Winchester

[Schulmanator 5,787]

Nicely done! As usual, you have great signage with great city pics. But, your new project has me seriously intrigued. I am eager to see what you have up your sleeve for us.

[packersfan 666]

Downtown??? That looks interesting.

[TmiguelT 10]

Another marvelous update ... Glad to see you back in action.

I'll be keeping an eye on that new development

[bluemoose 223]

hmm, quite a bit of expansion going on. Excited to see more

[Hawkeye9 0]

Wow this is awsome as always!!! You definatly have some of the most elaborate transportation networks and it is always a joy to see them!!! Looking forward to more Dan!!!

[metarvo 710]

It's good to see another update.  The roadgeekery is great as always, and I have also enjoyed seeing more of the different types of malls in the region.  Nice update, Dan!

[PhatHead 247]

I see by the road signs and the detail you give your updates why your cj made my list very well done.

[WillR116 60]

Been gone awhile, Winchester and Massopax is looking good. keep it up. I'm gonna go back and look at what I missed.

Will

[dfnva 34]

Before I get to replies, let me thank everyone for your support as Winchester hit a major milestone: being on the Phat's Hottest CJ List #9!

We'll hit another milestone soon, but more on that later.

ChrisC94: Thanks. That's the irony, huh, the 'fake' downtown. Rather contrived haha.

Aaron (Pickled_Pig): Thanks. It's funny how a lot of enclosed malls have been opened up. There's on in Alexandria, VA, that began as an outdoor mall in the 1960s, was enclosed in the 1980s, and now will be unenclosed. Seems like a lot of wasted money to me. As for Wingate, it was built as an outdoor lifestyle center in the late-90's.

Petrovar Ambassador: Thanks, glad you enjoyed the update.

Raysfan16: Haha, you're right, you've got the copyright to Weekend Drive . As for hilly terrain, I'm used to seeing it, and there's really no way to build on it without it being somewhat sloppy. And yes, to solve transportation, we have non-solutions in Nortern Virginia here, the next non-solution: HOT (High-occupancy toll) lanes. arrghh. Glad you like the mall and surroundings. Exactly what a mall is supposed to do, be a big-sucking black hole.

Bruce (Schulmanator): Thanks! I'm being very meticulous about the roads in the new region before I build anything. We'll see how it turns out, maybe it will be ready to show in a few months.

Packersfan: Thanks. It will be a downtown, at some point.

TMiguelT: Thanks!

Blue moose: Thanks, we'll see a lot of expansion in today's update where farms used to be located. Then again, up until the '90s, much of the Wingate are was farms.

Hawkeye9: Thanks! They're fun to build.

Metarvo: Thanks. Have your powerlines been released to the STEX yet?

PhatHead: Thanks! I'm astonished I've made it on the list.

Sims America: Thanks!

And now...

Today's McUpdate will McFocus on a drive through some McResidential McAreas...

Here's where we turned onto SR-625/Galesforth Rd from US-27/Kings Hwy.

Here are some residential areas built in the 80's, lower wealth. This area is a bit hilly.

Passing the Westin Golf Course and Golf School, we cross SR-622/Westin Rd again. And we'll probably cross it again in a future update.

And for fun, here's the railroad crossing signal.

Continuing on, we enter the development "McKenner Farms" which consists of mostly McMansions on farmland originally owned by the McKenner family. There's an error... Westin Rd should read Galesforth Rd.

Here is the signage at the roundabout above.

We pass North Piedmont Elem. School, a brand-new school built to 'green'-standards, a first for the Piedmont County Public Schools. There's an error... Westin Rd should read Galesforth Rd.

Interesting to note is the contrast between the older 80's-era houses on the left and the newer McMansions on the right, SR-625/Galesforth Rd being the dividing line. In this economy, a few of the houses have yet to be builts.

More McMansions...

Continuing down SR-625/Galesforth Rd.

Here we approach SR-620/Greysboro Rd, a major thoughfare through western Piedmont Heights that becomes Horton Ave. into downtown Winchester. To the right, however, it becomes a less-significant rural road to the town of Rosewood, however we'll be turning left. This McDonald's seems to be well McPlaced. The blue is a yet-to-be-built shopping center with a Kroger which has been slowed by the economy.

Now, on SR-620/Greysboro Rd, lots of empty space sure to be developed in the future.

At this traffic signal for Garfield Drive, notice the covered-up left-turn signal for whenever the Kroger shopping center is actually built.

And finally we approach I-34, to which we will turn right to go West.

And that's it for now...

Thanks for visiting,

Dan

[bluemoose 223]

beautiful mcmansions!

