Bludhaven, a small East Coast city not far from Gotham, also sat along the coast, but its climate was completely different from—one could even say the exact opposite of—Gotham's. It was sunny year-round, and both its sunshine duration and intensity ranked among the best of all East Coast cities.
It could have become an excellent tourist city, but its land area was too limited, the surrounding hills and mountains were too numerous, its coastline was not long enough, and its urban facilities were too sparse to meet the needs of large numbers of tourists.
If it had been closer to Metropolis, it might have developed long ago. If the drive to Metropolis had been within half an hour, tourists could have gone there to solve some of their lodging and dining needs.
But no tourist was bold enough to venture deep into Gotham for accommodation. And tourists came to coastal cities to sunbathe on the beach; Gotham's rainy weather would ruin an entire day's good mood. Thus, Bludhaven's development had always remained lukewarm.
But since Gotham City Mayor Roy's telephone speech, people's prejudices against Gotham had been somewhat improved. Its high crime rate and chaos were, in fact, partly due to government inaction. Many curious backpackers wanted to come and see for themselves, and Bludhaven became their base of operations.
Coupled with the boom in Gotham's logistics industry, which had caused a sharp increase in labor demand, many people hoping to find work and try their luck chose Bludhaven as a staging point. It was only a twenty-minute drive to Gotham, and if life there did not satisfy them, they could simply turn around and leave.
After all, Gotham's prices and rents were no joke. The people there might be rotten, but they were not exactly poor. Or rather, they