The Land of Desera

[nedalezz]

Tomas Neto: Thanks my friend, its great to see you commenting again
penguin007: It was an INCREDIBLE honeymoon. I love New York This MD will definitely become a regular again!
RickD: Thanks! Yeah, it was amazing!
cubby420:Marriage is one of the best things you can do in life - from my experience at least Thats what I was going for - very Americana, very suburban.
bat: Although its not a full story update, I hope this will satisfy for now Thanks for commenting!
canyonjumper: Cedar is closing in on 150,000 residents! It should hit it very soon Thanks!
nbvc: Thank you, hope to see you around here often
art128: The dirt lands are owned but undeveloped lots, although slowly but surely all of them will get developed Downtown Cedar has stayed relatively the same over the years since its development - now the hotspot is the development around the mall
Battlecat, rooker1, marsh: Thank you so much for the well wishes Its really a pleasure having you guys comment here

Another mini-update because the storyline isnt ready yet This is a couple of shots of what the area around the Cedar Mall looks like. As you can see, there is a hospital, a new police station, and some residential developments. Enjoy!

[sumwonyuno]

The development looks great, and I really like that park!   

[noahclem]

Glad you enjoyed the honeymoon!! The last two mini-updates look great. The extra parking lots and green spaces surrounding that LBT mall make it look just amazing--probably the best SC4 mall I've ever seen.

[nedalezz]

The State of Nesara: Update Thirty-Three

Population: 136,444

PROPERTY PRICES RISE; REAL ESTATE MARKET BOOMING

The Nesara Property Authority released its annual market report today, and announced it expected Nesaran real estate prices to continue to grow into the next few years, bucking trends around the country which have seen a decline in prices. The NPA report stated that property prices in and around Cedar increased an average of 23% over the past year, despite the release of large patches of land for sale to the general public in western and southeastern Cedar over the same time period.

The increase was the result of high migration numbers into the city, claimed the report, and with the continued growth rate of the population expected to continue in the short term, the NPA report suggested that there will be a further increase of 15-20% in property prices in the coming year.

Currently, the price for a sq. meter outside of the downtown area runs at about $1,000, although that is expected to be at least $1,150 by the end of the year. Washington Avenue plots, however, can command up to $2,000 per sq. meter, especially ones that are close to the downtown area and the Cedar Mall.

The NPA maintained, after the release of the report, that it wanted to regulate the increase in prices as to keep things affordable for the regular citizen, but there has been no word from the Nesara Council as to how they would go about doing that. Recent NPA elections had the general public vote in Gareth Williams, a close ally of James Brooks, whose administration (which is the overwhelming majority in the Nesara Council), favors heavy governmental involvement and regulations. His defeated opponent, Bakreh Rohan, stated in a speech that any form of regulation on the property market would be outrageous, stated that the Nesara Council, "might as well fly a red Soviet Union flag seeing as they seem so intent on becoming a communist state in a free country."

In other development news, the NPA's recent release of land north of the Cedar Mall has proven to be an epic success, with commercial land along Washington Avenue already all bought and paid for, as well as most plots off of Washington Avenue and Beltam Road. The entire area is under massive construction, and the Nesara Council is doing its part to help keep the area beautified with trees and clean roads as projects start becoming complete.

The land being developed north of the Cedar Mall.

GOLD MINE IN EASTERN NESARA

The Nesara Natural Resources Commission announced its intention to begin development on a reported $30 million mining facility in eastern Nesara in order to dig up gold from a large deposit sitting at the edge of Mount Carrison. The NNRC also announced it will be contracting up to 4 private firms to develop and operate the mine, dubbed the Carrison Mine, although details on any such deals were not released. The announcement came just a few days after the Nesara Council confirmed that there were several large deposits of gold and copper deposits in the eastern Nesara mountain range, of which Mt. Carrison is the third highest peak at 3,243 meters.

