Los Santos

[Cob92 360]

Well, Cobra Valley is no more thanks to EA's servers. But, I've not let that deter me. I've begun a new region on a new server, applying the lessons learned in Cobra Valley to the creation of superior cities in this new land. I give you Los Santos, or in English, the Saintly Isles.

 

Welcome to Los Santos, land of great wealth and sunny beaches!

 

Our tour of Los Santos will begin with the oil producing city of Kanopolis, the first true large city in the archipelago and the robust economic engine that drives all else. First, a bit of history: Kanopolis was founded in 1828 as a waystation for passing ships, and though it was able to grow significantly as a trading post, the discovery of oil at the turn of the 20th century changed everything. Kanopolis exploded into a bustling, industrialized metropolis, bursting at the seams with new residents.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The city developed into a hotbed of commercial and cultural activity. In these photographs from the 1950s and 1960s, we see a city reaching for the skies with seemingly nothing to stop it. The construction of the ultra-modern TransGlobal Energy tower in 1964 was a sign that Kanopolis intended to lead the march through the 20th century, toward that bright space age future that everyone dreamed of back in those times.

 

Up until the 1980s, Kanopolis embraced a more compact model of suburban development than many mainland metropolitan areas. The early suburbs of Kanopolis were dense, walkable developments, consisting of a mix of apartment homes, single family houses, shops, and offices in a compact area. What set them apart from the inner-city was that they were relatively quiet and free of industrial grime.

 

 

And whereas as visitors to most large cities would be greeted by snarling traffic and narrow, difficult to navigate streets, Kanopolis welcomed new arrivals with a pleasant drive down Los Santos Avenue: a wide, meandering parkway that made getting downtown a painless task, and reinforced the city's desired image of modernity.

 

 

Today, the principles that made Kanopolis rise to prominence are still practiced. This is a city of efficiency and forward thinking, always looking to improve the lives of its residents. Downtown remains organized on its easy to navigate, orderly grid, with the north/south streets being the primary thoroughfares. And the Heights, now incorporated as a neighborhood of the city, remains a popular place to live and visit.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In fact, the greatest challenge that Kanopolis has faced in recent years is overcrowding. In order to prevent the city from becoming the sort of sardine-can environment that drove people off the mainland, density has been carefully regulated and the city's growth monitored to prevent slums from forming. Yet the rise in population something that cannot be avoided, unless Kanopolis wishes to stagnate.

 

 

The above picture of the Heights was taken in 2008. The peace and quiet that the neighborhood was once known for seems to be fading away along with record players and VHS tapes, and the cozy Main Street environment of its shopping district has vanished. So, like any city, Kanopolis has been forced to grow outward in order to accommodate the demand for new living spaces.

 

 

 

 

 

The Burlington Hills suburb has been slowly developed from 1989 through the present day, and the pace is accelerating as the vacant land in the city gradually disappears. Though it lies outside of the city proper, Burlington Hills is essentially part of Kanopolis, depending on city sewage and power services, as well as public safety institutions. People come here seeking escape from urban problems, while remaining within spitting distance of urban amenities. After all, Downtown is only a few minutes on the highway or a short train ride away.

[89James89 1,169]

Looks awesome and very well planned out. Love your suburbs too, there one of my favourite parts of the game.

 

Cheers

 

James

[Schulmanator 5,787]

Nice start you have here. Kanopolis? I know a town like that.

[Cob92 360]

@89James89: Actually, I make it all up as I go. Nothing in my cities gets planned more than 5 minutes into the future.

@Schulmanator: The name comes from a city I had back in SC4 years ago, which in turn took its name from the character Kane of Command and Conquer. I haven't played the game since EA ruined it with the travesty known as C&C4 (unlike SC, C&C4 was universally hated and a total commercial flop).

 

We begin this update in the leafy green suburbia of Burlington Hills. The population of Burlington Hills has spiked upward to 55,000, as developers complete the build out of single family housing tracts and new townhome complexes are built along Oakwood Boulevard.

