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With the population of Tarrytowne now in excess of 1,000, Artimus began to plan for some of his promises that he had made. He had not forgotten about his promises, the town simply didn't have enough extra cash flow to build on the same rapid pace that Artimus wanted. Then, the businessman in him had an idea. He was already planning on reducing the tax rate for the wealthy. As a matter of fact, he already had the bill on his desk waiting to be signed in to law. So he hatched out a plan and approached the wealthy individuals. Artimus proposed that the wealthy, as they moved in, would donate $500 per $100,000 of net worth. For this donation, the individual would receive a 3% break on their taxes. What Artimus didn't tell this people was that the bill on his desk was for a 3% tax break for the wealthy. So, Artimus simply modified this bill from Law 21-00.42 Tax Break in to Law 21-00.43 Tax Modification. Law 21-00.42 was striken from record so that it never existed. When Artimus presented this law to the community, they were thrilled. The poor were thrilled because they would get some of the things they needed -- government center, park, etc. -- without having to pay higher or additional taxes. The wealthy were thrilled because they would be paying taxes that were 3% less than the national average. With this new influx of cash, Artimus first built a small park for his people. In honor of their contribution to create the park, the park was built near the wealthy residents. This park had a walking trail, some playground equipment and trees along with a clocktower plaza. Everyone in the community was extremely pleased with this new addition. https://www.simtropolis.com/idealbb/files//26--Park.jpg align=baseline> With the extra money that was left from this first influx of cash, Artimus first zoned some additional residential areas. He also planned out and constructed the government center that he had promised. Even though he didn't have enought money to actually build any government establishments yet, the fact that he was at least planning for it put his people's minds at ease. (The government center is the area with the circle in the center. This circle will eventually become one-way to deal with traffic better.) https://www.simtropolis.com/idealbb/files//28--New_Residential_and_Govt_Square.jpg align=baseline>

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With his people now fed, Artimus began developing more zones. First, since his people were asking for more employment opportunities, he added some additional commercial areas. These areas quickly filled with new businesses. Many of these businesses were actually started by the people of Tarrytowne who wanted to reinvest in their community. https://www.simtropolis.com/idealbb/files//25--New_Commercial.jpg align=baseline> With the added jobs and some of the citizens needs starting to be met, several wealthy businessmen from outside the area moved in to Tarrytown. These inviduals would play a bigger part in Tarrytowne than they could have imagined when they moved to the area. https://www.simtropolis.com/idealbb/files//27--Wealthy2.jpg align=baseline>

With the population beginning to grow, Tarrytowne was getting more and more residents there were not Catholic. To accomodate these individuals, several residents founded the Tarrytown Brothern In Christ Church. Since this was only the second church in Tarrytowne, the church did not discriminate against other faiths and many people of Protestant, Baptist and other faiths attended services there. They also founded the Tarrytowne National Cemetary to accomodate the growing population as well. https://www.simtropolis.com/idealbb/files//23--Church_n_Cemetary.jpg align=baseline> With the farms finally producing corn, beans and other produce the farmers needed a way to get their goods to the people of Tarrytowne. To accomplish this, several produce stands were erected throughout town. Each stand acted as a retail outlet, as well as a delivery service for the ill and elderly. https://www.simtropolis.com/idealbb/files//Produce.jpg align=baseline>