The Carrison Mine will be the first of several reportedly planned by the Nesara Council for development in the next few years as it looks to take advantage of the natural resources at its disposal in order to help develop the state. In addition to the $30 million that will be invested in the mine by foreign companies, an expected $50 million will come into the state in foreign investments over the same time span as a direct result of the development of the Carrison Mine.

Recently, representatives of AmakaGold flew in  to Cedar as guests of the Nesara Council, with eyes towards helping develop the Carrison Mine before the announcement came. It has been a well-known fact that the council has been looking for the right partners, and have reportedly released statements to several dignitaries around the country and the world advertising its plans for development.

(To anyone who has an MD and is interested in being part of the mine development, whisper me and lets make a deal!)

RUMORED PLOTS FOR SALE ALONGSIDE RAVINE RIVER

Word around town is that the NPA is planning on releasing plots for sale along the Ravine River south of Cedar. Although there was no official comment for the NPA offices, sources state that the new plots will be available for sale in an auction form in the coming months.

The Ravine River is currently a popular weekend spot, as many people head there for some camping and fishing. Its source is in eastern Nesara, and it flows directly into the Pacific Ocean to the west. It is expected that any plots along the river would be heavily regulated, presumably only for residential use.

Recent plans by the Nesara Department of Transportation revealed blueprints for a bridge to be built that would connect Intersection Street to the other side of the Ravine River, leading to assumptions that land south of the river will soon be put up for sale and development by the NPA. An NDT spokesperson stated that while the department would not deny or confirm these reported plans, he did suggest that development was only natural and sooner or later, the demand for property around the Ravine River would have to be satisfied.

HEMWAY PARK COMPLETED

Named after the designer of the residential park, James Hemway, the park that is situated in the residential neighborhood of Treelane just east of the Cedar Mall has been opened to the public. With a fountain and several beautification pools in the middle, along with rolling green grass on the sides, the park featured 4 walkways from each direction, and each leading to the Hemway fountain in the middle. The Hemway Park is the first such project introduced by the Nesara Council in order to keep its residential neighborhoods green and spacious.

I will leave you with a couple of shots of downtown Cedar at night! Enjoy!

[noahclem]

Lovely update! I'm glad the local economy is doing well and the new development is looking great. The residential development near the mall, park, and night shots all turned out really nice.

[peter007]

Nice update. I like the night shots

[RickD]

Great update. In my opinion a healthy city needs all classes of people, not only the rich. The not so fortunate need a place to live, too. But in reality the poor people always have to make room for the rich people. Like in Manhattan for example.

I am wondering when the big box store in the center will have to make room for an office highrise. Looks like prime real estate to me.

[Skimbo]

Nice couple of updates, you've got there.....

[kodlovag]

Nice update
And what a big crowd near the construction lots

[rooker1]

 The last few updates are great.  Your night pics always impress me.
When will we be getting the next chapter.....I'm not being pushy, I'm just anxious.

Robin 

[Battlecat]

Great to see you're back!  Fantastic work as always.  That's quite the housing boom you're looking at there!

[Tomas Neto]

Wow..., awesome updates my friend!!! 

[sumwonyuno]

Construction explosion!     Those night shots are great!

[nedalezz]

 

Chapter One - Episode Seven

Ray looked over at his time-piece: 5:14 AM. He groaned loudly and placed his pillow over his head, hoping to drown the sound of the Homesteads' rooster beckoning the arrival of the morning sun. Their latest business plan was herding chickens for their eggs and meat, but given how loud their rooster was, Ray wished they would all perish, even if it meant no more of their delicious cooked chicken meat.

Seconds after the rooster started crowing, the Homesteads' guard dogs, the ones which watched over their hens, began barking loudly. The rooster racketing was normal – the dogs barking, however, was an oddity. Ray didn't waste any time jumping out of bed, and barely a minute had gone by when he stepped out of his front door, ballistic automatic weapon in hand. Instinctively, he looked towards Tiberius' home, and as expected, he was there, having taken the same steps as Ray. They both started running towards the Homesteads' land, fearing the worst. Had they been attacked? Did some of the laborers turn on their employers in hopes of making out with some currency or livestock and running? Tiberius and Ray did their best trying to run this small settlement they had, keeping everyone safe and sound, but there was no telling what these relative strangers were thinking.

