Henderson

Henderson, officially known as Henderson Prefecture is a prefecture (sub-region) of Santa Dominica. Henderson occupies the eastern third of the country, stretching from the eastern side of Santa Dominica City in the west to the Pacific Ocean in the east and north, to Bethesda and the border with Rotsi in the south. Henderson is the most populous prefecture in the country, with roughly 40% of the population residing in the prefecture.

The capital of the prefecture is Bethesda, the country’s second most populous city. Other settlements include Santa Dominica Beach and Clare View Lake. The official languages of Henderson are English and French, with French holding a plurality as the most common first language. Henderson Prefecture is largely suburban, with most of the population living in the region between the downtown cores of Santa Dominica City and Bethesda.

History
Henderson was originally settled by the French in the 19th century, as the explorers were founding the first settlement on the peninsula on the shores of the Flagstaff River. The land was also settled by the Swedes shortly after. The land which was to become Henderson has largely remained one of the most populous areas of the region, due to a push in early settlement.

In 2014, all of Henderson and parts of Santa Dominica Prefecture were taken over by a communist government in establishing the Santa Dominican Democratic Republic (SDDR). The SDDR government funded the building of a wall between the two nations, effectively trapping the residents of Henderson inside of the communist regime. The border between Rotsi and the SDDR was also closed. The Wall fell in October 2020 and the country reunited a month later. The history of Henderson under the SDDR, however, dramatically altered the region culturally and politically. The SDDR promoted French as the sole official language, meaning by 2020 nearly half of Henderson’s population spoke French as their first language, with some younger people having limited knowledge of English. The prefecture also became more left-wing, with parties such as the Left winning seats in eastern SDC. This has caused many residents of Henderson and the former-SDDR to have a separate sense of identity when compared to the rest of the country. This has caused parties like the Left to adopt platforms expanding Henderson’s autonomy and promoting the French language nationally.