 

 

The area is losing its once-rural ambience thanks to the build-out. Traffic on the main roads is now a part of every surburbanite's commute. Though, the metropolitan bus system has been very successful with its park and ride program. Buses from Kanopolis come out here and take commuters downtown to work.

 

And, on this day in 1986, Los Santos takes its first true step into the modern era with the opening of the only 4 year university in the region (took long enough!). Previously, the only post-secondary  educational opportunities were through Kanopolis City College, and while a degree from there may have gotten you a comfy management position at a local petrochemical firm, it was clear by the end of the 20th century that Los Santos faced a Third World future without a full-fledged center of higher education. The Mayor of Kanopolis, along with the borough administrators of Burlington Hills and West Kanopolis, were present at the opening of the flagship campus for the University of Los Santos, calling it "a watershed day for our great city, and for this forward-looking region that we all call home".

 

 

Thanks to a donation from a benevolent petroleum magnate, the University was able to establish a medical school in its 6th year of operation. The institution is named for its benefactor, Richard T. Wallace.

 

 

 

The donation also provided for the construction of on campus housing, to serve as an alternative to the low quality "student housing" that grew up around the university. Most of these apartments are cramped, poorly maintained, and lack technology capabilities. In contrast, the new dormitories were built to the highest standards demanded of the early 1990s, with internet access in every room and cable television in the common areas. Today the university has a high-speed fiber-optic connection in every room.

 

Back in the big city, things have gone from crowded, to cramped, to full-blown Manhattanesque as we jump forward to 2000. High density developments are springing up around every corner, and developers eagerly plow through century old rowhomes to erect new residential towers in neighborhoods ill-equipped to handle the population influx

 

 

A light rail system is constructed in record time in an attempt to reduce local traffic congestion, but to no avail. Instead, the city is blasted by motorists for creating a "deadly hazard" in the form of trains running along heavily traveled streets. Accidents are blamed on tram operators, though the police reports show that nearly all of the accidents were due to illegal left turns and red light runners. Meanwhile, construction downtown continues unabated.

 

 

In 2005, it was clear that a major rework of Los Santos Avenue would be necessary. The road had been designed to handle roughly one-half the volume of traffic that it was currently carrying each day. Gridlock was strangling commuter traffic, as well as freight shipments. Accidents rose to such a level that Los Santos Avenue was declared the most dangerous road in the country since 2002. In addition, thru traffic attempting to avoid traffic jams on the parkway would divert into downtown, increasing congestion on already crowded streets and speeding through pedestrian-heavy areas. Kanopolis PD reported a 200% increase in traffic violations on Commerce Street alone from the turn of the century up through 2004. The new plan would restore free-flowing traffic to Los Santos Avenue by turning the southern portion of it into an expressway, with no development allowed directly onto the road. All connections to local streets would be eliminated along this section of the road, and instead traffic would be funneled onto high-capacity east-west roads further into the city.

 

 

E

 

Having traffic on Los Santos Avenue bypass local streets really helped get the city moving again. Residents in the Heights and Downtown, though initially riled up by the loss of their direct connections to the freeway, later applauded the city for the alterations. The removal of the excess thru traffic actually helped businesses by making it possible for residents to go out and shop freely in a way they hadn't been able to do for over a decade.

 

 

 

 

Kanopolis has grown by the end of the decade into a city of over 200,000 people, quite impressive considering the huge amounts of city land dedicated to oil extraction and utilities. It continues to serve as the anchor for the Los Santos region culturally, economically, and politically.

 

[Jimmy Buzaid 53]

I really like this. I have less intersections with main roads now, and it works.

[Cob92 360]

Kanopolis, at this point, has used up virtually all available real estate. The old original oil fields have long run dry and have since been converted into new housing. Where the city once relied on oil wells to provide revenue, the majority of the oil refined here is now imported from overseas.

