nedal2001

1795 AD In just five years, Sophara’s population increases by over 60%, and at final count, the town has 1,682 residents. The Desten Council approves a legislation that calls for an election every five years, with anyone over the age of twenty-one, be it man or woman, can legally vote for who they want in the twenty member Desten Council, as well as the Head of the Council itself. The first elections take place a few months after the legislation is passed, and the very first Head of Council voted into the position by the residents of Desten is Thomas Brickson. The vote comes as a blow for the ambitious Hemming family, who poured lots of money into the hands of the people in hopes of winning the vote themselves. Thomas Brickson’s first law he attempts to push through is the total ban on slavery in all of its forms. While rapidly gaining popularity in the New World, the law easily passes and Desten becomes one of the first nations on earth to recognize equality between all races and both sexes. Central Sophara continues to grow as trade demand increases, and the second hotel in town opens up on the corner of Desten Boulevard and First Street, right next to the Independence Hall. The first was opened up by the Hemming family years ago, but the Deschamps, an entrepreneurial family from France, open up the Deschamps Hotel, creating a stir within the Hemming family. The new hotel is bigger and newer than the Hemming Inn, which undergoes a renovation shortly after the opening of the Deschamps Hotel. Farmland around the town continues to expand, especially towards the west and the east of Sophara. Wheat, vegetables, and apples are among the crops being grown in the new farms, with the Hemming family taking a complete monopoly on wheat since they own the only farms that grow the crop in Desten. Export, especially to the New World, continues to bring in a tidy profit for the family, but the local market begins to play a more important role in terms of sales. Despite failing to win the bid for Head of Council, the Hemming family keeps their position as the richest in all of Desten. The farmlands to the north of Sophara. Close-up of central Sophara. Sophara facing south and north. Aerial of Sophara looking west. A far aerial of Sophara and the farmlands around it.

All the candidates are pro-military - it was great reading the histories of each candidates. Great pictures, too.

1790 AD Sophara’s population eclipses 1,000 residents as more and more people heading to the New World decide to stay and settle on the island. The development of agricultural land continues to grow, as new farms appear to the west and east of the town. Most of the produce grown is sold in the market to docked ships, and the farms begin to turn good profits for their respective owners. The Hemming family, which owns six different farms on the outskirts of Sophara, continues to reign as the richest on Desten thanks to the large amount of vegetables and fruits they export. The local market also begins to grow thanks to the increase in population, not only for agriculture goods, but also for trade and construction. The most famous brand made in Desten is Gourin – a luxury watch and jewelry brand created by Fabrice Gourin and succeeded by his children. Gourin watches become something of a novelty for the European aristocratic societies, with all the pieces made in the Gourin Workshop on the corner of Desten Boulevard and Second Street. Although Fabrice Gourin was no longer single-handedly creating the pieces, he was still supervising the quality and finish of each item. With the American Revolution coming to an end and the former British colonies winning their independence, traffic across the Atlantic increases in a big way, bringing in more business and visitors to Desten. It also brings in more settlers, and Sophara starts seeing some unprecedented growth since being founded forty-five years ago. Most residents continue to be employed as hands on the farms, but there is also a growing middle class that was making its money on the trade the ships brought with them. The new Desten Independence Hall, the seat of the Desten Council. An aerial of Sophara looking south. Views of central Sophara. A far aerial of Sophara and its farmlands.

Looking forward to this. 

LOVE the update, especially the last picture. 

  I love your diagonal houses - outstanding job with those. Thanks for stopping by.   Jason Leo - I did some paintover on photoshop, hopefully it'll look realistic enough.   Duke-Of-Mayhem - Thanks! Its starting to develop quicker. 

