Enso

Enso (form. Svetogorsk, Russ. Энсо) is a small Uralican city that sits right on the border with Old Finland. Highway UH-32's western terminus is here, although the road itself continues into Old Finland, passing by the small city of Imatra and ending near the town of Petsamo.

It was founded in 1887 as part of the Grand Duchy of Finland, which was under Russian rule but self-governing to a degree. Its initial purpose was pulp-milling, although this was later expanded to paper and cardboard, making it the first major pulp-and-paper mill in Finland. It would remain part of an independent Finland from 1917 until it was handed over to the Russians in 1944 because of the Winter Wars.

During the Soviet era of Enso, the city was largely repopulated by Russians, and the city renamed to "Svetogorsk" in 1948. Hydroelectric power began being produced in the area shortly thereafter. Even after the collapse of the Soviet Union in the early 1990s, Enso remained largely devoted to these particular resources.

Cataclysm, though, proved to be a disaster to Enso, as the nearby hydroelectric dam was struck by a stray cruise missile, causing a flood that wiped out half of the city. Fortunately, the pulp and paper mill was spared.

It would take a long time for the city to rebuild, but by 2008, it was back to pre-Cataclysm size, having filled up with Russian Finns and Livonians fleeing the Uralic Purges. In mid-2009, Uralican interests began showing up in the city, looking to help "Ensolaiset" diversify their economy to help it with the prospects of annexation.

Since annexation later that year, Enso still maintains a pulp and paper industry and has rebuilt its hydroelectric dam and power stations. But on top of this, production of road building and maintenance equipment, as well as other heavy machinery, small-scale consumer goods, and hi-tech, and metallurgy, all have strong presence in the city.

Culture
Just as it was before 1948, from 2008 onward, Enso has been a primarily Finnish/Karelian city, with smaller populations of Russians, Livonians, and Estonians.

Enso has a very well-kept historical museum, but it is also known for being something of a haven for cyclists. While many Uralican cities have bike lanes, Enso in particular has sections of the city that are bicycle-and-pedestrian only, plus it is home to both road cycling and mountain biking races. Most of the churches in the area are quite new, built in a "Uralic Country" architectural style. One particular church, Boundary Baptist Church, was built entirely by timber-frame.

Neighbourhoods and Suburbs

 * Rouhiala
 * Kivioja