The State of Jefferson: A SimCity 4 multi-sport dynasty

[Young Drachma]

Glad this little ditty here is making you want to head back to SimCity 4. It's such a great game. Simtropolis.com is a really good resource for add-ons and junk.

The comments from you all keep me energized, so thanks for them.

[Coffee Warlord]

Heh, I've been browing that very site at work all day in preparation for starting fresh tonight.

I've already gotten the 'I can do better, I'm restarting' disease again.

[Young Drachma]

Dude, I will say that this dynasty is the best design work I've EVER done on a region. I think it's wise to stick with a small map with a few cities and work to develop them a certain way. It only took me five years how to figure out how to play that game. lol....talk about longevity.

[Young Drachma]

CHAMPIONSHIP UPDATE
In 2002, the Olde State University collegiate baseball squad managed to win the fifth and final game of the Championship series to claim their first title and to end State University at Oakley (SUO)'s reign at 3 straight titles.

In 2003, SUO decided to unleash their fury on the entire collegiate baseball world by not dropping a game in the playoffs -- including a three game sweep in the Championship series -- against Olde State. It was SUO's fourth title in five years.

If they're not a juggernaut program, one doesn't exist.

[Young Drachma]

HIGH SCHOOL CHAMPIONSHIPS
The first year of baseball in the Village-Far Woods area and expanded playoffs wasn't enough to daunt the Group 1 champions from the co-op program at Village HS and Far Woods HS.

After a 25-7 regular season en route to the Group 1 title, they entered the playoffs and soared all the way to the County Championship against an experienced Brookmont Academy squad that had won two of the previous three county titles.

Didn't matter

The VFW Warriors claimed the first county championship for The Shire in its first year of eligibility in 2002.

In 2003, North Curry HS clinched a tie of the Group 4 title with Charlestown, but there wasn't a tie when it came to the road to claiming their first county title since 1970. The Canucks last saw the playoffs in 1981 and being coached by Keith Foster who played outfield on the 1971 county championship team, the 2003 Canucks swept Condotti Academy in four straight games to claim their title.

"It was a lot sweeter winning it with these guys, knowing how much harder it is to win a title now than it was when I was wearing the Blue and White," said Foster.

It was the third straight year that a public school claimed the Oregano County title and seventh time in ten years that a public school won the championship. Public Schools lead the county championship series 18-14 since 1971 when they joined the OCHSBL.

[Young Drachma]

In 2004, Oregano County Magnet HS established itself as a force to be reckoned with in county baseball, claiming their 2nd title in three years, after grinding out the title in a seven-game battle with Oakley Baptist who were seeking their first county title since 1986.

Meanwhile, in the college ranks Curry State University (30-22) took SU-Oakley to the full five-game tilt in their Conference Championship matchup, leading to the upstart CSU squad taking the conference title. Despite that, SU-Oakley (27-25) has proven themselves to be 'the' team to beat, despite coming third in the eastern division this past season.

Olde State (40-12) flamed out again in the post-season, repeating the same fate as the school's last 40-win squad in 2001, that failed to bring home the county title.

In six straight years of conference baseball at the county level, no private university or college has claimed the crown.

Maybe they need to recruit better?

[Young Drachma]

While baseball is primarily the sport of the eastern part of the county, especially in the cities, football (or soccer to the uninitiated) is the sport of the 'outer' county region. Frankly, there is a huge debate among baseball v. football fans at which sport is the biggest on the county.

In any case, the Oregano County FA is one of the world's finest. It's teams play in two divisions with teams spread through the county, with an emphasis on The Shire and village regions. Baseball might be growing there, especially with the recent success with lower level ballclubs, but make no mistake...Oreganorians live and die by the back of the net.

[Coffee Warlord]

Palm Desert University would crush your entire conference.

(Yep, I've been playing this evening.)

[Young Drachma]

Originally Posted by Coffee Warlord

Palm Desert University would crush your entire conference.

(Yep, I've been playing this evening.)

hahahaha

Doubt it.

[SFL Cat]

Wha? No football???!!! Dude!!!

[MrBug708]

Im buying Sim City 4 now

[Young Drachma]

Originally Posted by SFL Cat

Wha? No football???!!! Dude!!!

Give me time, give me time. Gridiron will arrive, rest assured.

[Coffee Warlord]

Originally Posted by Dark Cloud

hahahaha

Doubt it.

45,000 people in an enclosed developing metropolis can't be defeated.

