The Independent State of Norskbakker

[cheezymadman]

While the 49th parallel forms much of the border between the United States and Canada, there's a small section of land north of this line, but still part of the state of Minnesota. It's known as the Northwest Angle, or just The Angle to its inhabitants. The residents of The Angle must drive through Canada to get to the rest of Minnesota, despite the unmanned border crossing. Due to the inconvenience of this geographical oddity and increasingly restrictive fishing laws, the local government has twice attempted to secede from the United States. In 1997, the vote to become a part of Manitoba failed. In July of 2009, the bill returned to the agenda, with one major change. If successful, the bill would form a new nation, one not bound by the laws of Canada or the United States. This bill passed by a narrow margin, creating the Independent State of Norskbakker, literally "Norwegian Hills".

Eight hundred and fifty thousand Norwegian Americans live in Minnesota, the most of any state in the union. Their culture has permeated the local environment, and their heritage lives on in Norskbakker. Fishing is a major industry, and like the rest of Minnesota, health and education are top priorities in neighborhoods throughout the area. Progressive politics continue to push environmental issues to the front of the public mind, keeping the waters blue, the grass green, and the air clear. The new government of Norskbakker has already pledged to make every effort to seek "green" alternatives for energy, and keep pollution to a minimum by encouraging high-tech industry to make the small nation its home.

The mountains to the west and northwest lend streams to the Hedmark River, which flows through the region and empties into Lake of the Woods. The flat land between the plateaus in the southwest and the foothills to the northwest are lush with forests, and have become popular hunting grounds for the locals. More flat ground to the south and east of the river will provide fertile soil for farming, providing the tiny nation with a large supply of local food, reducing the dependency on foreign trade. A booming fishery industry will most likely provide most of the jobs for the local residents, and lots of open ground should serve a large commercial population as well.

[sumwonyuno]

Did you terraform the region yourself?  Forests will make the map alive and help smooth out the look between city tiles.

[cheezymadman]

Yeah, I used SC4 Terraformer, and then seeded forests with the God Mode tool.

Unfortunately, this might be over before it gets off the ground. The computer I was playing on just crashed yesterday, possibly a bad motherboard. I'm on a backup, but there's no way this thing is running SC4. 2000 might even be a stretch.

If I can't get the other computer running again in the next few days, I'm going to call this dead. 

[rooker1]

Please don't give up so easily, I really like the map and think it has some potential.  You have a month to get another update in. 

Robin