User:StupidBunny/Colma, California

Colma
Motto: "Braiiiiiins"
Civic anthem: Necronomicon
State	California
Official language(s)	English, groaning craving for flesh
Mayor	The Lich Lord
Established	1300
Currency	Officially US$; human brains in widespread use

Colma is a small town in San Mateo County, California, immediately south of the San Francisco city and county line. The city was declared a necropolis in 1924, since which time San Francisco has been sending its dead for internment within Colma's city limits. As such, Colma has a population of over 1.5 million dead versus just over 1700 living residents, lending it nicknames such as "City of the Silent" and "The Dead City."

History

Colma was first settled in the early 1800s by Mexican missionaries moving north up the old Californian road known as El Camino Real, who established churches and trading posts in close proximity to the mysterious fortress of skulls they found there. The community grew somewhat in the aftermath of the California Gold Rush, though of course its growth was minimal compared to the exploding population of San Francisco to the north. In fact, San Francisco's population grew so precipitously that the city had no room left for cemeteries by the early 1900s.

It was at this time that Colma came to San Francisco's rescue. In 1924, Colma's mayor came to San Francisco mayor James Rolph and said that his town would be happy to intern their northern neighbor's deceased, citing Colma's need for "expanding my Army of the Undead" as justification for the move. Though controversial at the time, the decision has since proven more popular, enough that Colma has continued to reelect the same mayor every year since then.

Demographics

Colma has a population of over 1.5 million, making it the most populous in the San Francisco Bay Area and the 6th most populous in the country. The racial makeup as of the 2010 census showed the majority of Colma's population to be zombie or skeleton, though a vampire community has been slowly growing. Population density is one of the highest in the world, with thousands of families often crammed into a single catacomb. In addition, Colma is home to about 1800 living humans, who are mostly confined to a single district of inner-city Colma. Rates of gun and chainsaw ownership in this district are among the highest in the United States and there is a great deal of controversy concerning violence between this minority group and their undead neighbors. The state of California has made a number of initiatives to send educators into Colma to grapple with these social issues; few have returned alive.

Culture

Colma's Gay Pride 2011.

Due to its proximity to San Francisco, Colma has a liberal, cosmopolitan culture, though with distinct differences. For instance, in both cities there is a yearly outdoor event featuring organic international foods. But in San Francisco it is called the "SF Street Food Festival," while in Colma it's called "The Feeding." And there are usually survivors after the SF Street Food Festival.

Sister cities

• Minas Morgul