Covington - Update 61 "Chestnut Hills and South River Bend"

[TheTeaCat]

Wonderful Image 

Always a pleasure to pop into Covington and once again this time was no exception


TTC

[JBSimio]

Boy, do I ever have some catching up to do here!

From Update 21...

Pat:  Thank you!  It was actually interesting for me to see the old pictures as well... I had quite honestly forgotten that I even had them around.

Paul:  Thanks!  The farms do make a big difference, you're right.  I think I had just started trying to "shape" those near the end of version one... and even some of the early parts of version two are still pretty squared off.  So that part has evolved a lot just since this started.

Vester:  Thank you!

M:  Thanks!  I don't know that I really kept great records so much as that I'm just a pack rat!    I don't even remember why I took the old pictures to begin with...

Joan:  Thank you!  I think the actual act of having an MD has raised the bar for me more than the content itself.  All the content just enables me to come within reach of the bar...

Matt:  Thanks!  Comparing the curves between the two versions, I'm almost wondering if I may have gone a little too far with the idea this time.  I think I could probably have toned it back a little without the region shots suffering too much... but it's too late now anyway.   

Karin:  Thank you very much!  Welcome to Covington!

Robin:  Thanks!  It's been a fun little trip down memory lane.  There are some other pictures in that folder... so maybe there will be a repeat trip at some point too, who knows?

Arthur:  Thank you my friend!

Threeswept:  Thanks!  And another warm welcome to you as well!

Dustin:  Wow... thank you!

Bat:  Thanks as always!

...and from the Thanksgiving picture...

Pat:  Thank you my friend.  I hope yours was also well.  So, you're saying there is a demon somewhere in this thread?  Hmm... that could be a problem...

Joan:  Thank you!  I hope you were able to find some peace of your own this past holiday weekend.  (Just skip the stores on black Friday would have been my advice!)

Dustin:  Thanks!  I'm glad you enjoyed the mosaic and I hope your holiday was a good one.

Matt:  Thank you!  It's nice to see that the point of the whole picture wasn't completely lost either.  You explained it as perfectly as could be... which you usually seem to be pretty good at anyway. 

Threeswept:  Thank you!  It does look like a good place for a ride, now that you mention it.

Arthur:  Thanks!  Not bad for my first attempt apparently...

M:  Thank you!

Robin:  Thanks!

Paul:  Thank you!

Derry:  Thank you... always a pleasure to have you!

I'm honestly overwhelmed by everyone's kind words... especially considering that niether of these last two things were really new updates, but just pictures of things we'd already seen somewhere.  I'm at work right now (in fact, if I don't wrap this up pretty quick, the kids won't get their breakfast on time!)... so while I don't have an update just yet, I still wanted to get caught up and express my gratitude to everyone for making this such a nice way to pass the time.  Thank you very much!  I'll be back later tonight if all goes well...

JB

[Pat]

Hey Jon did you know if you can become a subscriptor you can save updates so when you are in a pinch like so you can post that update    well either way you know I will back in Covington!!!


edit: Jon the awards are in and you won the best Rural MD, Congratulations to you my friend!!!!

[thundercrack83]

CONGRATULATIONS!

[threeswept]

CONGRATULATIONS!!!!

[thundercrack83]

Hi, Jon!

Congratulations on winning Best Rural, my friend! When I think "rural," I think Covington, and when I think "Covington," I think "best rural!"

They go hand-in-hand!

Take care!

Dustin

[payce2tw]

Congratulations!

[Lilojame]

Hey there!
I just doped in to say Congratulations on winning the award!!! 

[JBSimio]

Pat:  Well, for starters, who ever said I wasn't a subscriptor?    Unfortunately, even with that handy button, I still need time to actually type this stuff anyway... so maybe a button that will sleep for me would be more helpful... hard to say really.    Thank you, my friend!  (I voted against myself in your favor actually...)

Dustin:         

Threeswept:  Thank you!

Dustin  Thank you so much... what a nice thing to say!

Payce2tw:  Thank you!  (I'll be home for Christmas...)

Karin:  Thank you!

Alright... before I go any further, I first have to take a moment to acknowledge this wonderful award.  I'm surprised and honored and humbled and probably some other things that I'm not sure how precisely to describe.  (I suppose if I had a therapist, I could look into that... but that just seems like a bit much, really!)  The funny thing is that I never intended for this to be a "rural" MD at all... it just kind of happened that way.  I guess that's because I have to fill the map before I can get into what is going on in Covington "today"... so I had to make a lot of farms and outlying areas first.  Actually, for that matter, I never really intended to have an MD in the first place... but there were a few people (and you all know who you are ) who kept mentioning the idea and wanting to see what it would look like, so I finally decided to give it a shot.  So, I guess I'm just trying to say that winning any kind of award for this is completely unexpected and goes way beyond what I would have ever thought possible.  Thank you so much to everyone who has come along for the ride... whether you voted, commented, or lurked here I deeply appreciate your kindness and support.  It really means a lot to me... more than I can really say without sounding all sappy and stuff.  And of course, thank you to those aforementioned people who talked me into being here in the first place!  It's been great fun so far... and there is still so much further to go. 

And now...

Update Time!!!

I've been building the "next wave" of Covington's original development... so it's time for another one of those little neighborhood tours.  What's that?  You'd like to see one of my infamous crappy maps?  Well... OK then.

22.1


Just across from UNCC to the north of Battleground Avenue is a technical research center where many of the university students take their internships.  This area was once a mixed residential neighborhood, but as the university grew larger, different industries and research firms began moving in to be close to the pool of the more educated population.  Just north of this "tech park" is an area known as Redhawk Ridge... which is where we're going to go today.

