Whelwaig

Whelwaig is a large city, even could be considered a metropolis, located by the river delta of the Whelian river. The Whelwaig city plus all the surrounding islands together hold a population of over 50 000. The city is partly built on water, with canals and bridges connecting the different parts of the city, and houses floating on water or standing on tall legs above the sea level. The water isn't deep between on the shore and between the islands, but deep enough to not be fit for wading.
It is the biggest city of the desert region, and has all the comforts and dangers of a metropolis; multiple big schools and hospitals, you can almost certainly buy anything you need, but there's also poverty and street beggars and gangs that might rob you if you are not careful.
The city center is located on the mainland, and in the there you will find the city council, the city hall, the main library and the university, main hospital etc. The main harbour is located on one of the islands, so they large boats wont need to sail through the narrow canals. Only small boats can sail all the way to mainland, bigger ones need to stay in the main harbour.
The city has public transport, they are small boats that take people between the islands during daytime for a small fee. There is also a library boat.
Whelwaigh culture is part of the desert region cultures, but since the city is located on the seacoast it is a it different from the inland ones. The cuisine here includes a lot of fish and seafood, and the fertile land provided by the delta gives them good farming grounds, and they do grow a lot of grains, fruits and vegetables here, enough to trade too. They also farm salt from the sea. Outside the city is mainly farmland. They also grow animals for food and trade, and horses are a common way to get around.
People here dress in loose flowy clothes, but also dense oilskin or woolly cloaks to protect themselves from the wind from the sea. Generally they prefer materials that dry quickly and are thin, because when constantly by water, one is certainly going to get wet at some point.
The city is widely known for it's schools, and people travel to study there even from far away. It is costly to do so, and only the rich can afford it, and therefore the student campuses are quite impressive places.