I haven't had the privaledge of visiting Westfield yet myself, but a Ventrue I know told me it is in many ways the opposite of our Bloomington - orderly instead of chaotic, traditional instead of adventurous.
Already one of the most conservative areas of a conservative state, the legalization of prostitution and gambling in our county has triggered a conservative backlash up north of Indianapolis. It's reflected in both the Kindred and the Kine. As far as I know, the Ventrue have the Princeship there.
Loic
I recently had a personal tour of Hamilton County at the invitation of Prince William Esterlan.
Prince Esterlan, a Ventrue of considerable prestige and reputable lineage, has been appointed to his office by a Conclave of Camarilla elders, following Hamilton County's re-appraisal as a prime feeding ground in 1997. He has been granted considerable status to reflect this.
When I visited Hamilton County early in July of 1998, it was home to only two vampires - Esterlan, and the Toreador Vick Rickshaw, who (being a like-minded conservative) was appointed Harpy immediately upon arrival. The Prince seemed eager to catalogue the current state of his Fief, to give an idea of what is proper here and perhaps to attract more of the "right" kind of Kindred.
It's actually difficult to say whether "the Demesne of Westfield and Carmel" became as it is throught the influences of conservative mortals or Kindred or both, but it has certainly become one of the most stayed and orderly areas in Indiana.
Indeed, even if the conservative mortals hadn't attracted more than their share of like-minded bloodsuckers, they would probably keep things pretty quiet on their own. They have implemented several measures to keep themselves respectful. It's illegal to sell tobacco to anyone under 21, gambling has been stamped out so thoroughly that lottery tickets aren't sold here, and there is a county dress code banning bare midriffs, shirts and shorts above the knee, and sleeveless shirts. I31, which leads into the area, has been made a "restricted access" highway, and vehicles may be stopped and searched upon entry. The police have great leeway here. Firearms are expressly forbidden. There is a general curfew of 11 PM, 9 PM for minors. Prince Esterlan proudly went into great detail about these and other things his county had done to keep out "the miscreants."
Things seem similar, if not more extreme, in the court of Prince William Esterlan. Although I was shown every courtesy, the arrival of an ex-Prince, elder, and casino owner of Bloomington caused quite a stirr in Esterlan's household. I remember sitting in his starkly appointed study and enjoying myself immensely as his ghouls regarded me as if I was Sonny Corenthos. I can only guess what will happen when "the miscreants" inevitably arrive.
The cities of Hamilton County are well-populated and closely connected by a sprawling network of suburbs. They are also politically and physically connected, despite the fact that Carmel is almost entirely enclosed.
Westfield is the crowning jewel in Esterlan's crown and the power center for the Kindred and the Kine in fact if not in name. It is slightly less harshly conservative than Carmel (in the way the Anarchs are less harshly violent than the Sabbat) and more accessable. It seems to be made up of what's known as "upper middle class," and has nearly a third of a million inhabitants. Apparently, Westfield didn't always cover one-third of the county - it recently expanded and subsumed Cicero, Arcadia, Fishers, and several other small towns, bulldozing most of them flat and putting up more expensive housing.
We only quickly visited Noblesville, and Esterlan was reluctant to mention it. Apparently it is home to the middle and lower classes, "who are struggling despite a brisk job market due to a high cost of living." That is 20th century economic theory for being ground into the dirt with the effort of living here. Noblesville is widely disdained, but it is still the county seat because no one has gotten around to changing it.
Carmel is the richest area of the county. It has united its individual residential areas into one large "restricted community." This means that it is surrounded by an inconspicuous wooden fence that is eight feet tall and discretely topped with barbed wire, and only the upper crust may live there. I was a mortal child when the French Revolution broke out, and I think that if the aristocracy had the seige-mentality and preparation of the residents of Carmel, they might still be around today. The Carmel police force is highly aggressive and heavily armed with a great deal of American military hardware. Inroads to the city will be difficult, as its mortal resources are quite exclusive. The thought of a Kindred out of sight and using the incredible resources of this town is quite disturbing.
At the end of our tour, Prince Esterlan launched into a well-rehersed speech about how his leadership would start a new unstoppable social force, whose "inertia" would usher in a new age of prosperity and peace for his yet-to-be formed society of respectable vampires. At least I can agree with the use of the term "inertia." This area will resist the changes that will inevitably come, perhaps violently. Time will tell.