 

Since the reorganization of the urban road network, traffic congestion in downtown and the Heights has declined significantly despite the continuing increases in population. Having a good light rail network helps too 

 

It's nice to actually have a response to 911 calls again.

 

 

Meanwhile, the population growth in the region continues to spill over into Burlington Hills, augmented by the University of Los Santos as the flagship educational institution for the region. 

 

 

 

New projects, including a hospital for the borough and a new, expanded police station followed the population spike. Some of the older suburban neighborhoods have been bulldozed in favor of townhomes and high rises.

 

This picture, taken in front of the ULS campus several years ago, shows the kind of new construction and foot traffic that Burlington Hills was beginning to attract. The urban jungle was spreading rapidly.

 

This aerial photo from last year shows what Burlington Hills has transformed into. Thought it remains the best neighborhood in the city for single family homes, the population growth has stripped it of its suburban veneer.

 

Some more shots of the new Burlington Hills:

 

 

 

 

Yet some parts of the borough still manage to retain their traditional character, from the modest homes of The Outpost... 

 

...to the luxurious mansions at Burlington Beach (also the core of the ULS Greek community):

 

 

Coming next, we'll be taking another pass through West Kanopolis to see the transformation taking place there, as well as a trip out to the largely rural southern islands of Los Santos.

[89James89 1,169]

Love it, this update looks awesome and I love the whole improvements that your making with the bypasses and everything.

 

Looking froward to seeing the rural islands.

 

James

[Board_Marshal 104]

The pic with the blue house on what appears to be the crest of a hill and the city blurred in the background is really nice.  It is a fantastic illusion which makes the house look as though it is really far up on a hill and/or the city being really far in the distance.  This is usually diifficult to do given the size of the city plots in this SimCity.

[BLANKBLANK 4,414]

Wow you seem to have a knack for making grid cities look awesome whilst refraining from using curved roads that much! Impressive!

[Hamish 1,369]

Nice looking city. It seems really dense, but also sparse at the same time.Looking good!

[Board_Marshal 104]

Nice looking city. It seems really dense, but also sparse at the same time.Looking good!

 

^This is what I was thinking before I considered putting it into words. 

 

Also, the last photo from the second to the last cluster you posted (photo of Kanopolis?) with all of the high density along the edges, water and seaport in the foreground, and medium density in the middle (looks like a high density horseshoe) looks really cool.  All of the terrain and building elevation differences makes for a nice looking pic.

[Benedict 3,119]

Congratulations, your CJ is number one on Ben's Top Ten this week.

[Cob92 360]

Welcome to Frasierville!

 

Today we head south on LS-10, the main freeway linking the cities of Los Santos. We leave the crowded streets, sky-high condos, and bustling districts of Kanopolis behind for the wide open fields and pristine landscapes of the southern islands. We make our stop in the remote town of Frasierville, tucked away nicely at the base of Mt. Hickey.

 

 

 

 

Founded in the early 20th century, Frasierville spent the majority of its existence as a quiet fishing town, unknown to most of the world and set in its age-old ways. National Steel had operated an ore mine in the vicinity of the town since the 1960s, but the town boomed in 2001 when the regional council of Los Santos announced the creation of a revolutionary new space port on the outskirts of Kanopolis. Obtaining the necessary raw materials led to a rapid expansion of the mining operation, and thus explosive growth overtook this once-quaint village.

 

1998:

 

2002:

 

2008:

 

We see here a town transformed, as National Steel and its supporting operations pumped millions of Simoleons into the local economy. A massive trailer park was constructed on the edge of town to house the swarms of miners and factory workers needed to produce the steel for the space port.

