction and investment in Grosvenor. The period began with the Grosvenor International Exhibition in 1862 which was held in the large purpose-built Royal Exhibition Building. The University of Grosvenor was opened in 1865 and is the oldest and most selective university in New Albana, consistently ranked among the top 50 in global rankings. In 1870, the foundations of the new Parliament House were laid and in the same year, a telephone exchange was established. In 1876, electric light was installed on Market, Bridge and Queen streets and this paved the way to the construction of the first electric tramway line in 1879, eventually becoming one of the world's most extensive systems by mid-1890s.

Grosvenor today rates very highly in education, entertainment, healthcare, research and sustainable development, tourism and sport, making it the world's most liveable city for the eighth year in a row in 2016. Grosvenor is a major financial and business hub in New Albana, and often ranks among the top 30 cities in the world in terms of socioeconomic prosperity. The city is home to many of New Albana's largest and oldest buildings and cultural institutions such as the National Gallery of New Albana, the University of Grosvenor (Main Building), the Parliament House and UNESCO World Heritage-listed Royal Exhibition Building.

Grosvenor Central Business District (CBD).​

The city of Grosvenor, as seen from inner western suburbs.


The aerial view of central Grosvenor including prestigious North Grosvenor.


Satellite picture of central Grosvenor surrounded by the Domain and its inner city suburbs.
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Please refer numbers below for point-of-interests shown above:

1. Parliament House of New Albana
2. Grosvenor City Hall
3. Governor's House
4. Royal Exhibition Building
5. The University of Grosvenor (UoG)
6. The University of New Albana (UNA)
7. Grosvenor Gaol (Old Jail Museum)
8. New Albana Stock Exchange
9. Victoria Square
10. Parliament Square
11. Grosvenor Queen Street Railway Station
12. Grosvenor William Street Railway Station
13. Queen Victoria Markets
14. The Domain Stadium
15. Flemington Racecourse (horse racing)
16. Clapham Junction
17. Grosvenor Grammar School
18. Shrine of Remberance
19. Millennium Bridge
20. Railyards and train depot
21. New Albana National Sports Centre
22. New Albana Centre for Contemporary Arts ("Nacca")
23. Grosvenor Museum and Art Gallery (GMAG)

As shown in the picture above, the Domain is a massive, well-landscaped central park that wholly surrounds the CBD and North Grosvenor. The Domain was designed by Colonel William Light in his design for the city of Grosvenor in the late 1790s. The Domain is approximately 8km² with River Avon dividing the half, the CBD is on the south bank whereas North Grosvenor is on the north bank. The park was much larger in the 18th and 19th Centuries as it was slowly alienated and slightly smaller over the time due to the construction of railways, cemeteries, sporting facilities, government buildings and cultural institutions.