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

[art128]

wow the region shot is very impressive  very good work 

[bat]

That region overview looks awesome there, JBSimio!
The rural area is also very beautiful!
Excellent teaser(s)!!!!

Looking forward to the road trip......

[CasperVg]

That is just, pure, rural eye candy. It is awesomely planned and awesomely thought-out, and it looks awesome in-game. You are doing a most impressive job!

[JBSimio]

Dustin:  Thank you!  Jump in the mini bus... the time has arrived! 

Dan:  Thanks!  I look forward to seeing you more.

Joan:  Thank you!  This region would be 4x4 if they were all large tiles.

Edge:  Thank you!  Patience is one thing I seem to have plenty of... luck of the draw, I guess. 

Matt:  Thanks!  I think we have too many miles to cover for a hayride this time... and the railroad misses most of the towns on this side as well, unfortunately.  You have a knack for picking out the same things I tend to notice just after I finish something.  I had no intention of making the farms more sparse as I moved north and west, but that's just how it happened.  It's mainly due to the hills in the area.  They definitely get higher in that corner of the map compared to the rest, so it's similar to the area around Ashboro to the south, but on a larger scale.

Simpson:  Thank you!

Wouanagaine:  Thanks and welcome!  The tour along the river is a few updates back... but it's great to have you along for this one anyway. 

Arthur:  Thanks!

Bat:  Thank you!

Caspervg:  Thank you!  I hope the close ups can live up to all the hype.

Update Time!!!

Well, I promised you another rural tour... and it's going to be another long one!  We'll start out in Sharon Mills... head over the ridge to Salem... then we'll follow the valley down to Stokesdale.  From there, we'll cross over Interstate 40 before turning onto US 421 (which becomes Friendly Avenue in Covington, in case you're interested) heading west towards Pleasant Valley and finally Kernersville.  Let's have a look at the map first:

17.1



Our route is shaded (rather poorly) in yellow.  I know, it's a rather large map this time... but it just goes to show you how lightly populated this area really is.  Anyway... on with the tour!

17.2


Welcome to Sharon Mills.  This small town is nestled in the hills northwest of Covington.  The Joseph Ryan Parkway passes just south of town, although there is no exit here.  There has been talk of adding ramps at this point, since the road is actually a state highway, but for now it's all talk.  Sharon Mills is also home to the regional power station which serves most of the areas we'll be looking at today.

17.3


A closer look at the town shows that there really isn't all that much here.  NC 46 heads to the east (off the upper right of this picture) where it eventually leades to Riedsville and Boone.  It turns the corner in the center of town and heads west to our next stop... so we'll get there in a moment.

17.4


Sharon Mills has a rather eclectic mix of businesses for such a small town.  The Scottish Inn and Pub has anchored this corner for nearly a century.  Next door is the local 7-11, proving that no village can escape the mighty Slurpee.  Goober's Nuts is a newer shop which caters primarily to the "30 and over" crowd who need to keep a steady supply of beer nuts on hand for visits to the Scottish Inn.  Kitty's Klothes occupies the other historic shop here and keeps the whole town dressed in sports wear from Tripwired.

Lets head west on NC 46 now for a short trip over the hill to Salem.

17.5


We're coming into Salem from the right hand side of this picture.  Salem is a little larger than Sharon Mills, but not by a whole lot.  NC 46 makes a short jog north along Squirrel Valley Road before turning west again to continue to points that we'll never see in this diary.

17.6


Salem does have a few small industries on the western side of town just off the highway.  The older building makes all sorts of nifty trinkets which various tourists shops in the local mountains then pass off as homemade crafts.  Dishonest though it may seem at first, a company spokesman once told me, "OK... perhaps the moccasins aren't made by native Indians, but at least they're still made here instead of in Taiwan."  I found it difficult to argue with this logic and thought it would be best to stroll around downtown instead.

17.7


Salem has managed to keep many of its older buildings intact over the years and most of the shops here line Squirrel Valley Road.  The big exception to this would be the large gas station/used car lot/taco stand business that occupies the wedge-shaped corner just north of NC 46.  The residents in nearby houses were less than thrilled when this parcel was built about 20 years ago.  Many of them have stayed anyway, as they like their historic homes too much to just up and move.