January 17, 1934 In the weeks following the strike, Artimus was very distraught. He thought that he was providing what he could for his people. He wasn't used to being a failure, although none of the towns people felt that way. He was very much over-critical of himself. He found himself questioning many of his day-to-day decisions. Finally, the son of his cook approached him and asked Sir, what is the wrong? Why are you so sad? My son, said Artimus, there are things in this world you just would not understand yet. Grown-up things. There are many times when we do something, and then we wonder if it was the right thing to do. All of the pressures of being a grown-up are what make me so sad. Do you want to know what I do when I'm sad? asked the boy. What would that be young lad? asked Artimus. I go have fun. Lots and lots of fun. Then, I forget why I was sad. replied the young boy. With that, the little boy bounced a ball off the floor and bounded outside. Artimus then walked to his office to be alone with his thoughts. He sat at his mahogony desk and stared out his office window at the river, calmy meandering past his mansion. After several minutes, he felt a serene calm flow over him as he dozed off into sleep. As he slept, he dreamt of a news report that he had heard when he was still living in Manhattan. A young inventor by the name of Richard Hollingshead from Camden, New Jersey had invented a new way for viewing movies. It seems that he had mounted a 1928 Kodak projector on his car and projected a movie onto a screen that was nailed between trees in his backyard. After much experimenting, he opened the first drive-in movie theatre on June 6 of the previous year in Camden. Suddenly, something woke Artimus from his nap. It was his secretary reminding him of his weekly call to the government that he was required to make as a part of his witness relocation agreement. While he was reaching for the telephone, he had a sudden revelation. Fun, I need to give my people something fun to do. All they do right now is eat, sleep and work. As he dialed his government contact's number, he wondered what he would offer to his people. A beach he thought, or maybe a park. Then, while the phone was ringing he remembered his dream. When his contact came on the line he excitedly spoke. I need to talk to Richard Hollingshead of Camden, New Jersey. I need him to build for me a drive-in theatre to entertain my people. With that, he hung up the phone. Within a few days, Mr. Hollingshead was knocking at the mayors door. When Artimus answered the door, Mr. Hollingshead said Yes sir, it seems as if the federal government for some reason wants me to build one of my theatres in your town. They have paid me handsomely and I would like to get started. Artimus was so overjoyed, he cancelled his schedule for the rest of the day and took Mr. Hollingshead on a guided tour of the town so that they could agree on the best location for this theatre. Soon, a promising tract of undeveloped land in the commercial district was found and the site plan was agreed upon. On May 23, 1934 the first movie was shown at the Tarrytowne Drive-In. The movie was Eugene O'Neils Days Without End. Artimus was the first car to be parked, right in the front row. It seems, coincidentally, that this day was the exact same day that the infamous Bonnie and Clyde were killed in a hail of gun fire by police officers in Louisianna. *** NOTE *** This is the real history of the drive-in movie as found at http://inventors.about.com/library/weekly/aa980121.htm .

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Suddenly, on January 4, 1934, the mayor is pulled from a high-security conference call with the government. It seems as if the residents of Tarrytowne have become VERY restless over the state of affairs in the area. Many residents have complaints that would like to air with the town, but there seems to be no voice, no platform upon which they can speak. Soon, many of the resident's begin to mass on the steps of Chez Eyler, a popular downtown boutique. Within hours, a full-scale strike has begun and many of the town's businesses come to a grinding halt. Artimus is completely baffled and wants to do everything possible to prevent a full-scale strike from becoming an all-out riot! So, with the speed of a cheetah Artimus races to Chez Eyler. He tries for several hours to speak to his town folk without success. Just when it looked like the all-out riot was ready to begin, Artimus had an idea. Many of the people present thought Artimus was retreating when he ran to his limo. This was not a retreat, however; Artimus was mearly regrouping. With the heart of a true politician, Artimus began chucking large wads of cash from the limo windows. https://www.simtropolis.com/idealbb/files//Jan_4_04%20Strike.jpg align=baseline> As with most humans, these people were quickly calmed and even forgot why they were there. The next day, in the local newspaper, Artimus promised to erect several establishments over the course of the next several years to prevent such a situation from developing again: Schools and Public Safety establishments (police and fire.) Most importantly though, he promised to build a city hall and create a town government so that he would no longer be viewed as a dictator or a monarch. https://www.simtropolis.com/idealbb/files//Headline1.jpg align=baseline>

Day by day, more and more people were flocking to the region. Artimus was proud of himself for being able to provide for his people. It gave him the same sense of power he had when he was in control of the mob. Now, however, it was a different sense of accomplishment that he felt. This time, he actually felt fulfilled. Now that more and more people were beginning to call Tarrytowne home though, Artimus needed to expand the available plots for housing. He also needed to provide more jobs for his people. With this in mind, he added areas for housing and additional industry. https://www.simtropolis.com/idealbb/files//20--Tarrytown-Residential2.jpg align=baseline>