1785 AD The population of Sophara crosses 800 residents for the first time in its history amongst high tension between the Brickson and Hemming families. A gunfight breaks out on the outskirts of town on Desten Boulevard, leaving a young Brickson man dead. With the threat of an all-out war between the two families looming large, the Desten Council (made up mostly of members of the two houses) votes and decides to prosecute the killer, a twenty year old Hemming man, condemning him to death. The decision represents the first time a trial is held in Desten, and it leads to the passing of a legislation making the council’s patrol unit Sophara’s new Police Department. The Police Department is also made bigger, growing from five members to fifteen, and it is given the power to uphold the peace on the streets of Sophara without bias. The damage between the two families reaches unfixable levels after the fight, as they begin to bicker about who owns the now abandoned home and land that housed the families when they first arrived in Desten. Again, the council intervenes and comes to the conclusion that because the house was no abandoned, the land would be returned to the council and in its place, they would build the Desten Independence Hall, the seat of government for the Desten Council. Both families reluctantly agree, and the first house to ever be built on Desten is brought down and destroyed to make way for the new Independence Hall. Economically, Sophara continues to be reliant on trade with ships on their way to and from the New World for its wealth. Demand for produce and meat continues to rise as ships dock at the pier to stock up on their provisions, while fishing becomes a major food for the local population. Most residents living in Sophara are either employed by the Hemming family in their farms or by the Brickson family as construction workers. Some families, like the Linfields, manage to successfully run their own businesses – in the Linfields case, it is a pasture to the northeast of town specialized in lamb and sheep meat. The first house ever built on Desten, which housed the Brickson and Hemming families after their shipwreck. Central Sophara looking west. Sophara looking north. Two aerial shots of Sophara and its farms.

Schul, lol. Its tough to sit and work out little details because I have such a hectic schedule, but thank you Schul and Duke for understanding and not letting it take away from my CJ, 

1780 AD The American Revolution, while a thousand miles to the west of Desten, brings with it big changes to the island. The population of Sophara jumped to over 200 residents thanks to people giving up on the dream of the New World and settling instead in Desten thanks to the war. Central Sophara sees the most changes, as several new traders open up shop along the intersection of Desten Boulevard and Cross Avenue. Ships begin docking nearly once a month, bringing with them trade and currency. The Bricksons benefit the most from this small population boom thanks to all the construction projects, especially as new families begin building their new homes. Seeing potential in a larger market, the Hemming family, which has a monopoly on farmland in Desten, develops and cultivates a barley farm to the north of their apple farm. The Bricksons and Hemmings continue to be in a fierce rivalry that sometimes spilled into arguments and fights, especially in the increasingly dysfunctional Desten Council. The monthly meetings by the council become more of a shout-fest than median of communication and ideas it used to be. The sense of community that existed within Sophara is all but gone thanks to the rivalry between the two families. Elsewhere in town, a Swiss watchmaker called Fabrice Gourin settles in Sophara, and begins creating beautiful watches that become the talk of the town and one of the most sought after items by visiting sailors and traders. He calls his creations after his family name, and Gourin becomes the first Destenian born brand in the young nation’s history. Central Sophara looking West. An aerial of Sophara. Sophara and the farms surrounding it.

Very well designed, very well done. I enjoyed reading the information tidbits and the pictures are great. 

Congrats on the job - and the update was great, very well done. 

Another huge, magnificent update - New Arlenes looks like a great place to be. You have created such a magnificent country and brought it to life. 

  I will try to paint over them in the next update.

This looks like a very lively, very colorful place to be. Your pictures are incredible.

  Unfortunately I have no idea how to create my own lots - and given that I'm either with my family or at work almost all day, I wouldn't have to time to anyway :( I'll look over the Omnibus for tutorials, though - maybe one day when I have some free time I'll give it a shot!   Thanks DUKE-OF-MAYHEM, that is actually the feel I was going for.

1775 AD War rages in the New World as the American Revolution goes into full swing, bringing the Howard family to Sophara to start a new life. Acquiring a piece of land next to Hemming’s Inn, the Howards build the first general store in the town. Howard General Store becomes the trading spot for visitors and locals alike, spurring future development along Desten Boulevard and Cross Avenue. The success of Hemming’s Inn allows the family to acquire new property and cultivate a vegetable farm, bringing the total number of farms operated by the family to three. Although the Bricksons head the Desten Council, the Hemmings fortune begins to exceed that of the other founding family of Desten, creating animosity and tension between them. It comes to blows between two of the younger members of the family one afternoon on Desten Boulevard, prompting a tense but ultimately successful town meeting to settle things down. Still, the seed of suspicion and mistrust is planted between the two families, with some fathers even going as far as to forbid marriage to a member of the other family. Sophara looking North. The new farm cultivated by the Hemming family. A zoomed out view of Sophara. An aerial view of the farms and town. (Click the Pictures to Enlarge)

Thanks for the comments! Much appreciated :)