17.8


This is probably a better look at the buildings the town wants everyone to see.  Unfortunately, our photographer for this little trip failed to crop out the aforementioned gas/car/taco mess.  As of this writing, he has been demoted and will soon be working with the monkeys on an upcoming school building project.

17.9


As we head south out of Salem on Squirrel Valley Road, let's spare a moment to admire the very nice village church, shall we?  It would appear that the parsonage next door could stand to have the lawn fertilized... but it's still a pretty nice view if you ask me.

17.10


We'll enter Stokesdale from the top of this picture, passing some of the many farms that line Squirrel Valley.  This may look like just another small farming town, but Stokesdale is actually a big tourist draw during the last week in August.  Lucky for all of us, today is Sunday, August 24... contrary to what anyone else decides to tell you.  (Don't argue... just accept the fact that your calendar is nearly two weeks fast and let's move on, OK?)

17.11


A closer look shows that Stokesdale, like Salem, has a rather attractive mix of older storefronts and a nice little village church lining the main roads.  Of course, 7-11 is also here if you've finished your Slurpee from Sharon Mills already.  There are also a few small industries here which have drawn a fair amount of immigration in the last couple decades.  People tend to think that people coming to the US will go to the major cities like New York or San Francisco for work, but Stokesdale has somehow managed to attract a significant population from the Ukraine.  And here is where our little road trip takes a slight detour... because today (August 24) is the Ukrainian Independance Day!

17.12


Our photographer managed to get this picture of the contestants for Squirrel Valley Princess.  I'm not sure how he talked the girls into taking a photo when they obviously still have to get dressed and ready for the parade.  At least he let them paint their flags on first!  I'm only more convinced that I made the right decision in firing this guy from future tours.

17.13


Once again... this photographer sucks at his job!  He was supposed to get pictures of the parade as it went past the various businesses downtown.  Instead, he snapped this picture while traffic was still clearing the route before the parade even started!  At least it gives you a nice idea of the shops if you ever choose to visit again.

17.14


The Independance Parade ends at this small park on the north side of town.  The owners of nearby homes campaign for months hoping to have their house selected as the site for the reception and crowning ceremony.  There are still a few people lingering in the park, but our photographer (let's call him Worthless, just for the sake of preserving his true identity) has once again missed the key shot.

17.15


Here is a picture of Stokesdale mayor with this year's Squirrel Valley Princess.  This photo was actually taken by a runner up, so Worthless has yet to redeem himself even now.  Apparently, Ann is a little skeptical of Mayor Simio's choice in bowties, but she later said she was very happy and would always remember this particular summer.

17.16


We head out of Stokesdale along Sharon Hollow Road.  Just across Interstate 40, Worthless finally managed to get another nice picture of this farm.

17.17


Just past the expressway, we cross over the railroad tracks winding though the hills from Covington.  This route doesn't get much use anymore as many of the trains use the tracks to the south through High Point now.

17.18


Shortly after crossing the railroad, we turn west onto US 421 and eventually enter Pleasant Valley from the east (lower left side in this picture).  Pleasant Valley is by far the largest town in today's tour.  The town is centered around a jumble of fairly major intersections (at least as major as an intersection can be out here) and spreads along the valleys and around the surrounding hills.

17.19


Our first indication of being back in civilization are a few small industries and the John Deere outlet on the corner on the north edge of town.  US 421 makes a left turn here and heads south into the downtown area.  Maybe we should go that way, too?  OK then...

17.20


As we get closer to the center of town, we can see a fair share of the housing available in Pleasant Valley wrapping around the north and east sides.

17.21


Most of the shops and businesses in Pleasant Valley line the south side of US 421 here.  The few buildings on the north side of the road butt right against the hills and there isn't much room to build behind them.  The town is large enough to support a school, which busses in from many of the surrounding areas as well.  And of course, they have a nice little church of their own here.  Large and small older homes work their way in where ever space can be found.

17.22


We'll take a right turn just past downtown and continue following US 421 west out of Pleasant Valley.  Another small industrial area marks the edge of Pleasant Valley before we start crossing the next set of hills on the way to our final stop for today.