[Young Drachma]

I'm trying to coordinate the Oregano County Premier League. But WWSM is a devil to try and edit..mostly just because it's tedious. I'll get it together though and we'll go from there.

[Young Drachma]

OREGANO PREMIER LEAGUE
---
Shelter
Kingfisher
Brianna F.C.
Harris Athletic
Mannes
Pelican
Commodores
Far County
Fifty Lakes Professional
Seminary
Morton F.C.
Shippen Athletic
Ghostbrook
Neville
Southchester
Los Verde
Carnation
Briar Athletic
Palmer Island
Commoner F.C.


OREGANO COUNTY ASSOCIATION LEAGUE (2ND DIVISION)
---
Troopers F.C.
Squadron
Southtown
Kjelland
Cordelia
Curry Athletic
Woodstock
Oakley City
Commerce
Cousins
Bridgewater
Antoinette Brewery
Black Rose
AC Windsor
Cyclones A.C.
Deerfield
Shire Athletic
Blue Collar F.C.
Ghostbrook
Charlestown South
Sandlake United
Birchmont
Wardlaw
Logan Athletic

[Young Drachma]

LAKESIDE EIGHT SCHOOLS TO ENTER COLLEGIATE GRIDIRON
The schools of the Lakeside Eight have announced plans to expand past just offering baseball, unveiling plans to join the national college gridiron football league starting next season.

All Lakeside Conference schools will field a team in the new league.

"We're very excited about the opportunity to bring Oregano County to the rest of the country to see where stack up," said Commissioner Paul Deveer of the Lakeside Conference.

2004 was an exciting year for players who never considered staying in county to go to college, but this should stave off that concern. "It's awesome," said one high school football player.

[Young Drachma]

2004 FINAL STANDINGS, LAKESIDE CONFERENCE

School W L T Pct PF PA W L T Pct PF PA Streak
Olde State U. 8 4 0 .666 428 187 6 1 0 .857 276 73 Lost 1
St. Teresa 7 4 0 .636 299 212 5 2 0 .714 192 148 Won 3
Charlestown U. 6 5 0 .545 292 269 4 3 0 .571 171 173 Lost 2
Oakley 5 6 0 .454 217 266 4 3 0 .571 136 128 Won 1
Brookmont 6 5 0 .545 274 274 4 3 0 .571 184 143 Won 2
Saint Catherine 4 7 0 .363 190 333 3 4 0 .428 137 177 Lost 3
Condotti-Vanguard 3 8 0 .272 201 340 2 5 0 .285 130 215 Lost 1
Curry State 0 11 0 .000 129 393 0 7 0 .000 83 252 Lost 11

OLDE STATE LOSES IN NATIONAL ROUND OF 16 PLAYOFF
BROOKMONT -- In the first year of participating in college gridiron football, the Olde State U squad put up a valiant effort, after earning a bye to the Round of 16 in this year's playoffs, after going 6-1 (8-4, overall) in the Lakeside Conference this year.

But they ran up against a Miami of Ohio squad that was just too tough, losing 27-20 in a close battle.

Texas Tech (15-1) won the national championship game over Oklahoma 18-17.

(I used random team prestige/conference prestige)

[Eilim]

Just wanted to say keep up the great work.. and damn you for making me pick up the deluxe edition today! I *really* don't have time to add another game to my playlist but its already got its hooks in me.

[Young Drachma]

OREGANO COUNTY SQUAD ENTERS PRO LEAGUE

The first professional team is coming to Oregano County and for once, the whole county has a team it can rally around. Billionaire investor Mohat P.K. Donadrossa, who moved to Oregano County as a teen when his parents emigrated from Pakistan. After attending Brookmont Academy on a scholarship, he went to the University of St. Teresa and later become one of the wealthiest men in the world and certainly the richest in Oregano County.

The Oregano County squad joined the national professional league after Donadrossa purchased a moribund team under recievership and decided to build them a new stadium here in Oregano County, after their original park was crumbling and fans has essentially given up on them.

"I love Oregano County with all my heart and I'm thrilled to be able to do this."

The team will play at a new stadium that can be expanded to seat at many as 80,000.

"We want the whole county to be able to come watch."

It'll be the biggest thing Oregano County has ever seen and a crowning jewel for the city of Oakley and West Oakley, who are combining forces to build the stadium.

The park will actually reside in West Oakley -- easily the largest developement ever in that city -- and as a result, there will be a new underground subway station built between Oakley and West Oakley to accomodate people who want to travel to the stadium and its accompanying commercial developments.

