Keene (1983: Doomsday)



The Republic of Keene, a nation founded on libertarian principles, is an American survivor nation in the northeastern portion of the former state of New York. Keene is mostly situated within the confines of the Adirondack Park. It is bordered on the east by the Republic of Vermont and Lake Champlain, the Mohawk River to the south, the Black River to the west, and the former U.S. national border to the north. Keene has a population of approximately 100,000. The capital of Keene is Keene City, and the current president is Abram Howland.

History
The Republic of Keene was founded after a dismayed group of Vermonter's, most of which were former citizens of New Hampshire, made a mass exodus to Keene's current location in the Adirondacks. The mass movement has been aptly named The New Hampshrie Exodus, though not all members of the movement were former residents of the former state. Notably, the movement (based out of Keene, New Hampshire), chose Keene, New York as the movements final location. Leaders of the movement Abram Howland and Justin Elbourn, were immediately voted into political office upon the resurrection of the capital, Keene City.

Military
Keene's military has been based completely on the old Swiss military, where the nation is a military, not portions of it. In times of war, upon enactment by the president, the whole nation will become active. Every man, woman, and child that is capable of holding a weapon is given one by the state to protect their property from occasional violence, and to protect national borders.

Militia Law
Upon the founding of Keene, a formal vote was put forward as to whether or not a national police force should be created. While most believed that in order to create a truely libertarian state there should not be a formal police force, some dissented and an agreement was reached. This agreement created Militia Law, a semi-military force of volunteers that's sole duty is to protect the inner workings of Keene and its citizens. Every few months a new Militia is put together, and the old one is relieved of its duties. To date, the Milita has worked out so well that volunteers have had to be turned away.

Government
The government of Keene is bound by a constitution based solely on the Constitution of the United States of America, though it has been revised and edited for its apparent lack of privacy laws. The Constitition of Keene states that the Keene government's sole purpose is to, "protect and serve, without interference and never for government gain" an important addition to the article. It binds the government to an ideal held strongly by all residents of Keene.

Governmental Branches
Since its inception, the nation has been in debates as how to form the branches of their national government, or whether they should forgoe the branches and instead move towards a regionalized government, where each region would act autonomously of the others but would come together for national debates. Currently, the movement towards a regionalized government is swaying more voters, though it still may take some time for it to come to fruition. Most citizens are more concerned about foreign enemies and protecting their borders. They believe that once the outside if protected, the inside can take form.

Cities and Townships
Recently there has been a major overhaul of the towns contained within the borders of Keene, though it will be some time before all the cities and towns within the borders will be built again. As of now, the semi-rebuilt and completely rebuilt towns are:
 * Keene
 * Plattsburgh
 * Watertown
 * Lake Placid
 * Glen Falls
 * Malone

Relations With Other Nations
After a national vote, Keene has decided that it is in its best interest to send ambassadors to other nations and to attempt to convince other nations to accept Keene's legitimacy. It has decided though, for the time being, that limited immigration should be enacted as to allow the residents time to start their lives anew without the pain of newcomers.

Economy
The economy of Keene is based loosely on agriculture, lumbering, mining, and hunting. The majority of Keene's economy rests on the manufacturing of tools and machines, while another large percentage is focused on the local economy before the exodus (i.e. small businesses).

Keene is also seeking connections to larger economic circles, such as Manchester, Vermont, the largest city in that region.

Culture
Keene's culture revolves around agrarian practices, but is also influenced by semi-urban themes. Keene has established two major centers of arts, The Howland Center for Progressive Art, and the Placid Forum, an outdoor stage for music and performances. Keene has also attempted to set up a number of television stations, and most are now available to the majority of the nation, with the exception of some of the fringe communities. The radio has been an important aspect to life in Keene, as most citizens own only a radio. The nation is also one of the first to completely adopt a libertarian ideology, in what citizens of the country have said is one of the greatest experiments of government since the formation of the United States.

Music
The citizens of Keene have a diverse taste in music, but one form has been particularly popular. Progressive-folk music has been prevalent among the youth of the country, especially in the areas around Keene City and Plattsburgh, where the genre began. Bands such as New Granite, XODUS, Mobstate, and Francia, have begun playing regional shows.

Education
Most citizens of Keene are homeschooled, and a very small percentage of students travel to other private homes in order to be educated. This system has been praised by most of the nation, and test scores have shown that students are doing better than they were pre-1983. Public schools have been mentioned in government only a handful of times, and each time it has been dismissed as a major issue that plagued the United States pre-1983.

University of Keene
One privately owned university, The University of Keene, has been set up in the capital, Keene City. It is small in comparison to other nation's universities, inhabiting a total of 14 buildings, but the majority of courses offered are based outside. Presently, there are over 3,000 students in 10 distinct majors attending the University.

Demographics
The population of Keene is 114,934, and is slowly increasing, although citizens are cautious of allowing unhindered immigration. The racial makeup of the town is 98.68% White, 0.09% African American, 0.19% Native American, 0.47% Asian, 0.09% from other races, and 0.47% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race are 0.38% of the population.

An estimated 43% of Keene's citizens are former New Hampshire residents, while the other remaining 57% is made up of locals who resided in the Adirondacks before the exodus.