I particularly like the Interchange at the end

Keep up the epic work

[TmiguelT 10]

Excellent Pictures and Magnificent drive

Looking forward to next update.

[Hawkeye9 0]

As I was reading through the top part of the update I was like "Wow this would be mcawsome if there was a Mcdonalds" and then Bam there it was!!! Awsome work Dan as always I truly enjoy reading through this Journal!!! Keep it up!!!

[chrissc94 1]

Around where I live, a suburb of Indianapolis built mostly in the 2000's, roundabouts are infamous, they are replacing traffic lights at nearly every intersection. Also, McMansions are everywhere, as well as golf clubs and some lame attempts at New Urbanism. Very accurate recreation you have here. Funny side note, my subdivision is called Rosewood. Great update, I'm looking forward to some more of the road trip!

[pickled_pig 7]

Good stuff, as always. You might want to do a quick STEX search for the DuskTrooper McMansions from back in the old days. Not only do they have McMansion in the name, but they really exude the type of manufactured 'elegance' you'd expect from a manufactured subdivision of homogenized UMC housing. Here in Charlotte, there are a lot of lots where people started building McMansions... but just stopped when the economy collapsed. Having moved here when construction was going as fast as ever and sprawl was, well, sprawling, it's kind of surreal in a way.

-Aaron

[Raysfan16 5]

Hey McDan! NIce to see you back with another McUpdate. Your McMansions are very McRealistic. This update has stood out even more as depicting Northern Vigrinia from what I have seen in RL. Great work on the roundabout signs, they are presented very clearly in comparison to what I've seen on US 15 in Loudoun County and across the Potomac. In there, it's a game of McReflexes instead of looking at a well-thought-out sign beforehand.

[N106 10]

I love this CJ! I really cannot wait for the next update! How many updates have you posted now?

[Schulmanator 5,787]

Looking good! And I like the roundabout and semi-roundabout signs.

Great quality, as always.

[Keegan V50 15]

Nice road layout there and nice signboards there!

all the best

victor

[Shilka 0]

I must say I really enjoy this city journal. Actually I spent the past 4 evenings on reading this whole topic from page 1 till here.

Your custom interchanges are really inspiring, and the way you name all your main roads is really great, and sure helps to immerse yourself in this CJ.

But what I really love about your CJ is the pictures of the signs and traffic lights, those are just awesome. I never thought I would be entertained by someone talking about and showing off traffic lights and signs, but you're doing a great job of it. I catch myself studying the signs and looking back at the screenshots to find back what's written on the signs, lol.

In short, a very entertaining and inspiring CJ, which I will surely continue to follow. Bookmarked!

[Shilka 0]

I must say I really enjoy this city journal. Actually I spent the past 4 evenings on reading this whole topic from page 1 till here.

Your custom interchanges are really inspiring, and the way you name all your main roads is really great, and sure helps to immerse yourself in this CJ.

But what I really love about your CJ is the pictures of the signs and traffic lights, those are just awesome. I never thought I would be entertained by someone talking about and showing off traffic lights and signs, but you're doing a great job of it. I catch myself studying the signs and looking back at the screenshots to find back what's written on the signs, lol.

In short, a very entertaining and inspiring CJ, which I will surely continue to follow. Bookmarked!

[Shilka 0]

I must say I really enjoy this city journal. Actually I spent the past 4 evenings on reading this whole topic from page 1 till here.

Your custom interchanges are really inspiring, and the way you name all your main roads is really great, and sure helps to immerse yourself in this CJ.

But what I really love about your CJ is the pictures of the signs and traffic lights, those are just awesome. I never thought I would be entertained by someone talking about and showing off traffic lights and signs, but you're doing a great job of it. I catch myself studying the signs and looking back at the screenshots to find back what's written on the signs, lol.

In short, a very entertaining and inspiring CJ, which I will surely continue to follow. Bookmarked!

[dfnva 34]

Before getting onto the Replies, I want to give a big thank you to everyone for your support, suggestions, and comments.

It's been almost 2 years (8.25.07) since I first posted Winchester (and nearly 3 years since I started work on the region!).

Now Winchester has almost reached Page 30, and nearly 900 replies. Without your support this would not have been possible. I appreciate it and it has given me new and continued joy in the playing of SimCity.

And now....

@bluemoose

Thanks, glad you like the area. I think the interchange looks better with the new RHW and the difference lane-widths.

@Tmiguelt

Thanks, I apprecitate it.

@Hawkeye9

Thanks. Haha, I'm not a big fan of the McDonald's bat (it seems grossly large), nor a fan of McDonald's food, but thought it would be good near some, uh, McMansions, haha.