17.23


Just before we get to Kernersville, we cross beneath the recently completed US 29 bypass.  This expressway follows the same basic path as the old two lane road and the rails heading south into and around High Point.  To the north it connects with Interstate 40 and US 29 continues onward along the same two lane highway.

17.24


Kernersville is our last stop.  It's another one of those small towns that had big dreams once upon a time.  The railroad built a shipping facility here along the north bound tracks from High Point.  They expected the town to flourish around it, but that just never happened.  A farmer's market is about the only thing of any significance that has been built here since those days.

17.25


This picture isn't really part of the tour anywhere, but I thought it was a good example of some of the tricks I had to use to fit this corner of the region together.  To be honest, much of this area did not turn out the way I originally envisioned it.  Pleasant Valley was the only town I had in mind at the end of that "tutorial" update.  The rest of them kind of presented themselves as I went along.  I had also planned a fairly significant small city similar to Ashboro or Raliegh, but that never happened either.  I know several people have asked me how much I plan or don't plan... so I guess that's part of the answer.  I often have ideas in the beginning, but many of them change once the building and zoning actually start.

Anyway... thanks again for reading!

JB

No photographers or Ukrainians - real or imagined - were harmed in the making of this update

[nerdly_dood]

Not bad! Good thing you fired your photographer, though, I'd have to make a pretty big effort to miss a picture of a parade though.

Actually it's a shame that SimCity 4 abandoned the parade thing that SimCity 3000 had, although I think that the SC3K parade was pretty annoying most of the time.

[Diggis]

Jon, that was brilliant.  Don't be too hard on the photographer, better he's missing critical moments behind the camera than missing critical structural members in a school.    Great shot of the Mayor, although I'm with Ann on the bow tie.  I'd fire the wardrobe if I were him. 

A closer look at the town shows that there really isn't all that much here.

The Sharon I knew was like that too. 

[bat]

That road trip is beautiful there, JBSimio!
And wonderful map of that part of your fantastic region!
All pictures are looking great!

Looking forward to more...

[threestooges]

Well, so much for the hayride (and the train ride, but thanks for the pic of the old train route), but what the hey, plenty of stuff here to look at.  Good stuff about the farms too. Some of the best designs and pics come by accident I've noticed, whereas others that are intended to be taken... well let's get to the update.

Very nice map to start with. They keep getting better each time, and the shading isn't too bad. It drifts off the road a bit here and there, but that's no big deal. I'm a bit surprised Sharon Mills doesn't have an exit from the parkway yet, with the regional power station right there. It looks like they have a bit of a drive to the nearest onramp, but oh well, it looks like a nice drive.

The overview of Salem (17.5) is one of the better overview pics I've seen here. I like the filling station area, even if it does clash a bit with the historic feel of the area and really, where else can you buy a car, fill it up and grab a bite to eat so quickly?

Sorry to hear about the photographer, but at least his pics were in focus. Sure, he may not have gotten a pic of the parade, sure he may have distracted the Squirrel Valley Princess contestants from their preparations, sure he missed the celebration in the park... yeah, ok... Worthless might not be a bad psudonym... at any rate, the areas in his did did look interesting.

Nice to see a picture of the mayor. From the looks of things he runs a good town, and it was nice of him to pose for a picture. The bowtie was a nice touch too. Nice to put a face to some of the members of the community.

Pleasant Valley and Kernersville look like nice little places too and make a fitting end to this little excursion. I was starting to wonder where the school was going to be. Must be a bit of a bus ride for some of those kids (but then I had one that used to take a couple hours in middle school).

Great update here, and the narration was excellent. I love a good pun, and the humor of this update kept me chuckling. Take it easy and I hope Worthless works better for you in the school department.
-Matt

[art128]

very nice update my friend 

[Simpson]

Very fine update my friend
I really love the générale pics: 17.5 and 17. 18
Your fields are always so réalistic and perfect, I'm until forward to the next update  

[paroch]

Hey Jon, What a great update.

Some MDs class three new pics as an update........here in Covington you KNOW how to give an update with plenty happening. 