"It'll transform West Oakley from a sleepy town to a bustling commercial centre," said West Oakley mayor Francene McCarthy.

Photos are forthcoming.

[Young Drachma]

Originally Posted by Eilim

Just wanted to say keep up the great work.. and damn you for making me pick up the deluxe edition today! I *really* don't have time to add another game to my playlist but its already got its hooks in me.

At least it's cheaper now than ever.

[MrBug708]

I have an unopened extra copy if anyone wants it? $20 shipping included

[Young Drachma]

The West End had fallen deep into a messy situation and as a result, the city decided to begin a massive redevelopment campaign that included the building of a brand new arena and football stadium; the latter part of a new mixed-use residential development in that area.

Here are a few pictures:

Omnivore Stadium as part of a mixed-use commercial/residential development. The building in the southeast corner there is a Panda Express restaurant.




More of the West Side redevelopment project here. That's the Oakley Arena right there. They have a minor league basketball team and Junior "A" hockey team playing in the arena.




A new Outback steakhouse, a movie theater and a Red Lobster all opened in the new West Side development by the arena.

[Young Drachma]

WHERE IS OREGANO COUNTY?

I've had the hardest time with this, since the map I used was fictional..I had issues with figuring out exactly where Oregano County would be. Originally, I imagined it as a place somewhere in the south, with a distinctly northeast flavour.


But that stopped being practical for me as time went on, mostly because of the sports connections and the fact that I just didn't really this as a southern city or area at all.

But then it made sense.

It's in a state that's not a state, but probably would have been had not history done what it usually does.

The State of Jefferson is largely comprised of counties in southern Oregon and Northern California

Jefferson is a mostly rural area of Southern Oregon and Northern California in the United States. Several times during the 19th, 20th and 21st centuries there have been attempts to establish the area as a separate state. This region on the Pacific Coast is the most famous of several that have sought to adopt the name of Thomas Jefferson, the third President of the United States; the name was proposed in the 19th century for Jefferson Territory, as well as in 1915 in a bill in the Texas legislature for a proposed state that would be created from the Texas Panhandle region.

It's gives us the coastal area we need and the storyline for a metropolis that's born out of an area that was once very rural. It works for me, so that's where Oregano County is now going to be located. How big it is, is anyone's guess still...but for all intent and purposes, Oregano County is basically in Southern Oregon I surmise.

[Young Drachma]

I'm about to conduct another census of the region to determine how large the metropolitan area really is. We haven't decided whether all of Oregano County will be part of it or not, but...I'll go ahead and assess the numbers and then come back and let you know what the story is.

[Young Drachma]

One thing is for sure. Oregano County is one of the fastest growing regions in the country. It's hard to keep people away from a great place once they hear about it and clearly, people have heard about the Oregano County area and are moving here faster than we can manage to get jobs for them. Luckily, the commercial and industrial sectors of the region are growing too.

Oregano County is the economic powerhouse of a state that was once so rural that it had a population even smaller than Wyoming, the otherwise smallest population state in the union.



Now, the state has several of the fastest growing communities in the nation:

From Money Magazine
Oakley, Jeffer., is the fastest growing city of more than 100,000 in the United States, according to the latest estimates from the Census Bureau released Wednesday.

The young city, located in Jefferson that incorporated only twenty years ago, grew by 11 percent to 260376 in the 12 months ended July 1, 2005.

Three other Jefferson cities joined Oakley on the top 10 list: Sandy Lakes (No. 3), South Charlestown (No. 7) and Brookmont (No. 10).

The MSA was finally listed in the most recent list of US Metropolitan areas by the US Census Bureau in its most recent (2005) report.

The Oakley-Charlestown, JF MSA totaled 1,548,209, ranking it the #37 largest MSA in the country, above Round Rock-Austin, TX and just below Charlotte-Gastonia-Concord, NC-SC.

"The thing is, this region hasn't hit its peak yet. We're still growing and people are still discovering the beauty of Jefferson and more specifically, what the Oregano County area has to offer," said County Commissioner Todd Paul.

"I think we'll experience even more [growth] in future years, as our offerings get more robust and refined."

[Young Drachma]

The integration of Oakley and West Oakley has continued in recent years as the cities have grown from their humble beginnings.

This has resulted in a boom in residential and commercial properties in West Oakley, as Oakley becomes more congested, developers and buyers have sought out better opportunities out west.

The pro soccer stadium development was conducted in West Oakley and has a subway stop, the first one on the line, though now there are over 20 in cities throughout the county, with the goal being one in each before the end of the decade.


