Willowmoor

Considering the American town they came from, their demographics are primarily Caucasian with a large population of Hispanic folks and a few who fall outside of those primary demographics (see: Genji or Alli). Of the age groups in the arena, about thirty percent are children or teens with most of the rest of the citizens falling broadly between ages 20 and 55. Of those above 55 and the elderly, there are the fewest, approximately ten percent.

In its early days, Willowmoor is run by the Caravan Conclave, which is a council of leaders that formed while the survivors were traveling cross-country to find the future location of Willowmoor. They run things much as they did on the road: meeting as a group to discuss the community's needs, then taking their brainstorming session to the people. Everything is decided via democratic vote, from what the village will prioritize at any given time right down to something like how many working days there will be in a Willowmoor week.

The laws are few in the beginning as well, much of it being implied rather than encoded or enforced. This will change, of course...

Taxation is non-existent since there's no such thing as money anymore when Willowmoor first puts down roots. Unfortunately, this will also change...

Willowmoor's best defense is simply that it's hard to find. Nestled away in the heart of a thick forest, the nearest settlement to it is more than a day's ride away. It does not advertise its presence to its neighbors or anyone else.

In the beginning, the only practical defenses are the armed guards that stroll the village perimeter. As time passes, they'll inevitably have a wall, watchtowers, and a warning system.

Willowmoor keeps itself afloat, its citizens each chipping in to do their part. Some build or repair while others hunt or fish; some are naturals at childcare while others can sew a dress in their sleep. Everyone works together, bartering and trading amongst themselves with occasional mediation from the village leaders.

Due to their isolation, the most important industries in Willowmoor early on are the lumber and various food-gathering industries. Since they have no one else to trade with, they must hunt and grow their own food. It's imperative that they have lumber to build with and wood to burn as well, but they also must be wary of thinning their forest too much. Tailors will also be a necessity for all the clothing that will need mended and patched until they figure out how to procure the material they need to make new clothes.

There will eventually be trade with outside groups, but since that comes much later in the story, I'll be world-building around it at a later time...

In Willowmoor's early days, the most important infrastructures speak to the village's simplicity.

They implement a mass communication system by recruiting newsboys and newsgirls (teenagers) to spread the word vocally through all corners of town.

Burly young men earn their keep by hauling heavy bundles of firewood around to offload at houses and businesses; for a time, fire being the only reliable form of power outside of their closely-guarded stores of batteries.

Transportation is non-existent until they procure some horses, and then that will be the most reliable and common mode of transport in Willowmoor for decades to come.

For a long time, there's nothing resembling indoor plumbing; services replace that as well, jobs going to those willing to dig and build outhouses, those brave enough to collect excrement (because that, too, has a use for our villagers), and those who are capable of transporting river water around.

Roads in the early days are nothing more than the dirt paths that form from so many feet plodding the same routes around the newly-forming village. The bridges, walls, fences, and buildings are all just as rudimentary at first - built from wood, the bare minimum needed to get a structure standing.

At first, Willowmoor has only two districts: businesses and homes. They build their settlement right around a dominant river and its smaller tributaries, so it's decided that businesses will be built on the west side of the river while homes are built on the east side of the river. This holds for a year or more until the village has strong enough roots to grow and branch out. We'll get into the further divisions at that time.

Divisions of power are obvious and yet primarily informal in Willowmoor; upon arriving at the future site of their village, members of the Caravan Conclave find certain benefits to be had for their role as leaders during the building process. A prime example shows up repeatedly across the business district where many of the leaders took on a business and were permitted a flat above it.

This requires a brainstorming session.

Coming soon.

For now, the only point of interest worth noting is Sunfire Lake...

Willowmoor was built using what was at hand; since the caravan of survivors who became its citizens decided to stop in the midst of a thick forest, their primary medium was obviously wood. The trees were tall, old pines, maples, and elms, so they provided plenty of excellent material. The businesses are all structured around what they do, so those buildings are all different shapes and sizes depending on their needs. The houses, however, come in three distinct sizes: single bedroom, midsize home, and family home. The single bedroom obviously just has one bedroom; it also has a living space, washroom, kitchen, and upper loft. The midsize home and family home have the same additional rooms, though the former boasts two bedrooms while the latter boasts four and an additional washroom. The midsize looks exactly the same as the single bedroom except for its second story; all family homes have a second floor as well.

People begin decorating their houses from the moment they're finished. At the bare minimum, every house has a sign on its door with the name of its occupant. These are nonuniform in appearance as people work with what they have, leading to some that are beautifully painted on strips of wood while others are spelled out laboriously onto a sheet of lined paper. Beyond that, many houses with children have handprints on the siding from the kids adding their own touch. Wreathes and garlands are made out of flowers, leaves, and twigs; articles of clothing from the Before Times are cut into flags that are flown with pride; during the winter, many a house has a friendly snowperson standing in the yard.

In the early days, most businesses and none of the houses have outdoor lighting. The few businesses that do have to operate them sparingly since they run on batteries. As such, these are prioritized for those places more likely to be open after dark or before sunrise.

Willowmoor rests in the middle of a thick forest, intertwined around intersecting rivers, a massive lake about a fifteen-minute walk to the east of town, the ocean a few hours' walk outside the forest in the west; all of these features (except the ocean) are on the other side of colliding mountain ranges with few gaps in between them.

This will be expanded on at a later time.

Wood is the most abundant resource, though there are also plenty of elk and an assortment of other wild animals to hunt. The river and lake both offer lots of freshwater fish as well.