With the population beginning to grow, Artimus needed to secure some way of providing for his people. So, he ceased the moment one day in mid November when several migrant farm workers were passing through the area looking for work. Artimus explained to them that there was no farm work in the area currently, but made them an offer they couldn't refuse. He offered a few small tracts of land to the migrant workers. With these tracts of land, they could establish several farms with the intent of providing food to th valley. This deal also included an ownership clause, however. For the first 7 years, Artimus would retain ownership of each of these farms and would collect 25% of all profits secured from the sale of the food to the townsfolk. In exchange for providing the food to the community and giving of the profits to Artimus, each one of the workers would retain ownership of the individual farm after the 7 year period. https://www.simtropolis.com/idealbb/files//Farms.jpg align=baseline> Around this time too, his people began to beg Artimus for a way of life. To accomodate them he zone a strip of land adjascent to the residential area as the beginnings of the first Commercial District. He located this area close to the residential area to allow for low commute times, thereby limiting congestion. https://www.simtropolis.com/idealbb/files//Commercial_Growth1.jpg align=baseline> He also began to consider at what point along the river he would want to place his industrial and port areas. Once he settled on a portion of the northern branch near the railroad bridges. He surveyed the surrounding coastline and land beyond to determine how much of the land he wanted zoned for his industrial center. Once he decided on this and a roadway was placed, he also zoned the first portion of his industrial zone. To further delineate his industrial zones, he placed entry archways at each of the entrances. https://www.simtropolis.com/idealbb/files//Industrial_Growth1.jpg align=baseline> To aid in the collection of the farm profits, Tarrytowne's first government office was formed - The Bureau of Farm Management. Since Artimus had plans to locate all of the government offices in one central location downtown called Government Row, this office was located on a temporary plot of land near the commercial zone he had just established. Once Government Row is built, Artimus planned on building a better and more modern office there to house the Bureau of Farm Management. Since this would not happen for some years, he felt that the town would get enough use from the current location to be fiscally responsible. https://www.simtropolis.com/idealbb/files//Farm_Mgmt_Office1.jpg align=baseline>

As more and more inhabitants arrived in Tarrytowne, they began feeling as if their spiritual needs weren't being met. Since the majority of the resident's were Catholic, Artimus decided to build a great cathedral, one which would serve their needs for some time. https://www.simtropolis.com/idealbb/files//Cathedral1.jpg align=baseline> Pic of St. John's Cathedral About this end of October, 1933, the population grew to about 600. It was at this time that Artiums decided that it would be necessary for himself and all future mayors to have a residence specifically for them. So, after much surveying and soul searching, Artimus decided to build the mayor's mansion on an river overlook. https://www.simtropolis.com/idealbb/files//Mayors_House.jpg align=baseline>

Finally, after almost two years of construction, Artimus had the basic transportation network and utilities that he desired. He had rail connections that would enable him to connect to the outside world. He had river crossings that would allow him access to the other half of his soon to be great city. And he had all of his utilities located in one out of the way location. At this point, Artimus was beginning to feel the pinch of construction costs. He was down to only $53,000 or so and still had yet to gain any residents. So, on April 17, 1933, he officially welcomed his first resident, Andrew and Leslie Carter. The Carters chose a small residencial plot near the shore on which to begin their new life. Within a few short weeks, Artimus had welcomed several hundred new residents. It seems that the government had been slowly and cautiously marketting this new region. It seems that many people have started flocking to this region to start anew. https://www.simtropolis.com/idealbb/files//Tarrytown-Residential1.jpg align=baseline> So, with a small cash flow beginning to come in Artimus began his new life as Mayor of Tarrytown, in the Tarrytowne River Valley. More to come after work...maybe...if not, then tomorrow.

If you look at the date in the intro story, I am starting many years ago and moving forward. Who knows...maybe eventually it will be a futuristic city, however I'm not sure of this.

As the days progressed, Thompson's carved a channel to the east to enable a connection to the neighboring region. https://www.simtropolis.com/idealbb/files//Concrete_Construction2.jpg align=baseline> To further protect the visual appearance of the entire region, Artimus decided that all railways not contained within The Great Trench as he called it should run underground, similar to a subway system. He felt that this would give the railways functionality, while not taking up any valuable relastate or decreasing the property values in the area. Rail connections to the south would be provided by tunneling under the river at Utility Island. Rail connections to the west and north, as with the east, would be provided by tunneling under the land and re-emerging in a small trench at the edges of the territory. Since Artimus started building at a fork in the river, he would need to span the northern branch of the river with rail and road connections. During the excavation process to tunnel under the northern fork, an underground river was found running beneath the northern branch. After many engineering studies, it was determined that the tunnels could be constructed, however they would have to dive far beneath the second river to ensure structural stability. Because this would be such a costly construction project, Artimus opted to simply bridge the river at this point. He chose steel archway-style bridges for the rail bridges. As for the road bridges, he choose cable suspension bridges. This style was chosen to remind him of the bridges crossing into the boroughs in his native <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 />New York City. Artimus also needed to span The Great Trench so that zoning and inhabitation could occur. Due to technical difficulties spanning the railroad sections, Thompson's Concrete Construction was brought back in. Four area's were set asside to cross over The Great Trench. Concrete retaining walls were build and the railways were tunnelled through. Once this was completed, a process by which several inches of fill were dumped in and compacted began. After the fill was compacted, it must be left to sit with heavy metal plates on top for a week to promote settling. After one week, the plates were lifted and more fill was brought in to start the process over. This entire process lasted several months until the walls were completely filled-in and roadways could be built across. https://www.simtropolis.com/idealbb/files//Crossovers1.jpg align=baseline> Coming next...the first residents move in.

