Alston
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Alston
Astie | |
|---|---|
 Clockwise from top-right: Tent Pegs National Forest, the Alston Aerial, Government Buildings, logo of the Alston City Council, Matauri, Tuesday Heights. | |
 Alston within Cambria (blue) | |
| Country |  Federal Commonwealth of Sirocco |
| Region | Alston-Jellicoe |
| Province |  Cambria |
| Territorial authority | Alston City |
| Established | 15 July 2012 |
| Founded by | Daniel Anderson |
| Government | |
| • Executor | Daniel Anderson (Federal) |
| Population (2012) | |
| • Total | 5 |
| Demonym | Alstonian |
| Time zone | UTC+12 (NZST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+13 (NZDT) |
| Postcode series | 200-209 |
| Area code | +645 23 |
| Languages | English, Siroccan |
| Location | 7km SW of Minnerichell 11km SSE of Ridgelow 11km SE of Kent 21km SSE of Kenbank 44km NW of Otanaki |
Alston (AWL-stun; Siroccan: Astie), formerly known as Whangae, Bushmart and Falls Town, is the capital city and fifth-largest urban area of Sirocco. Home to four residents, it is the capital of Cambria province and was formerly the capital of Sirocco. The urban area is mostly confined to the city centre and the suburbs of Tara Corner and Tuesday Heights, the rest of the city being made up of forests and gardens.
Alston is the hub of all Siroccan affairs, from politics to culture and entertainment, and is also the residence of the Premier, and most of Sirocco's economic strength is generated here. Despite around 75% of the province being covered in forest or gardens, it is well-developed with a variety of infrastructure, ranging from historic buildings to modern motorways.
Name
Alston was originally incorporated in 2002 as Whangae (pronounced whon-guy) and retained the name until 2003 when it was renamed Bushmart. However, this name did not prove popular and the old name was reinstated after a few weeks. However, by 2007 the name had fallen out of use and Whangae was no longer considered an incorporated location. In 2010 it was decided to reincorporate the city to serve as the new Siroccan capital. After a brief spell as "Falls Town" (due to the Garden River Rapids), Alston was chosen and gazetted as the official city name. Its background is unknown.
History
The history of Alston is not known prior to 1987, except for the knowledge that the 110-year-old Government Buildings are in fact one of the oldest buildings in the central-western Bay of Islands. In 1987 Alston and its territory were acquired and construction began on several projects, including fence-building, the construction of the suburb of Tuesday Heights and the construction of several arterial roads.
In 2002, the town of Whangae was proclaimed. At this time it was the seat of the Maran District, a fictitious territorial authority centred around the western Bay of Islands, and it was at this time that the name "Tuesday Heights" was first documented, the only pre-Siroccan name which has been retained. For a short period in 2003, the town was known as Bushmart (etymology unknown) before regaining its original name. For around a year between 2006 and 2007 Whangae was the capital of the Kingdom of the Peebles before the Kingdom fell into inactivity and dissolved. For over three years afterwards, it was not considered as anything but an ordinary New Zealand property.
However in the lead-up to the foundation of Sirocco on 4 November 2010, it was decided to proclaim Whangae as the capital of Sirocco, however, the name was changed to Alston for unknown reasons. Since foundation little has changed in the capital apart from minor construction work and road building in the Tent Pegs National Forest.
Alston was succeeded as the capital by the city of Havilland on 20 February 2013.
Suburbs
Alston City is made up of nine suburbs, each of which is divided into three wards. Clockwise from the city's north, these are:
- North Alston (Northern Ward)
- Gardenia (Northern Ward)
- Tara Corner (Southern Ward)
- Tent Pegs (Southern Ward)
- Gate Park (Western Ward)
- Tuesday Heights (Western Ward)
- Matauri (Western Ward)
- Alston (Northern Ward)
- Belmont (Northern Ward)
Climate
| Climate data for Alston, National Capital District, Sirocco (Purerua weather station) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Average high °C (°F) | 24 (75) |
25 (77) |
23 (73) |
21 (70) |
18 (64) |
16 (61) |
15 (59) |
15 (59) |
16 (61) |
18 (64) |
19 (66) |
22 (72) |
19.33 (66.79) |
| Average low °C (°F) | 15 (59) |
15 (59) |
14 (57) |
12 (54) |
10 (50) |
8 (46) |
8 (46) |
8 (46) |
8 (46) |
10 (50) |
12 (54) |
13 (55) |
11.08 (51.94) |
| Average Precipitation mm (inches) | 85 (3.35) |
58 (2.28) |
62 (2.44) |
72 (2.83) |
120 (4.72) |
127 (5) |
139 (5.47) |
202 (7.95) |
144 (5.67) |
94 (3.7) |
75 (2.95) |
70 (2.76) |
104 (4.09) |
| Source: World Weather Online | |||||||||||||
Disasters
Despite its location in New Zealand, Alston is at little risk of earthquakes. Despite this, in January 2008 the city was rattled by a small earthquake which caused no damage. The primary threat to Alston however is flooding. The Garden River, which flows to the city's east, has been known to burst its banks on several occasions, most recently on January 28, 2011. High winds also threaten Alston, with many trees in the Tent Pegs forest having been blown over over the course of years. One particularly memorable storm in 2001 saw the collapse of the Alston Aerial, the tallest building in Sirocco, which saw analogue terrestrial broadcast reception interrupted. However, a few days later the Aerial was rebuilt and television services resumed.
See also
| Preceded by: | Capital of Sirocco | Succeded by: | 
|
|---|---|---|---|
| N/A | 4 November 2010 - 20 February 2013 | Havilland, Wellesley |
| General | |
|---|---|
| Government and politics | |
| Geography | |
| People | |
| History | |
| Media | |