The dogs, however, were not barking at someone trying to steal some livestock – it was at sight of a slow rising dust in the distant. As they got closer to the outskirts of the settlement, it became visible to Ray and Tiberius, and there was no mistaking it – it was people, in a relatively large number, making their way to Wildbank. They were too far to make out, but the worst was already assumed; someone was coming in to attack the village. Tiberius had already contacted through the communication device the heads of almost all the household, and had told them to bring their weapons.

As the men gathered around Tiberius and Ray, the intruders were also getting closer. Ray estimated around 50 to 60 people approaching them, an army much larger than the ones defending the settlement. Well equipped, yes, but outnumbered by almost three to one. Tiberius had assumed they were riding on motorized vehicles, but after realizing the pace of their approach was too slow to be on motors, it was decided they were riding on horses, or perhaps bivans, stronger and faster indigenous animals that had six legs and were utilized much of the same way as their Earthen cousins. More concerning to the two, however, was what kind of weapons the intruders might be carrying. Tiberius had done a very good job of organizing and amassing solid and strong weaponry for exactly these types of events, but there was no telling if the enemies they were facing were going to be any less capable. Nerves were rattled, sweat was breaking, and the anxiousness was barely contained.

On Ray's orders, the men took positions inside buildings, near trees, and behind large rocks, anticipating the attack and ready to fire the first hit. Their aims were locked directly on to the intruders, and at a single command, they would open fire. From the looks of it, they would commit a massacre, too. The intruders did not look like they had a single defensive unit around them, and this was starting to make Tiberius think. Who would attack any position head on without anything to take cover behind? It did not seem logical or right. Ray, however, overcome with rage at the mere idea of anyone coming in to take over his bastion of peace, was not willing to second guess their initial assumption. He had given the order for the men to take direct aim at them, and everyone was locked and loaded, waiting for the enemy to get close enough before unloading a barrage of bullets and rockets onto them. Shoot first, ask questions later. If they got close enough to return fire, their sheer number would overpower them, and Ray was not about to let that happen. His hand was raised, ready to be dropped and signal for the rest of the men to start shooting when he heard a scream from his side.



"STOP! DO NOT SHOOT! They have children!"

   

It was Tiberius. Ray looked to his right, and sure enough, Tiberius was signaling for the rest of them to stand down, running towards him.




Ray Black: Children? Are you sure?

Tiberius Driver: Yes, look for yourself. That isn't some invading force, cowboy. Those look like refugees. And look close, too. They're either carrying dead bodies or that's their wounded. Somethin' happened to them, cowboy.





Below is a picture of Wildbank and the desert area around it.

[rooker1]

Thank you, thank you.
A bivan, interesting and it has six legs.  Where do they come from?  Genetically altered?  You have a great imagination my friend.
Great work again.

Robin 

[marsh]

Sorry for not having time to comment. Wonderful work as always. A lot of development going on in Nesara.

And it seems as if Wildbank is growing fast. You might want to search for buildings by "onlyplace4" on the STEX. He has some good ones that could fit in very nicely. (The STEX search is messed up, so you should search "wild west". I hope that can help. 

,marsh

[kwakelaar]

I have had a few sneak peaks here the last weeks and I always enjoy visiting Cedar to follow its development.
The town is still booming which is obvious to see from the different images taken from Cedar.
Great work and very entertaining.

[nedalezz]

While I'm working on the next set of updates, I would like to show you Cedar through the ages, from when it first started to what it was just recently Almost to the Classics! Enjoy!

[Tomas Neto]

Very nice!!! It's cool to see the development through the ages!!!

See you in the Classics!!! 

[Reikhardt]

Fascinating update to see the evolution of the city! And I'll give you an advance congratulations on hitting 500 replies!