22.2


On Battleground Avenue, small businesses creep ever onward along this busy artery.  This road serves as the primary route into downtown from the northwest and is also still fairly close to campus at this point, so the businesses are a bit mixed.  This string of shops sits just above the road's climb into Redhawk Ridge north of the university.  It also seems to be a gathering place for advocates of stricter gun laws for some reason... but that's another story altogether.

22.3


Redhawk Ridge is named for, believe it or not, the ridge that runs across this area.  There was probably a family of hawks nesting here at some point during a long forgotten hunter's lunch break and the name just stuck as names sometimes have a habit of doing.  In Covington's early days, this was an extremely secluded and wealthy area.  The heavily wooded hills made it too expensive to build here for the average citizen, and so the area was a pocket of natural terrain where only the richest people could afford to live.  Of course, things have changed, and technology has improved, and time marches ever forward.  The area's proximity to other major parts of the city, coupled with a housing boom in the 60's, made Redhawk Ridge a prime target for infill development.  The neighborhood is now a hodge-podge of classic homes sitting side by side with the newer ones.

22.4


Despite the regrets some of the older residents (those with memories long enough to know what it used to look like here when it was mostly trees), Redhawk Ridge is still considered a very good neighborhood.  It may not be nearly as exclusive as it once was, but most of the houses still fall solidly into middle class territory.  The higher up the ridge we go, the nicer (and larger) the houses seem to get.  It also gets a little less crowded as more trees remain to block out the noise of the busier streets nearby.

22.5


There are also still plenty of open areas left at this point.  It's a fair bet that things will probably not go much further here.  Since that original housing boom, green space in the cities come back into favor and zoning laws have changed to reflect that.  And so things change and time marches ever forward.

22.6


Finally, here's the latest region shot.  You can see that Covington is still growing outward... and if you compare with the last region view, you may be able to guess where we might be headed next time. 

Thanks for reading!!!
JB

[Pat]

LoL Jon whats even funnier then that is I voted for you as well lol and you won that is soo cool!!! I am for one glad you are doing this MD for sure and that last shot there with the wide view of the overall area reminds of the Pecitonica IL area!!!! Great Map and also another congrats to you sir!!!

[threestooges]

22.6 explains exactly why you won the Best Rural MD award. Granted, the city is the focal point, but the farmland around it is just perfect. I don't think you should change your road building at all as far as the curves go, they're amazing. As far as the mosaic goes, I think my description was aided by the post-Thanksgiving food coma (er... reverie) I was in. It's a great holiday and I think, if your intent was what I described, you nailed it. This update is quite well done too. I love the mix of buildings and the development that you have described. Out of curiousity, what buildings are the ones such as the brown one top center of 22.4, and what is the one with the parking lot in the center of 22.3? Amazing work as always Jon. I feel like I say that every time I come here, but I'm always impressed by what you come up with. Congratulations again on the Best Rural MD award, it's well deserved and next year you can look to take the Best Urban one (or perhaps best overall).
-Matt

[bat]

Congrats for winning that award there!

That's a wonderful new update there! Your region overview looks fantastic!

[rooker1]

Super work and the award is perfectly fitting for your MD as Matt said, 22.6 is the reason why you won the award.

Robin 

[flyinbird93]

great work!  i really enjoyed your transit map, looks very realistic!  some fine work here, cant wait for more!

[art128]

Jon, superb update here my friend, those randoms shots ares awesome. The region, as always, very great my friend 
and congrats for the OSITM 

[Jmouse]

What a wonderful little day trip! Redhawk Ridge is so typical of neighborhoods I've seen, and for the very reason you stated - times and circumstances change. It is absolutely charming, though, and I really like the variety of homes.

And congratulations on the award, JB. Whether or not you had rural on your mind when you started out, Covington took a path through the countryside to the obvious delight of many SC4D members including me!

Later...
Joan

[paroch]

Hi Jon,

First up, congrats on winning  BEST RURAL MD.  You know I'm a big fan, so no surprises that you got my vote

Secondly - congrats on being awarded OSITM for December.  You know I'm a big fan, so no surprises that I'm pleased you're here 

Thirdly - They say imitation is the best form of flattery - I've recently moved onto a few quads in West End that are mainly farmland, and I'm trying to use your farm techniques.  It's a lot harder than it looks, and I've got nowhere near to your results, but just trying has certainly improved on what I've achieved in the past - so for that I must THANK YOU.

And finally, what a great update.  The maps are great (I'd like to know how to do those so I can copy that from you as well!!!) and the narrative really helps paint a picture of what is happening and why it happened here in Covington.

Enjoy the month - I suspect you'll be serving up some treats for us.

Paul

[Pat]

Hey Jon congrats on your Second Trip to OSITM I remember May as it was like yesterday lol!!! I cant wait for December's month of grand stuff!!!!

[Ennedi]

Double congratulations Jon! 

Yes, Covington is the best Rural MD, both great, realistic details and incredible panoramas! Your region shots will take a place in the SC4 history 

And the OSITM Award is very well deserved, but this MD is "Of Special Interest not only of This Month"! 

Everything you do - the regional planning, transit networks, farmfields and their shapes and neighbourhoods details - shows very thoughtful and systematic planning, but great perceptiveness and fantasy in the same time. So you shouldn't be surprised if your viewers love to visit Covington and they want to award you 

Best regards
Adam

[dsrwhat316]

A double congrats from me, as well  !

I agree that your MD has the best rural feel to it. But you also have great suburbs and urban environments, as well. Those region shots you produce always amaze me. Can't wait to see what you come up with during your OSITM run, Jon!

~ Dan