Addams

Addams (/ˈædəmz/  ad -əmz, abbreviated as AD) is a state in north-east Craftia. It borders Jebsten to the west, the Bankera Capital Territory to the south-west and Meyang and Lake Sydney to the south. Its capital and largest city is Bonestan, located on the Top Coast. A majority of the state's population lives along either the Top Coast or the North Shore (facing Lake Sydney), also known as the Bottom Coast, with the drier plains and valleys in the centre of the state being home to far fewer people.

The state is one of two in Craftia with a European plurality, the other being Wintaro, and is the only state other than Jagsland where neither Asian nor European Craftians form a majority. It also has the highest proportion of Reatinese Craftians in the country, with 12.1% of the state's population identifying as indigenous. Addams is the second-most populous state and enjoys a wide variety of natural resources. It endured economic and financial hardship between the 2020s and 2040s but has bounced back as a result of increased internal migration, a shift away from mining and a revitalised service sector.

Indigenous settlement
The original inhabitants of the area now known as Addams were the Reatinese tribes who arrived in Craftia approximately 2,100 years ago.

European settlement
Addams was the last current state to be formed, in 1847 as the Prefecture of Addams. It was split from the Prefecture of Meyang. Addams is named after Nathaniel Addams, the European founder of the city of Canley Shore, the first European settlement in Addams (then part of Meyang). The prefecture was carved out of Meyang due to demands made by the European settlers in the north of the region who felt exploited by the Asian-founded Meyang colony.

Addams was promoted to county status in 1945, followed by a revision of borders in 1975. It became part of the Province of East Craftia during the Craftian War of Independence in 1984. It was one of the six founding states of the Republic of Craftia in 1987.

Government
Jebsten is a state of the Republic of Craftia, and has a federal parliamentary constitutional political system based on the federal Craftian republic parliamentary republic, with the Governor of Addams (currently Mitchell Stoner of the National United Party) as the head of state, and the Premier of Addams (currently Jenson Wills of the Craftian Conservative Party) as the head of government. Its unicameral parliament consists of the 67-member Addams Legislative Assembly, with elections held every three years on the third Saturday of January, using the proportional representation voting system.

Federal representation
Addams elects 19 Members of Parliament to the Craftian House of Representatives, and is represented by 8 Senators.

Political culture
Addams has been a socially conservative state for many years. This has been attributed to its relatively older and wealthier population, and a higher population of White Craftians as well as the state's unstable economy. Right-of-centre parties have been in government for 67 of the 86 years since independence (79%), and have won all but 6 state elections (1986, 2013, 2016, 2052, 2058 and 2061). The Conservatives enjoyed a 33-year-long government from 2019 to 2052, under Premiers James Petroa (2019–2028), Timothy Lyall (2028–2035), Will Dunham (2035–2045), and Carter Copper (2045–2052). This is the second-longest continuous government in Craftian history, its record only beaten by the Conservatives' 14 consecutive terms (40 years) from 1989 to 2029 in Wintaro.

Demographics
Addams is the second-most populous state in Craftia, after overtaking Meyang's population in the 2010s.