Tatooine: Mos Espa

GENERAL INFORMATION
Constructed: c. 80 BBY
Planet: Tatooine
Location: Near the Dune Sea
Points of interest:
- Mos Espa Grand Arena
- Watto's Shop
- Akim's Munch

MONOPOLY STATS
Rent value (default): 4 Credits
Rent value (1 settlement): 20 Credits
Rent value (2 settlements): 60 Credits
Rent value (3 settlements): 180 Credits
Rent value (4 settlements): 320 Credits
Rent value (with City): 450 Credits
Mortgage value: 30 Credits
Purchase value: 60 Credits
Cost of Settlement/City: 50 Credits

CHARACTERISTICS

Mos Espa was an expensive spaceport located near the Dune Sea on Tatooine. It was the home of Anakin and Shmi Skywalker and also held the famous Mos Espa Grand Arena, at which the annual Boonta Eve Classic podrace was held, and the location of Watto's shop.
Mos Espa consisted of the dome-roofed, adobe buildings found in cities across Tatooine, and was said to appear as a great, twisting snake, hunkered down to escape the heat. Most residents were either involved in crime business with the Hutts or were poor shop keepers and moisture farmers trying to eke out a living in the inhospitable desert. The biggest retail business in Mos Espa seems to have been junk-dealing, and even small dealers like Watto the Toydarian seemed to rake in a substantial amount of money, albeit sometimes unscrupulously.
The other major activity in Mos Espa was gambling on the podraces held in the nearby grand arena. Jabba the Hutt may have had some sort of seasonal residence in the city.

HISTORY

Like most Tatooine settlements, it began as a mining colony. When the mining efforts failed, the dying settlement attracted the criminal Hutts, who took control and turned the city into a thriving yet dangerous spaceport.
It gained a deadly reputation for lethal podraces sponsored by the Hutts to encourage gambling. During the reign of the Hutts, the population consisted mostly of slaves, slavers and poor settlers, not including the large amount of spacers and smugglers who had a brief stay in the city before moving on to the next rock.
Around the Trade Federation blockade of Naboo, Padmé Amidala and her Jedi escorts arrived in Mos Espa seeking a new hyperdrive. After finding a suitable one in Watto's junk dealership, Qui-Gon made a deal with the Toydarian to exchange the parts and for freedom for his young slave boy Anakin. The deal went in Qui-Gon's favor and Anakin followed him to Coruscant, marking a pivotal moment in galactic history.
Years later when the Empire arrived on Tatooine, the podraces were outlawed and the city lost its illicit reputation and allure. Jabba the Hutt left for more lucrative parts unknown.