Patience is a wonderful virtue!! The speed of construction will pick up soon...hopefully the story will get there sometime today...since I work evening shift in a 911 center, daytime is when I'll do my posts...

Next, after securing the utilities, Artimus began working on the rail connections. To keep with the visual appeal of the surrounding area, he decided to excavate a long trench to help conceal the railways. Here is a picture of one of the main turnabouts. https://www.simtropolis.com/idealbb/files//Rail_Conversion1.jpg align=baseline> To add to the finished look, Artimus hired Thompson's Concrete Construction to construct embankments along the trench (Marast's Embankments Set.) Notice the service road built by the contractors to make hauling equipment in and out easier. This is only a temporary access road to be removed later. https://www.simtropolis.com/idealbb/files//Concrete_Construction1.jpg align=baseline> Tomorrow...more construction pics.

https://www.simtropolis.com/idealbb/files//Update_2.gif align=baseline> After surveying the site, Artimus felt that the first thing that should be secured were the utilities. He decided to use a small island just downstream from the Y in the river. He felt that this would keep all of the utilities centrally located and away from the residential populous, which would ultimately increase property values. He appropriately named this island Utility Island. He connected Utility Island to the mainland using an three underwater tunnels - two rail tunnels and an roadway tunnel. Picture 2.1 https://www.simtropolis.com/idealbb/files//5--Utility_Island1.jpg align=baseline> The first utility he secured was power. Without power, nothing survives. After looking over all of the available power plants, he located an outdated yet very powerful power generator. He found a wind-powered plant that was capable of providing more power than any of the currently built coal power plants. Since this plant was being built on an island, he needed to supply power across the river. Since he was concerned with astetics and property values, he did not want a lot of unsightly high-tension power lines crossing the river. Instead, he opted for an underwater transmission plant, which would keep the power lines on the floor of the river. Out of sight, out of mind. Beside the power transmission facility he located his water supply station and also his trash disposal center. https://www.simtropolis.com/idealbb/files//Construction_Yards3.jpg align=baseline> Picture 2.2 In addition to the utility centers, many of the construction companies that Artimus had contracted located their construction yards within close proximity to the utilities as well.

https://www.simtropolis.com/idealbb/files//Update_1.gif align=baseline> Here are a few screen shots of the area Artimus has decided to build in. Since he has decided to try to turn over a new leaf and truely lead a fruitful life, Artimus decided to proceed in life as a shrewd businessman. He felt that the Y in the river would make a good place to start his pursuits. This area would be good for a commercial port, residential areas, industrial facilities, etc. This is a HUGE map, and the images start in the Upper Left corner and move clockwise. This is a custom/freehand map and may change as time passes. Upper Left Corner Picture 1.1 https://www.simtropolis.com/idealbb/files//1--Region_View1.jpg align=baseline> Upper Right Corner Picture 1.2 https://www.simtropolis.com/idealbb/files//2--Region_View2.jpg align=baseline> Lower Right Corner Picture 1.3 https://www.simtropolis.com/idealbb/files//3--Region_View4.jpg align=baseline> Lower Left Corner Picture 1.4 https://www.simtropolis.com/idealbb/files//4--Region_View5.jpg align=baseline>

I realize you can import images, but I'm referring to how it was possible with previous versions to simply go in to the game and make a selection and the game created a totally random region. You could then terraform this region or play it as is. I hate having to wait sometimes as much as an hour for the game to generate a region from a file I import which is why I try to do it only when absolutely necessary.

Would be nice if we didn't have to download new regions but rather have a random region generator...or is this an option I've overlooked? I hate having to spend time terraforming a new area when all I want is something random.

You guys are just too great. I am certainly no newbie to the SimCity series, as I've been building in all 4 versions since the original Sim City over 10 years ago. My problem is though, I seem to always try new arrangements for my transportation network and always revert back to the standard square block arrangement. I also need to get better at getting my trains and monorails to be better utilized. My subways and buses are used anywhere from 25% to 125%, depending on the area they are at. But when I try to use trains or monorails instead I never, except for a select few instances, get any use at all. In those select few instances, I usually only get utilization of like 1% or less. I need help...I just guess I have lost my sense of imagination or something.

I love the wind tunnel...I am getting ready to place the Sim National Raceway in the region I'm working on and if there was a ploppable version I would throw it in right next to the raceway...maybe even along with a building resembline NASCAR's R & D facility... You guys are great!! Keep up the good work!!