Alameda: Rising Anew, iPod Style

[fieldsofdreams 8]

G'day! How's everyone here at ST? This is going to be my first and official City Journal, in which I believe I can learn a lot from here!

Note: all the pictures you will be viewing come from SimCity played on my iPhone. Also, I have a copy of SimCity 4, but I haven't been playing it for a long time because I have been traveling a lot recently. As a compensation, I have been using the SimCity app on my iPhone to continue my SimCity works. The SimCity app for the iPhone ($3.99) is a stripped down version of SimCity 3000, which was my other favorite SC.

In a world where cities grow complex and out of control, where communities consume tons of resources while letting down important social sectors like health and education, a new region rises from all the crises the world has been facing, and its mission is to become a developed economy where people enjoy the various freedoms of life. Introducing my region, named Alameda.

A REGION BEGINS

Alameda, with a population of 600,000, is comprised of an archipelago spreading over 750 islands located near the Tropic of Capricorn in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, close to the coastlines of South Africa and Namibia. This is a region where beaches are flanked with industrial development, apartments are compacted with a myriad of businesses, and parks and natural attractions abound. It is comprised of 21 administrative districts, called provencales (French for provinces), and the region has gone through a series of wars and battles throughout history due to its location being in the middle of South America and Africa.

A summary of the region's history include:

• 600 BC - believed that the first person inhabited Sant-Laurence Island in an area close to the capital, San Mateo.
• 142 BC - believed that the first port was set up in Sant-Laurence, allowing oceanic crossings for the first time.
• 250 AD - first trading post stationed at Sant-Laurence, allowing trade between the island and Africa.
• 423 AD - inhabitants discover 60 nearby deserted islands and started forming communities on the islands.
• 740 AD - the first recorded "tribal war" in Sant-Laurence; remnants probably used in the war are now being shown in the C.Y. Young Historical Museum in San Mateo.
• 893 AD - African insurgents posed as tradesmen attempts to attack Alameda, with 1/3 of the population killed in the process.
• 1100 AD - Bushmen from the central part of Africa migrate to Alameda seeking refuge from tribal wars.
• 1265 AD - Muslim traders arrive in Sant-Denise Island, proclaiming Islam to the region.
• 1497 AD - European traders arrive in Sant-Laurence, providing first contact to the Western world.
• 1520 AD - French soldiers march in what was then Utumbeke (now Dublin) town, conquering the entire Alameda region.
• 1742 AD - locals sent out to search for more land, as funded by the French colonial government, and surveyed 275 more islands that deem to be inhabitable. Also declared Sant-Mateu (now San Mateo) as capital.
• 1803 AD - disaster strikes at La Maison, now present-day Pleasanton, as an 8.2-magnitude earthquake jolted the area, with 140,000 people dead.
• 1850 AD - war strikes between Alamedans and the French, who have been ruling the region for more than three centuries, as a result of high taxation for exports.
• 1874 AD - Alameda declared independence from the French.
• 1921 - First Presidential election took place, with Harriet Pujadas being the winner.
• 1964 - a coup attempt foiled by the Alamedan government as insurgents were trying to set up a socialist government.
• 1992 - Alameda starts to venture in lowering trade tariffs and allowing more imports to the region as a result of the expanded Free Trade agreements with various nations.

CITIES AND TOWNS

Alameda has a lot of diverse, unique cities, in which those range from sleepy, suburban towns to industrialized, compact cities, and each one of them possess a distinct charm and character. So far, I have developed two cities, with five towns and cities underway, in which both of them present the compact cities I like doing, and I have worked on these for days, even when I travel around for school and play.

The two cities I'm presenting represent a snapshot of the southern region of Alameda, being the urban part of the country. With the region being 82% urban and 18% rural (in terms of land use), the region plays a vital role in the south Trans-Atlantic trade between southern Africa and South America. The main crops of the region include maize, rice, citrus fruits, coconuts, and barley. The region also produces a small amount of wheat for local consumption.

Without further delay, here are the two cities I've accomplished so far. City-by-city details will be provided in the next updates. Note: all pics have a resolution of 480x320.

City of San Mateo, Alameda's capital (population: 105,872)

City of Pleasanton, Alameda's largest city (population: 146,840)

Even though the pics are small, you could see some of the features I have in there, including greenery, commercial and residential developments, and even factories and landfills.

[SounderBruce 173]

Welcome to Simtropolis!

I have never seen a mobile SimCity CJ here before! This is an interesting concept, although many will not be enticed to read your CJ due to a lack of iPhone SimCity App custom content.

The city looks fairly good!

Good luck!

-CG