 

 

 

 

With the arrival of a more affluent managerial class comes increased activism, as these outsiders seek to shake the foundations of town government. Frustrated with the 20 mile commute to the school in Harleyton, these middle-class migrants staged a protest in front of Town Hall in 2004, forcing a civic response:

 

 

The new school, Frasierville Elementary, opened for the fall of the 2004-2005 school year to the applause of local parents. Though the residents of the trailer parks held relatively little interest in the issue, the town nevertheless extended school bus service to these areas, bringing the children of self-described "rednecks" and "hicks" into the school system.

 

That concludes our tour of Frasierville for the day...

 

Back in the city, the borough of West Kanopolis is undergoing a dramatic transformation, with the emergence of the technology industry as a major player and a business district that seemingly appeared out of nowhere.

 

The old Central Power Station has been replaced by a sleek, modern nuclear power plant:

 

Passing by the plant along the West Side Expressway:

 

Here we can get a general overview of the borough, with the recently constructed World Trade Center in the foreground:

 

Constructed in 2006, the World Trade Center is the corporate hub of the trading operation at the Port of Kanopolis. The three building complex houses thousands of office workers and dozens of companies:

 

The old row of apartment housing along the South Shore has been razed and replaced by a row of shiny new condominium towers:

 

Some shots around the West Kanopolis Commerce District:

 

 

 

Meanwhile, the Kanopolis Institute of Technology has opened in the center of the old, original downtown area. KIT boasts enrollment numbers that rival the University of Los Santos, and is the home of the nuclear technology program that is expected to power the entire region one day:

 

 

Yet, some vestiges of the poor, downtrodden roots of the borough remain, from the mountaintop ghetto on the sites of the old coal mines, to the housing projects in the East End:

 

The Commerce District at night:

 

 

Not quite sure where to take the region next; should I go for more greenfield development in the south or renovate the older areas?

[Cob92 360]

I've decided that from here on out, Los Santos will be the central place to showcase not only the cities of my actual Los Santos region, but all cities that I build in SC 2013.

 

We return to the sleepy suburban town of Harleyton, situated in the southern part of the metropolitan area. Harleyton is actually closer to downtown than Frasierville, but was left out of the mining boom in the early 2000s and stayed relatively small. However, the town has become attractive as a locale for greenfield suburban development, as the three boroughs of Kanopolis have all become extremely crowded and dense. Those seeking a white picket fence and a yard for the kids can no longer find it in the city, unless they are willing to pay through the nose for such accommodations.

 

 

Here is the Los Santos Space Center and Launch Facility as seen from Harleyton. These pictures were taken during the launch of the Minverva I research satellite in 2010:

 

 

 

This is Harleyton's burgeoning Main Street. The narrow road connects the town directly to the highway, and was the sole mode of access before the MetroLink station was built. Gambling is illegal within Kanopolis city limits, so the casino industry is relegated to small towns like this:

 

The MetroLink station, completed in 2005. Commuter trains run to downtown Kanopolis, Burlington Hills, and the west side industrial area:

 

 

Exurban living; big house, big lot, reasonable price. A driveway wide enough to fit both SUVs and a waterfront view:

 

 

Residents of Harleyton can only hope that this town is not swallowed up by the ever-growing city in the coming years:

 

 

Now, we leave Los Santos briefly to explore a new region. This region is centered around the tourist mecca of Toyokuni Strand, with development sprawling out into the surround hills.

 

This is what Harleyton may one day look like:

 

Toyokuni Strand skyline:

 

Street life that only casinos and mega stadiums can bring:

 

 

 

 

 

Never before have I seen so many pedestrians in SimCity. Gambling works, but it's tough to pull off. Got to keep a military-strength police force on the streets, keep the city clean, and make sure that there are always new draws to maximize tourist intake (this city now has a World Championship every night  ) 

[Benedict 3,119]

Nice to see some new pictures. Glad to see you updating again.

 

Edit (Jan 2014):

 

Congratulations!

 

[Bdub01 201]

Seeing a CJ like this makes me think that SC2013 would be a good and fun game!  You are very creative and it all does really look good.  If only...