Sternaw

Hamlet
Name	Sternaw
Hexacode	OC-NW-03
Population	217
Language(s)	Lovian English, Oceana
Geography
Next to	Cold Hill, Righow, Slowane
Trivia
Saint(s)	Saint Stephen

Former headquarters of the George Daditsh Mine, Sternaw branch.

Sternaw (IPA: /'stɝ:naʊ̯/; Oceana: /'st̪ɛʁnaʊ̯/) is a Lovian hamlet in the state of Oceana, in the Northern Wine Region district. Sternaw is located in the Central Hill Land west of Cold Hill. It is one of the longest-drawn-out hamlets of Lovia; the hamlet is a group of farms along three roads: Hurbanova Street, Orwnitzer Road, and Yin Road. It is also the largest hamlet of the Oceana Wine Region, excluding Bytack which only administratively belongs to the region, not geographically or culturally.

Sternaw is also known for the Gessle House, an infamous drug house.

History

Sternaw was the first settlement in Oceana where mineral mining took place. In 1886, the Knarsky-Hempshire mine opened, which was a open zincite and tin mine. In 1889, a soapstone (talc) mine opened near Sternaw. Also, the nearby Syf River was rich in gold at the time. Later on, in 1894, a closed mine was constructed which produced zinc, lead, and nickel, called the George Daditsh Mine. However, this mine was governed from Hurbanova, so it did not contribute to the hamlet's wealth or population figures.

At its height, 1910-1920's, Sternaw had a population of approximately 400 inhabitants. However, gold production plummeted in the 1930's, and many independent gold sievers lost their jobs and moved to Hurbanova and East Hills to work in the coal mines. By 1940, only the George Daditsh Mine remained open, and in an effort to save the hamlet, the company decided to branch off the lead and nickel production to the hamlet. This prevented an exodus of people, but the town had already suffered from decay.

In 1975, the George Daditsh Mine ceased all unprofitable production activities, and only continued producing zinc. In order to prevent a local economic disaster, the company made a deal with local Governor Pažkoliť Úskalie. A plan for investment was made up, the company and the State invested $2 million dollars each in the hamlet's agricultural sector. This opened up huge possibilities for the experimental wine production at the time, effectively marking the first success of wine production in Oceana. Nowadays, Sternaw's economy is largely dependent on Oceana wine. Even though the plans were meant to keep continuity for the local population, about 150 people were moved from Sternaw to other locations, most notably East Hills, Hurbanova, and Righow.

Demographics

Of the 298 inhabitants of the Northern Wine Region district, 217 live in Sternaw. According to the 2014 census, the racial make-up of Sternaw was 217 white (100%); ethnically there were 172 Oceana (79,3%), 34 Lovians (15,7%), 5 Slovaks (2,3%), 4 Poles (1,8%), and 2 Limburgish people (0,9%). The first-language distribution was recorded as 139 English (64,1%), 75 Oceana (34,6%), 2 Limburgish (0,9%), and 1 Slovak (0,5%). The distribution of religious affiliations was 170 Roman Catholic (78,3%), 8 United Protestant (3,7%) and 39 with no religious affiliation (18%).

Environment

Sternaw is located in the Oceana Wine Region near the Northern Central Hills. The area is mostly covered with dense forests. The center of the built-up area is located at approximately 110 meters high.

Of the 614 functioning registrated buildings in Sternaw, 99 have a residential designation, 244 are stalls, sheds or workhouses, 69 have a religious designation, 52 are shops or services buildings, 47 are governmental buildings, and 103 are undefined.

Economy

Most of the inhabitants of Sternaw are employed in the agricultural sector. According to the 2013 census, the working population is 103 (50,7%), of which 27 have no registrated jobs (26,2%) and 5 are unemployed (4,9%).

Politics

Now follows the voting results for the local State Elections:

Party	2012	2013	F2015
CCPL	36	39	38
PNO	21	16	20
OSB	44	43	44
NPO	12	11	10
LMP	2	2	2
RTP	29	28	29
GP	0	4	1
KNPO	-	5	3
MLPE	-	0	-
SP	0	0	1
SLP	-	1	0
DV	-	0	-
UC	-	0	0
LEP	-	-	0
Valid	144	149	148
Blank	0	0	0
Invalid	2	0	1
Votes cast	146	149	149
Entitled to vote	168	166	165

Transportation

Sternaw is served by the Bus Service Oceana:

• Line 12: Hurbanova to East Hills (buses for sixteen to thirty-five travellers);
• Line 13: East Hills to Hurbanova (buses for sixteen to thirty-five travellers);
• Line 30: Hurbanova to Noble City (buses for sixteen to thirty-five travellers);
• Line 31: Noble City to Hurbanova (buses for sixteen to thirty-five travellers);
• Line 44: Boynitz to Hurbanova (buses for eight to sixteen travellers; only early in the morning);
• Line 60: Hurbanova to East Hills and Lovian State Mine (buses for thirty-five travellers; only stops at selected stops; departs every two hours);
• Line 61: Lovian State Mine to East Hills and Hurbanova (buses for thirty-five travellers; only stops at selected stops; departs every two hours);
• Line 100: Hurbanova to Ben's Beaver River Camping (buses for sixteen travellers; only in the tourist season, and does not stop at all stops);
• Line 101: Ben's Beaver River Camping to Hurbanova (buses for sixteen travellers; only in the tourist season, and does not stop at all stops).

The following bus stops lie within Sternaw's zone of habitation: Sternaw Bridge, Sternaw Church, and Sternaw Tyrnaw. A bus stop shared with Righow is Alcest Road.