1770 AD It has been fifteen years since the first permanent settlement on the island of Desten is founded by the Brickson and Hemming families. Visiting ships begin docking more frequently, and in response, Tim Hemming makes a deal with the Brickson family carpenters to construct a new inn that would house sailors for as long as they choose to stay. The Hemming’s Inn becomes the first business to open on the island, and sees moderate success thanks to eats kitchen – even when no ship is docked, a few locals pass by every night for some dinner. Brolin Timms becomes the first person to settle in Desten not from the Brickson and Hemming families, coming in on a Danish ship and deciding to stay and call the island home after falling in love with a Brickson girl. Timms is a mason by trade, and starts finding work around the settlement constructing brick fireplaces in homes. The residents of the settlement decide to name Jonathan Brickson as the leader of the Desten Council, a ten member council of elders given the task of handling the everyday affairs of the settlement. The Desten Council’s first petition is to form an official patrol unit comprised of five people that are made responsible for the safety and security of the settlement. Its second petition is for the naming of the settlement (previously only called the village of Desten) to Sophara, named after the two daughters of Howard Brickson, Sophia and Sara. The town of Sophara is also decreed as the capital of the nation of Desten in the third approved petition of the Desten Council. Sophara along Desten Boulevard. The Hemming Inn. An aerial view of Sophara.

That's a beautiful looking pond and just a beautiful picture overall!

1763 AD Eight years after being stranded on Desten, the Hemming and Brickson families are now completely settled in the new, uncharted land. Some of the younger members marry, and set up new homes constructed by the Brickson carpenters, while the Hemming farmers cultivate a second farm opposite the pasture and begin growing fruits. In eight years, five ships have docked at the pier, trading with the families for fresh meat. A couple of members leave with the first ship to continue their journey to the New World, but the rest choose to remain in Desten, happy with the life it is providing them. They are told that the island is situated in between Ireland and the New World, albeit closer to the latter. The seasons are similar to that of northern Europe and the New World, with heavy snow coming in winter. The river to the west of the settlement, which they name after the man that discovered it (Mulmont River), provides a new source of food for the inhabitants, but becomes almost frozen over during winter due to the cold. The families attempt to pledge allegiance to England in return for some troops, but England refuses to commit any soldiers to defend the island, turning down the offer to claim the land in the name of the British Empire. In response, the families decide to stockpile any weapons they can trade for, fearing pirates might try to ransack the settlement. Despite small, petty fights, the relationship between the two families is friendly with a strong sense of community by both parties. New houses are constructed for the newly married families. The Hemming family patriarch builds a house next to the pasture. The new farm cultivates apples.

  The legend himself! I've been playing SimCity since it was released and I've had my fair share of CJs, but I thought I was done with the game until New SorGun re-inspired me. Truly one of the best CJs of all-time, and I'm sure you can see where I get a lot of my ideas from. As for the Aussie Windmills, I actually have them :) I'll put them to use around the farms. Thank you again for stopping by!

Thanks for the comments! Schulmanator - I might have to look at painting over them. I have already set the number to low, and generally, the problem is just with the cars in the driveways and such.

A quick note before I begin: I realize that in some pictures cars and other products and technology that would have been non-existent in the 17th and 18th centuries can be seen - unfortunately, I do not know how to use the Lot Editor, so please excuse this oversight. I try to be accurate with the general history during the time periods I cover, but again, some information might not be completely accurate to the date. Yes, I have found inspiration from SimCoug's outstanding CJ, New SorGun - simply put, one of the greatest CJs I have ever read. Finally, please click on the pictures to see them in all their glory! 1755 AD The Saint James, an English vessel heading to the New World, is caught up in a storm and sinks. The only survivors are two families, who have the fortune of being on the only small wooden boat that escapes the treacherous storm. The Hemming and Brickson families spend two days in the ocean before tides from the storm carry them to the shores of an uncharted island. The Brickson family is one of carpenters, so they build a house for shelter and construct a small pier made up of the indigenous trees on the island. The Hemmings, farmers by trade, clear land and begin herding the indigenous sheep and cows found to be roaming around the woods near the coast. Within a year of landing on the island, the families have shelter, sustainable food, and a pier for any future ship that might sail pass the island and need to dock for supplies, while also clearing a makeshift road leading from the pier all the way north to the pasture. They name the island Desten, combining the words destiny and heaven into one word. The first house constructed in Desten, housing the Brickson and Hemming families. The pasture the Hemming family run, providing the two families with meat. The docks the two families develop incase passing ships decide to stop. An aerial shot of the land they settled.

Very nice bid - very well organized and truly showcases all that is going on in Al-Qurayya and its potential as a host nation.

Its not dead! I just have been extremely busy with my pregnant wife I haven't had time to play - but I did a couple of days ago, so an update should come soon