A Tale of Two Cities

[tarmithius 7]

Hi everyone this is my first post since the reset of the boards, which was back in '04 - 05 sometime. I've been reading all these wonderful and fantastic city journals, and I have been inspired to try and start another one.

Of course my cities are not as elaborate as some of the ones I've seen but I do think I have a story to tell.

I decided to make a banner for my CJ. so without further adieu:

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This story begins in 1848 when two men and their families decide to go west to California during the gold rush. After trekking across the continent for what seemed like an eternity they settled in a large uninhabited area.

A spot at the base of Mount Longtooth where the river began was chosen as the location for the small town that formed after they settled in, this town became Middleton.

Soon after settlement the town reached a  maximum population of 2000, but 7 years later this dwindled down to 300 when some residents moved on to booming city of San Fransisco. One man; Chester Wellington; thought he could do better by forming his own township and set off southward with 10 families to scout for a location. Soon thereafter Wellington was born.

Wellington prospered even more than Middleton due to the close proximity to the sea. 5 years after the initial incorporation of Wellington the citizens decided to build a permanent city hall and civic meeting hall.

Wellington continued to grow uneventfully for the next 100 years to reach its current population of 3000. That was when Chester Wellington III decided to run for mayor and won by a landslide. Upon taking office, Chester promised the citizens to grow Wellington beyond the current population, and to make the city a prosperous destination for busniss and industry.

This is what Wellington looked like in 1960:

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That is it for now. There will be more to come. The map is from the STEX but altered and modified by me to suit my needs. I use many mods and lots (too many to name properly and if I do not mention someone I apologize).

Thanks for reading.

[penguin007 27]

kl nice little town there

Will

[MrCinatit 30]

A very nice first post indeed, tarmithius. It looks like Wellington and Middleton are very cozy little towns, indeed, and I look forward to watching both of them change through time.

The black and white pictures are very effective for the older pictures, as well.

[tarmithius 7]

Thank you penguin and mrcinatit. Here is a quick update:

One of the first priorities of the mayor of Wellington was to expand the current population base. So he expanded the current sub-division and also created a new one to the north across the river. In addition to the current sub-division the twon held a vote to replace the High School with a more modern expanded school. During this time Cal Rail asked permission to expand into the town. Shortly after in 1971 Motel 8 built a franchise on the edge of the downtown area.

Here is a shot of the area in 1973:

Here is the northern expansion across the river before the development began:

In 1974 the town voted to renovate their library and commissioned a local architect, who also happened to be a direct descendant to H.H. Richardson. The following year McDonald's corporation asked permission to build their first franchise.

[crazyarchitect 7]

very interesting so far, I like to see how towns begin and grow from there

[lmcm1990 0]

Good start. I hope it stays realistic and for it to not grow so big.

[tarmithius 7]

Thank you crazy and imcm. That is usually my biggest problem; growing too big, too fast, well that plus I am impatient and want instant gratification. This time around I intend on growing the city slowly, the story line will certainly help me achieve this goal.

[mayorbk 66]

nice start, it looks like a nice town!

[mayorbk 66]

nice start, it looks like a nice town!

[AceofSpades 1]

Very good little small town there. I'll stick around for more man.

[2nerdy4u 1]

looks good

ill check in regularly and see wat these two towns have been up to

just dont build too fast... i see too many big names and too much development in this small town of only 3000 sims

[tarmithius 7]

Thanks everyone. I will have a few updates today when I get home from work to play.

@2nerdy, What do you see that a small town of 3000 sims would not have?

[jacqulina 162]

great start and intro my friend,i love the story,very nice start to the building,thats a great little town growing there,fantastic work and the pics are wonderfull i love the oldy look

[Jman47 0]

Very nice start so far, will be looking for more soon.

[tarmithius 7]

After some minor updates to the sub-division on the north bank of the river, the ground was broken in a lavish ceremony to celebrate the first new residential area in years. Three years later the sub-division was complete and the new residents moved in with great enthusiasm.

With that project now complete Mayor Wellington III turned his efforts to attract more commercial type business and tourism. His first order of business was to expand and move the downtown area to provide more room to build. With that in the planning stages he initiated phase two of the residential expansion with groundbreaking west of the High School, an area which he named Cedar Hill.

