Marshall, South Dakota

[pilotdaryl 25]

Welcome to my third and newest CJ, Marshall!

Now, as I was working on Manchester, I realized that the appalachian and urban theme didn't really suit me.  So I closed Manchester and started to think about another different-themed CJ.

I tried experimenting a bit, and realized that a midwest/prairie CJ was just right for me.  I have lived in the Canadian prairie once, and have experienced the countryside many times.  So, in Late 2007, I started planning ahead.  It's been quite a long time since the early roots of development, but BAT works (especially on an aircraft project) have shortened the time I had to play SimCity 4.  However, it took awhile, but I've been able to start work on Marshall.

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Marshall, known as the "heart of the Midwest," is located near the center of South Dakota along the Missouri river. The city is located where Interstates 90 and 27 (not shown) meet, like most other cities.  It lies a few miles downriver from the state capital of Pierre.

The city has a population of about 400,000 people.  The metropolitan area (including Pierre and area) totals to about 1.4 million residents.  Marshall is mostly suburban development, surrounded by rural areas such as farms.  The tallest building in the downtown area is the Victoria building, standing at about 55 stories tall.  Here is a picture of downtown Marshall taken last summer from a Cessna 172:

CLICK ON IMAGE TO ENLARGE TO 1024x768

The CJ will, in addition to giving a tour around Marshall and the surrounding rural area, focus on a few construction projects, some of them involving roads.  You might also notice that most of the image above is photoshopped, which will be another focus.

The mayor's speech on the release of Marshall to the public:

Ladies and gentlemen of the city of Marshall, South Dakota

I am proud to announce that this City Journal set in the

American Midwest is to be released to the public today,

right now.  With only few minutes left, I ask my city

planner to hand me the scissors to cut this red ribbon

and officially open the CJ to the public.

(City planner hands mayor the scissors)

Celebrating my second year on Simtropolis, I release

Marshall to the world!!!

Comments and feedback are welcome.

Member of the Confederacy of Free Regions (COFR)

Member of the Kings of the Midwest (KOTM)

---

1.0 -- Introduction

    |--- 1.1: Riverwalk project makes the headlines

    ^{_{|--- 1.2: Hockey Night}}

&

[bbfan02 23]

Great start! Another midwestern cj. I like the downtown picture. Looking out for more!

-bbfan02-

[tomdapom 79]

Ooh, and so it has begun! I love the look of the map, and that downtown looks great too. I can't wait to see more of this city!

[skyliner22 16]

Cool looking city you got there. Finally it is showcased and i look forward to more, perhaps more time on 777 project?

[GreekMan 246]

I have been waiting for this CJ to open since I saw your banner! Good luck and I look forward to a region shot!

[dfnva 34]

This sounds interesting, my mother grew up in South Dakota, so I've been there a number of times. Once one gets out of the cities most of the rural roads are set up in a griddy sort of pattern, which I find rather interesting as that's not the way it is on the east coast.

In real life, I-90 is a little bit south of where Marshall is on the map as it goes through Murdo and Kenebec, but then again this isn't supposed to be exactly real so I shouldn't be fussy lol. Definitely I-27 is a good choice of a number for a n-s interstate if one is sticking to the route numbering conventions of the US interstate system.

A question about the screenshot.... that roundabout is intriguing me, is it photoshopped, or did you get a new mod that allows you to have one-lane roads into roundabouts, or did you connect an MIS (one-lane ramp from the RHW) to the roundabout?

I'll look forward to seeing more!

Dan

[NMUSpidey 3,956]

Wow, that looks fantastic! Is that a highway offramp going to the roundabout? It looks awesome, whatever it is...

[TheSixCents 0]

FINALLY! Ive been waiting for this CJ for a very long time. Great Teaser!

[beebs 129]

Wow... that's looking fantastic! Can't wait for more!

[JaWood 194]

Cool visual effects on the teaser picture. I really like it. Looks like this CJ has some great potential.

[pilotdaryl 25]

Heh... looks like I had to edit the introduction... seems I forgot something... the important heading banner!  How could I forget that...

bbfan02: Looks like you managed to score the first comment.  Thanks!

tomdapom: Fellow Marshaller, it has begun!

skyliner22: I'll try and get to that more this week.  Thanks!

GreekMan: You'll get your region shot, but you will have to wait...

dfnva: Thanks for the tip on the rural grid!  It's really helpful.   I'll keep it in mind when I work on rural areas.  The I-27 idea is a fictional extension of the real-life Interstate 27 up north from Texas and on into Manitoba.  Since there is already a 29 a few hundred miles east and a 25 even farther to the west, I decided i-27 was a choice.  Better than just having US-83 running through town, at least.   The one-lane merge and approach to the roundabout (not the mention the sign and it's shadow) were all photoshopped.

