St. Matthew's County, Montverde

Saint Matthew's County, frequently abbreviated "St. Matthew's" is the most populous county in Montverde and the most populous county in the Cities Union. According to the census, the population was estimated to be 1,157,863. Its county seat is St. Matthew's, with which the St. Matthew's County government had been consolidated until 2014. St. Matthew's County was named after the city of St. Matthew's.

St. Matthew's County is included in the Balmont Valley Metropolitan Statistical Area.

History
The county was created by steam user Trxppy. St. Matthew's was the first county to be inducted into the Cities Union.

Geography
According to the Union Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 176 square miles, of which 145.08 square miles is land and 30.92 square miles (17.6%) is water. The county sits entirely in the central Balmont Valley, and mountains surround the county nearly all sides.

National protected areas

 * Butler National Park
 * Poti Memorial Forest

Adjacent Counties

 * City and County of Concordia (Northeast)


 * Emerson County (West)

Demographics
St. Matthew's County had the highest land value of any county in the Cities Union, with an average land value of $143,000 per square mile.

County Government
The government of St. Matthew's County was consolidated with the government of the city of St. Matthew's up until 2014. St. Matthew's County has a five-member Board of Supervisors, representing five geographic districts, elected at-large by voters from each supervisor's independent district.

The county government is managed on a day-to-day basis by a Chief Executive Officer, Josiah Kelley, and is organized into many departments, each of which is enormous in comparison to equivalent county-level (and even many state-level) departments anywhere else in the Cities Union.

Industry
St. Matthew's has a diversified economy with significant manufacturing and non-manufacturing sectors. The manufacturing sector is largely light-industry and generates a range of products including a large amount of woodwork and forestry components, automotive parts, gas cylinders, electronic equipment, food products, and medical devices. Supporting the manufacturing sector are two industrial districts; Hayward and Wacissa. Both of the industrial sites are rail-served, with several main lines running through the city. As the capital of Montverde and the largest city in the region, St. Matthew's also houses numerous legal, accounting, brokerage, architectural, engineering and technology firms as well as banking institutions.

Shopping
St. Matthew's County contains several shopping malls; The Bethel Gardens Mall, an upscale high-end mall in the Bethel neighborhood of St. Matthew's. The second mall, The Highland Hills Plaza, is also an upscale luxury mall located in the affluent city of Highland Hills.

Tourism
Tourism is one of the largest industries in St. Matthew's. The city receives over 1,200 tourists weekly, largely sparked by the many parks and leisure around the county, specifically in St. Matthew's.

Education
Schools in St. Matthew's County are overseen by St. Matthew's County Public Schools (SMCPS) and St. Matthew's County is served by the SMCPS Public Library System. The county is broken up into several public school districts in addition to the many other private parochial and secular schools. The St. Matthew's County Board of Education oversees early education, special education, and the court and community schools program in the county, as well as serves as an appeal board for the adjudication of expulsion appeals, inter-district attendance appeals, and Charter Schools.

Higher Education
St. Matthew's is home to the following institutions:
 * Abajo Valley University (Weston)
 * Balmont College (Ridgeway)
 * Holly University (Holly Hills)
 * Kharrim College of Design (Trentwood)
 * LoRenzo University (Empire Village)
 * Spencetown College (Downtown Spencetown)
 * St. Matthew's College (Downtown St. Matthew's)
 * St. Matthew's State University (Amelung Heights)
 * University of Montverde, St. Matthew's (UMSM)

School Districts
St. Matthew's is divided into five school districts:
 * St. Matthew's City School District, which includes almost all neighborhoods and villages in central St. Matthew's and the Abajo Valley.
 * Butler School District, which includes all neighborhoods in eastern St. Matthew's
 * North County School District, which includes all neighborhoods (and towns) in the northern region of St. Matthew's.
 * South County School District, which handles students in Ridgeway, Monte Santo, and all other municipalities located south of St. Matthew's.
 * Highland School District, the school district that covers most of the western portion of the county.

Transportation
Rapid Transit in the county is operated by St. Matthew's Transit Authority, or SMTA. SMTA operates all rail, metro, and bus services throughout the county.

Major Highways

 * Interstate 10 (East-West)
 * Interstate 21 (North-South)

Commerical Airports

 * St. Matthew's International Airport

Municipal Airports

 * Chambers Municipal Airport

Communities
Because of St. Matthew's County's small size, almost all of the cities are dis-proportionally small, and cover very small land area. However, these municipalities are densely populated and therefore have an average population relative to other small cities.

Cities

 * Highland Hills
 * Highland Park


 * La Curva
 * Monte Santo
 * Ridgeway


 * St. Matthew's (County Seat)

Towns

 * Addison Woods


 * Alta Vista
 * Amelung Estates
 * Garnett
 * Hampton Hills
 * Madison Park
 * Valle Sagrado
 * Wellington

CDPs
There is only one current CDP in St. Matthew's County:
 * Caledonia