In 1978 Chester Wellington III stepped down from the office of mayor after serving 18 years. Wishing his successor luck he faded into the background, in his honor the town voted unanimously to rename the library 'The Chester Wellington III Memorial Library'.

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I will more updated tonight, in that update we will visit Middleton again and see how well they fared so long after the great emmigration.

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Thanks for the encouragement Jac, coming from you that is a huge compliment.

[2nerdy4u 1]

i see a lot happening a bit fast... but i guess thats just me...

the motel 8 is fine

McDonalds is almost everywhere in real life but not in towns of 3000 (unless located on a major highway or something)

Theyre getting rail (which is fine, but wat does this town have to offer besides being next to a waterway?)

Modernizing High School and Library is a little too much

of course this is just wat I think... its ur CJ and u can do wat u like with it. Ill still check in and see what these little Sims have been up to. I see potential in ur cities and I want to know where they end up and how they get there.

[crazyarchitect 7]

nice little update, can't wait to see where this goes from here

[tarmithius 7]

Meanwhile in Middleton, after most of the citizens left it was almost a virtual ghost town. Those that stayed behind wanted to keep their community small and enacted several town bylaws to ensure that dream.

At the same time that Chester Wellington III stepped down as mayor, Middleton's residents were quietly living  their lives in their mountainside farming community.

Here is an image from the town archives showing the clock tower and small center.

Also from the archives is a flyover image taken from local crop sprayer.

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@2nerdy, you might be right and I will keep that in mind as I build the city.

@crazy, thanks for the words of encouragement.

[tarmithius 7]

Recently Wellington voted to redesign the city seal for the 100th anniversary of the city's incorporation. This is the winning design, created by 17 year old Jared Strong, during a city wide contest.

The seal translates precisely to City of Wellington, City-Status Granted by the Authority of the State in the Year of Our Lord 1878. The image shows a man panning for gold in the hills above the city, the colors are gold and brown. One to represent the city's lifeblood in days of old and the other of the earth from which the city's riches came. The wreath laurel signifies unity within the city's community.

[Atomic Reaction 0]

Great plot. I think your CJ would be enhanced if you added more variety to the building stock. Like Krio always says, try to minimize maxis content.

But I really like your tree lined streets, compliments the local environment very much

[tarmithius 7]

Thanks, I like the tree lined streets also. I use to have a lot of mods and such but lost them all when my hard drive died a year ago, I just recently reinstalled SC4 and am in the process of getting the stuff I lost.

[flame1396 9]

Reminds me a bit of Digby. (that's a very very good thing)

[jacqulina 162]

wonderfull work you are doing looking great so far my friend excellent pics

[dralin321 0]

looks to be a good plot, great towns and hope you update soon!

[crazyarchitect 7]

nice update, nice little towns and redone seal

[Cowboy-Texas- 0]

This is the firsts CJ ive felt the need to comment in... so here goes.... NICE JOB. I like this CJ because its sweet and simple so far. Very good, simple, direct and realistic approach. Keep the updates coming... I can't wait to see more of the story as it unfolds.

[tarmithius 7]

I appreciate all the comments, so thank you to all who have commented so far.

I will try to update the storyline today,  since I feel I need to resolve the plot a little to bring it forth.

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In the years following the expansion of the residential areas, Wellington grew but not as much as planned or expected, there was nothing to draw the expected residents or commercial services. The new mayor began his first term on the offensive. He petitioned the state for more funding to build a connection to the state highway system between routes 110 and 105 that run north and south. The mayor's argument being that Wellington could serve as a stop over between the two routes and also serve as a boost to the local economy, as well as provide much needed tax income to the state and city.

Here is the proposal the city sent to the state:

Within a few months the state responded with a yes and the funds began to trickle in. Construction began that same year.

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That is it for now. I hope this brings the story forward, and to resolve some issues that were brought up.

[tarmithius 7]

During the 100th year celebration a new city logo was revealed. Intended to draw visitors and tourists it was designed by a local ad firm: Designers Limited LLC.

[crazyarchitect 7]

very nice new banner indeed, and cool a highway connection

[gml_josea 2]

This is looking good so far. I think Wellington will grow to a big city with skyscrappers while middleton will remain a small farming community, or maybe it could get abandoned. However, Middlton doesn't give me the feeling of that small farming community in the mountainside; maybe if you get some more rural lots and other farms (not the maxis ones), it would be better.