Here is West Oakley State U.


Here's a skyline view of West Oakley, including the new international airport and both schools in the town now for post-secondary ed.

[finketr]

why do i not have any recolection of the cool stuff in this game?

i hate to ask this, are you using any money type cheats? or are you able to have a stable economy?

and how do i get a copy of your map with and without city?

[Young Drachma]

Originally Posted by finketr

why do i not have any recolection of the cool stuff in this game?

i hate to ask this, are you using any money type cheats? or are you able to have a stable economy?

and how do i get a copy of your map with and without city?

Almost all of the 'cool' stuff I'm getting are from simtropolis.com. Also, I have the Deluxe Edition with Rush Hour, so I can drive around and other crap, too.

Umm..as for the money cheats thing yeah. This was asked on the OOTP thread a while ago and I didn't mention it, but I guess it makes sense. I am using one money cheat that lets me craft the cities however I want.

But I'm doing that specifically because I wanted to 'accelerate' growth to develop the communities for the purposes of this dynasty. I've had the game for five years and so, I've done everything conceivable there is and yes, there is a way to develop cities naturally without using cheats. I've done it. You have to have stable tax policy and it would probably require more industrial areas than I have, for example, in this particular region.

It's certainly doable though and I have other regions where I've achieved it successfully. It just moves too slow doing it the 'right' way for me to bother with it for this thing.

I got the map from simtropolis, actually. I just started with wanting to do a region on water for once, during Memorial Day Weekend and it turned into this dynasty by accident basically.

As for the map with the city currently...I've never actually uploaded a region file before. But I imagine it'd be pretty big. I'll investigate though.

[Young Drachma]

The thing is, if you play sporadically, it makes it a lot harder to do a lot of this. You can go to simtropolis forums and see stuff way crazier and more unique than what I do, from people who spend way more time on this than I'd be willing to. But the techniques you pick up in terms of city planning, etc., are really useful and makes it a lot more fun.

It's one of those games you can put down for a year or two, come back to it and it's still just as interesting and amazing what the game can do.

[Young Drachma]

In Mannesylvania, Morris College is a liberal arts college based there, part of the burgeoning growing city.



The Curry section of town is growing too.

[Young Drachma]

The long-awaited residential development in the Oakmont section of Brookmont arrived and it's looking fantastic.

[Young Drachma]

The sleepy hamlet of Deerfield, is no longer as sleepy as it once was, that's for sure, as Charlestown's growth has reached all of its areas.



Charlestown is working to reposition itself as the "industrial capital of Jefferson" and specifically in Oregano County, but North Curry still holds that title for the time being. This is one of the redeveloped farming areas of East Deerfield that's now entirely industrial.

[Young Drachma]

West Oakley State University is located in the growing and I forgot to show you the area where the first major highway in Oregano County was built in South Oakley. It goes to Mannesylvania and that's it for now, but there are talk of other mass roadways like this, as the region grows more and more. It's kinda crazy, but it's necessary to ease congestion, I tell ya.

Jefferson University, which is positioning itself as the premier institution in the state, built its brand new campus in South Oakley and continues to grow significantly.

[Young Drachma]

Here's the most recent photo of Oregano County in her metropolitan splendor.

Actually, that's not it. I'll find the actual one.

[Young Drachma]

I just got back from vacation, so if anyone is still interested in this, I'll be getting back into it over the next few days.

[finketr]

i'm still reading and wondering where my copy of sc4 is.

[Young Drachma]

Here is the most recent map of Oregano County, Jefferson. The Oakley-Brookmont-Charlestown MSA has a population of 1.3 million currently and counting.

That means its the 40th largest MSA in the country, just above Jacksonville, FL and below Nashville, TN.

So what? Does that means we could have an NFL team and no other sport or an NHL team?

Who knows, but given that the population growth in Oregano County is the largest in the country at 39.38%, who knows how long the growth will last or if it'll trickle to other parts of the state, which would be an interesting thing if it did.

Other parts of the state, you say? Wondering what those places look like? Soon, you'll have the answer.

[Young Drachma]

Here are some recent pictures of Mannesylvania, which now has over half a dozen new townships within its borders.

Here is Mannes HS, still the crowning jewel high school in the city. You can see the newly built baseball stadium that's actually for Mannes HS, but all of the teams in the city tend to use it.

