Building police, fire, health, education & recreational buildings in SimCity 3000

Contributor/author(s): Augustinas Zemaitis

Fire stations:

Build two at the start (one near industrial and one near residential zones). If you play at the harder difficulty setting, build only one or don't build any -- firefighters aren't very important in the start. Later, when your city becomes a megalopolis, cover ALL your city buildings with fire coverage.

Police buildings:

Police Stations. More important than fire stations -- they can't reduce all flammability, but police stations can reduce all crime. At the start, don't try to reduce all the crime if you are playing at the medium/hard level, but if you play at the easy level, you can try to reduce it. When your village becomes a city, start a big war with criminals. Build many police stations, accept all stop-crime ordinances (do it wisely -- you will and can lose money), and build more schools. You can lower your fire budget, but try to don't lower your police budget.

Jails. Later you must build them. Build them many miles from residential zones, near power plants, landfills, and industrial zones. Jails have a NIMBY effect. If their usage is reaching their maximum, build another one. If you don't have money at the time, take out a loan.

Education buildings:

Schools. At the start, you must build one. Don't build any other buildings in the start! They are wasteful to a city with a small population. Always build as many schools as you need. It will raise the city education level, lower crime, develop high-tech industries, and so forth.

Colleges. You will build these later. Schools and colleges are a great way to improve education levels for young sims. Colleges are much more expensive than schools, but their capacity is greater too. Build your first one about 3-7 years after starting. Libraries. They help to keep good education levels for older sims. Build as many libraries as you need, but don't build them in the start. Build one earlier than your college or museum (about 1.5-3 years after starting).

Museums. The last education building. They are more expensive than libraries and are useful in raising older sims' education levels.

You can cut your education budget, but only a little. Cut it more if you are in big trouble.

Health:

Hospitals. Build to lower the amount of complaints from the older population. Be wary. If your workforce percentage becomes too low, a great depression will set in.

Recreational. You can choose how to build from the recreational buildings catalog. Only if you don't build zoo or marina will you have complaints.

See also
Crime and punishment specifics
Power plants: which to build and which not to
Optimal positions for police and fire stations
Water buildings & garbage facilities: which to build