NMUspidey: Thanks!  That's actually the expressway leading into the River Road roundabout.  It's not an off-ramp.

TheSixCents: I bet you have.  Thanks!

beebs: And to the person with one of the best Canadian CJs on ST, cheers!

JaWoods: Thanks!  Let's hope that great potential really is to be.

And a preview picture (actually a logo) for one of the first projects to be showcased in Marshall:

Anyways, hope y'all liked the idea of a ribbon-cutting ceremony.  It works!

This CJ is brought to you by...

You may all continue commenting.

[2nerdy4u 1]

Nice photoshopping. The maps look very professional. Two Marshall's in one CJ section. This should be interesting.

[tomdapom 79]

Great looking map, Although I think I've seen it before. I can't wait to see some more of the city!

[JakeMD 107]

Great start! I am looking forward to a great airport from you..

[atilla5 6]

i'd hate be picky person, but there's no way in a 100 years that a city that big could be built there at that location and there wouldn't be any farms around it...Pierre is pretty much a dump town.

I hope Sioux Falls was like this though!!

Very nice idea though!!!!! I'm a South Dakotan!!

[edmonton_stinks 5]

Now there are two Marshalls, and looking at what you've got so far, they're both great. Good work on the flight shot, looks quite authentic. I'll take the next flight out from Calgary!

[gabry85 2]

Wow, another Midwestern CJ! I like it, great photoshopping! Looking forward to more!

[Godzillaman 21]

Nice! The urban feeling is there in downtown! Nice use of PS too!

[E.J.C 9]

id city doesn't excist in reallife does it?

anyhow, good luck

[Simtastico 0]

nice with a new cj.. looks very nice so far, hope to see some more soon! Like the first pictures a lot, especially the one with the downtown area. Keep it up!!

[vivydu29 60]

Great start, It's very beautiful.

[dfnva 34]

Wow, that one lane road doesn't look like it's photoshopped, so you did well. It makes me curious if the RHW MIS might work at a roundabout, something I should try soon.

Dan

[Yoman3 5]

Hmm seems that La Guardia moved to Long Island according to that map

Nice start on this here CJ. I really like how you've photo shopped loose parking lot ends to connect to the road. I however do not like that brightening effect.

[Taybaxter 0]

No service to St. Louis? Major midwestern city!

[pilotdaryl 25]

2nerdy4u: The first map I just googled up and modified it.  You can see on the bottom that it belongs to a 7-year old encyclopedia.  Thanks!

tomdapom: Thanks!  Like I said, the first map is from an encyclopedia.  The second map is a modified Midwest Airlines map.

SWAT-MEDIC: Thanks!  You'll have to wait a few updates, but the airports will come.

attila5: Welcome to Marshall, fellow South Dakotan!  I think you must have misunderstood me.  Marshall is surrounded by plenty of farms... that I have yet to build.

edmonton_stinks: It could get interesting!   The flight map is a modified Midwest Airlines map.  But there is nothing I said about any ST members residing in Marshall, now.

gabry85: Midwestern CJs are starting to pop up all over the place now.  I decided to set up in a little corner.  Thanks!

Godzillaman: Thanks!  But the cars are photoshopped... (GIMPshopped, or whatever you call it for the GIMP) the original picture was quite the empty wasteland.

E.J.C: No, it doesn't.  Thanks!

Simtastico: Thanks!  The GIMP, while limited, really can be useful...

vivydu29: Thanks!

dfnva: That's because I used what they call the "colour picker tool."  I was laughing when I first read your post; everybody should know what the colour picker is!   It's a nice little gadget.  Good luck with the MIS!

Yoman3: I haven't noticed that... LaGuardia was one of the original destinations before I modified the map.  This map is inaccurate!   The ribbon cutting idea does work.   I don't like the brightening much either, but white does reflect sunlight, so bright, bright, bright we go!

Taybaxter: Unfortunately, they assigned the flight to the regional airline due to shorter distances.  Those regional jets are small, and Connect doesn't serve those delicious cookies!   But it still gets you from here to there, doesn't it?

Here's another preview of the next update:

Comments and feedback are still welcome.

[iamccman 2]

I've been waiting for someone to do (even a fake) city in South Dakota or North Dakota after that one other CJ from North Dakota. I would do a Fargo CJ or a Sioux Falls CJ but i dont know how to make diagonal runways for the airports.

[packersfan 666]

Marshall is getting to be a popular name for city journals and they both seem to look good, so far!

[canuck3360 14]

Very nice start to it all I'm looking forward to the rest of this CJ

[bbfan02 23]

Great map! That has to be one busy airport!

-bbfan02-

[Voulpiotis 4]

I love that photoshop idea....! Great downtown picture... Can't wait for more...soon!