[Young Drachma]

Speaking of the 'other' parts of the state, Jefferson isn't just a coastal state. The mountainous part of the state is comprised largely of an area that has developed into something called the 'Silicon Canyon'. Because Jefferson is sandwiched between Oregon and California to its north and south, tech companies in recent years have consistently relocated to Southern Jefferson, because of the state's overall pro-business policies (no corporate or state income taxes) and an environment that's enticing many young families to move to the state to escape an otherwise sweltering housing market.

Of course, that's caused housing in Southern Jefferson to swell, but not at the same pace as surrounding states. But we'll talk more about the southern part of the state later.

Right now, we're going to head a little more to the west.

Here are some photos of the Canyon Valley region. It's actually in the Western pThe Silicon Canyon-Serinda-Southworth Combined Statistical Area (CSA) currently has a population of 1.6 million, with the anchor of that area being the Silicon Canyon having a population of over 550,000, Southworth and Figueroa, two once sleepy bedroom communities have combined populations of over 200,000 themselves.

[Young Drachma]

To get your bearings together between the two areas, Charlestown is about 188 miles from Silicon Canyon going north. It's a 3 hour and 40 minute drive. Or so Google Maps tells me anyway.

To get from Mannesylvania to Silicon Canyon? It'd be about a 5 hour drive or so, 282 miles away

[Young Drachma]

The southern part of the state is called the 'Gold Country'. It's still relatively agrarian compared to the mostly metropolitan areas throughout the rest of the state of Jefferson. There is one major city and the rest of that area is almost all farming and agriculture.

We'll profile that area next up, to give you the entire landscape of the entire state, population figures and all of that, as it'll build the next big part of what's going on in this storyline.

[Young Drachma]

Since I'm in a geographic mood..here are some other distances between cities:

Oakley to The Shire - 96 miles
North Curry to Lake Almonte - 88 miles
Lake Refuge to Charlestown - 77.6 miles
Serinda to Charlestown - 162 miles
Southworth to Oakley - 270 miles

[Young Drachma]

JEFFERSON HIGH SCHOOL ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION (JHSAA)
Starting in 2005, Jefferson State will award its first state championships in baseball. Other schools will join Oregano County Schools in a statewide baseball league, that is expected to attract some of the most talented players from around the state.

"We think this league will solidify Jefferson as one of the premier baseball states in the country," said T.J. Marston, Commissioner of the JHSAA.

I'll list the names of the other schools participating, as well as maps of the other cities that you haven't seen next.

[Young Drachma]

San Alberto County encompasses the entire city of San Alberto, the largest city in the southern part of the state. San Alberto annexed all of the surrounding communities and became a consolidated city-county. Conversely, all of the previously independent communities within San Alberto are part of the city of San Alberto, though some of the more 'prestigious' communities will use their names and are identify as census designated places (CDP) for the US postal service and US Census Bureau.

San Alberto is north of Lake County and the San Alberto river runs through the city. San Alberto is the state capital.

Here are photos of the city:

[TonyR]

I like where you are going with this Dynasty DC (or at least where I think it is eluding to).

[Young Drachma]

Here are some photos of Terras County. The county seat is Allensburg and the entire county is serviced by Terras County High School. Northmont is the other incorporated community in the county, which totals about 17,000 people or so.

[Young Drachma]

Here are some photos of Marshall County. The county seat is the City of Marshall. The other two incorporated cities there are Duncanwood and Lake Duncan. The county has about 15,000 people or so and is serviced by Marshall County High School.

[Young Drachma]

Here are shots of Timmoner County, which has a population of just over 50,000.

Timmoner State University is located in the community of Crater Lake.


The city of Meehan is a large industrial community on the edge of the county. It's the county seat and also has its own high school.


The only other incorporated community in Timmoner is the Town of Benson. Benson and Crater Lake share a school district called Prairie Lake Regional High School

[Young Drachma]

Sheldon County has 13,000 people and the only city in the county is Ruby Township. It's a farming community.

[Young Drachma]

Lake County is just south of San Alberto. The whole 'bedroom community' phenomenon hasn't really hit this place nearly as much as other places in the state, but who knows if it'll get there.

Sugarwood is located in the eastern corner of the county, bordering Sheldon County. It's the largest city in the county and is home to Sugarwood High School. The city has been in the midst of a renaissance over the past decade or so, as it was previously a city that had a great deal of crime and blight associated with it. It's still not necessarily a "warm and fuzzy" town compared to some others, but...property values are getting up there.


The other incorporated communities in Lake County are Sherman Township, Lakeview and Westview. Each has their own high school.