@chrissc94

Thanks. I've noticed a lot more roundabouts in some newer developments, hence why I used them here. It's funny that new urbanism is popping up in some gentrified, urban areas, yet farmland is becoming a breeding ground for these spansive McMansions, at least here in Northern Virginia. That's funny about Rosewood as that is the next place we're visiting.

@pickled_pig

Thanks. Those DuskTrooper McMansions sound like a good idea. Sounds like the sad story of McMansion building the plagues us everywhere.

@Raysfan16

McThank you. Interesting you mention the JCT of US-15 and US-50 in Loudoun County. I was out there a couple weeks ago and saw the progress on the roundabouts. I based my signage off of what I saw there, so maybe the signage has improved. The roundabouts replace traffic signals there where there was a white strobe light flashing in the middle of the red light when the lights were red. Something unique I've never seen anywhere else. Another thing about Loudoun County, VA is how the farmland there is rapidly being formed into treeless McMansion McStepford-wife-esque McNeighborhoods.

@N106

Thanks. I haven't counted the updates, but it's almost 2 years since I first posted the CJ.

@Schulmanator

Thanks, glad you like the signs as always.

@Victor Valdes

Thanks much!

@Shilka

Thanks, I'm really humbled. Roadgeekery has always been something that's interested me, so it was natural to do it in a CJ, though I'm not the first to do it, nor necessarily the best haha. Some other CJ's you may like to check out if you like this are Binsur, Digby, Downingsford, Sessquenna, Blue Hope, Virgin Shores, Commonwealth of Paradise, and Greater Terran Region. Hopefully I've sparked some ideas for your own City building.

And now...

We're going to @chrissc94's favorite place, Rosewood! Yay. But first, we head west on I-34.

A plethora of signage awaits us as we merge...

Continuing down I-34.

Like VDOT here in Virginia, the Massopax DOT has been putting some wildflowers in the median strips of interstate highways.

Here is Exit 35 / MP-319. We're going to exit here to go north on MP-319.

Here's a zoomed-out shot of the vicinity of Exit 35. To the left is Smith Lake State Park seen on page 6 or 7 of this CJ.

Here's the signage on the ramp approaching MP-319. We're going to turn right to go north.

Here's the view now on MP-319.

SR-625 begins shortly to the east of here, recall that's Galesforth Rd through the area with all the McMansions.

Continuing on...

Hmm... this sounds like a good place to stop, haha. We'll get to Rosewood next time.

Thanks everyone for your support these two years!

-Dan

[bluemoose 223]

the Far is particularly realistic-running through the farms. the wildflowers look great as well

the rural gas/food signs remind me of home...

[packersfan 666]

Thanks for the little publicity! I love the roadgeekery, and your roadgeekery in addition to some other influences definitely give me ideas and things I want to eventually do, though I am still not even close to embarking on a drive-thru my region. Someday, hopefully

[Schulmanator 5,787]

We celebrate your CJ anniversary as well... another year for the King of the Road!

[Shilka 0]

A nice update again, and I especially love the wortk on the signs. The more I see it the more I'm wanting to try it myself as well if I ever manage to get a decent start for a CJ going. It will be European style signs then since I'm Dutch That just makes your CJ more interesting for me though not being familiar with US 'roadgeekery"

There's one thing I don't like in the screenshots, and that's those pesky oversized plants on the edge of the streams (my personal opinion though). I used to have an older download of the streamkit, but when I replaced it with an updated version a week or two ago those waterplants kept popping upall over the stream, and frankly I think they are not an improvement. Luckily today I discovered they have their own seperate dat file, so I managed to remove them by removing the waterplant.dat from the streamkit folder. The effect was instantaneous and a big visual improvement (imho), so I can recommend it to anyone who doesn't like those trucksized waterplants along the streams. It looks more bland, but that just makes them blend in better, especially in rural areas.(again imo)

But anyway, lovely update, and keep those signs coming! Oh, and thank you for the tips on other CJ's, I'll make sure to check them out

[WillR116 60]

Hey Dan, in that McMansions update, where'd ypu get the lots like the Vanderbilt... one in the first pic, next to the petco? I really like the Food and Gas Sign there, nice job as always

will

[TmiguelT 10]

Another fine update and Congratulations on your CJ Anniversary .... Wheatlands Vineyard? remember if u drink don't drive .... we don't want you to crash into a vineyard field

[Raysfan16 5]

Well even though I've only been here to support Winchester for a small portion of those two years, I must say that through hell and high water, you have certainly made a very good CJ!

I like the update, too. Nice terracing on the area near Exit 35. And grab me some wine from the vineyard to celebrate! I'm not underage or anything...

[WillR116 60]

I'd have to make due with Apple Cider , thats what I get for being 13 .