OLKA - my first Cities XL city. Enjoy!

The city is established on an island located nearby a huge volcano:

Main Street's view with 500 first inhabitants in residence:

Overhead shot of Main St:

Residents are moving in attracted by the ease of life in the region and unspolied environmnet:

Population explodes on the fringes of the City:

Main Street gets a boost after manufacturers are attracted by low taxes (14%) and access to many unskilled and skilled workers - cheap, but reliable labor force (the City is already at more than 5,000 residents):

The City's growth away from Main Street pushes population over 10,000, and 15,000 is just a step on the way to 20,000 - the town gains a sense of matured permanency:

The Marketplace:

Executives take liking to the smaller island located to the south of the main island:

The City now reaches a population of 40,000, soon to breach the 50,000 level... Traffic becomes a concern, although FOR NOW all employees have no issues when it comes to worry-free commutes to and from their places of employment. Skilled and unskilled workers live in mid-density apartment complexes in peace:

More growth attracte more new residents and 75,000 population mark is just a baby step to the current 100,000 poulation count by the Census Bureau. High-rise apartments begin to dominate certain residential sectors close to the old Main Street corridor:

View from the VolkaNova bridge connecting Volka to Volka Nova:

Elites finally decide it's time to move into Volka. Their lush neighborhoods offer plenty of opportunities for casual strolls:

Although the population of Volka is now holding fairly steady at 100,000 and growing, the majority of residents still reside in attractive low-density neighborhoods. Thus, a typical Volka residential street might very much resemble this street:

Or, this one if a bit more density is desired:

Up next, public transit efforts will be presented along with further explorations of the ways to mitigate environmental concerns associated with Volka's polluting manufacturing secotr and a new sector making inroads in the area - the oil industry. Managing growth while at the same time providing residents with a high quality of life, including clean air, has always been Volka's priority.