It's hard to know where to start or what to specifically comment on........ the idea of the tour is really good and gives you the chance to show of the rural parts of your region and us to sit back and enjoy them.  And I have to say you perform the trick of large village/small town really well.  And of course the JBS narrative is also fun.

If I had to pick a favourite pic it would be 17.18 and/or 17.20.  Not sure why - but they are just really great pics.  If I had to give a suggestion for maybe trying something a little different, it would be pic 17.13.  I think I'd have run the road from the Bakery straight along to the junction with the green roofed corner building.  Just because this would have given you a straight road to build those historic shops on and I think that would have made for a more interesting row of shops....I'm not convinced they work so well on the diagonal.

But hey, if that's the only suggestion I can find then it says what a great update you've delivered us.

I'm intrigued by the shiny blue bow tie - I have to assume you wore it as a bet??!!??

All the best mate,

Paul

[dsrwhat316]

A fine update, my friend! I especially like pics 17.5 and 17.18; those overviews are very impressive. A lot of pics for this update; you make me look bad 

~ Dan

[Jmouse]

Now THIS is what I call an update! As I cruise about the countryside, I fix first upon 17.5 to admire your ability to scatter out the buildings instead of lumping them all together. Then the church dominating 17.9 catches my eye - the surrounding houses give the entire scene a warm rural appearance. I can picture ladies with hot homemade pies crossing the street to leave those treats in the fellowship hall.

The award for sheer peace and tranquility goes to 17.14, but I'm not sure what the guy in the blue bow tie deserves. The committee is still out on that one. The farm in 17.16 saves the day, though, and 17.18 is just superbly picturesque. Surprisingly the "bald" spots add an important element although I cannot think of a proper word for it at the moment. Still, I urge you to leave them as they are.

The church in 17.21 makes the photo a standout, but the simplicity of 17.20 makes me want to sell out and move there! Overall, this is rural America at its best. The vintage shops, small industries and beautiful neighborhoods say it all!

Wonderful update...
Joan

[JBSimio]

Nerdly_dood:  Thanks!  While gathering pictures for that update, I had to sit and think trying to remember if SC4 had a parade in it or not.  I remember feeling the same way about the SC3K.  It was fun to watch the first time or two... but then it just got annoying.

Shaun:  Thank you!  Fortunately, the load distribution for pixels isn't too high, so I think the children will be safe in school!  Poor Sharon... if only she knew the things being said about her...

Bat:  Thanks again for all your kind words!

Matt:  Thank you!  The real reason that Sharon Mills doesn't have an exit ramp yet is simply the space needed to build the ramps.  I'm sure I'll work some in there eventually, but I have to figure out exactly how.  I didn't realize that 17.5 would be such a popular picture, but it seems that quite a few people enjoyed it.  Worthless did manage to get a number of good pictures, but I'm still upset that he dropped the ball so often during the festivities in Stokesdale.  In reality, there certainly should be at least one more school in the area, but for game purposes I rarely build schools in my farming tiles.  I don't want the people getting too smart to work the land after all!  I'm glad you enjoyed the couple "real" pictures... I just felt it was a good way to show some of the people I spent most of my summer with.  As for the puns and humor, well... I guess I was just in rare form that day! 

Arthur:  Thank you!

Simpson:  Thanks!  The overviews were definitely a hit this time around.  I really just took them out of habit without even thinking too much about them, so I'm glad they turned out so well.

Paul:  Thank you!  Three pictures?  I guess I just felt the need to make up for some lost time!      I see exactly what you mean about 7.13 with the corner shaped the way it is.  That's another one of those very fine examples of where the region view competes with the closer views.  I kept that little side step in there to "finish" out the curve in the road... but zoom in a little bit and you get exactly what you're talking about.  Perhaps it's time to start making diagonal versions of the Smalltown stuff?     As for the shiny bowtie... well... that's a funny story.  No it's not... but I'll make it funny... here we go...  Actually, the bow tie was given to me and put on me by Zina (blonde hair, yellow shirt, next to Ann) at the party that evening.  It was late... beer was involved... what can I say?  I also learned that playing along is much easier than arguing when there are language barriers involved! 

Dan:  Thank you!  I don't know how you could look bad when I didn't provide a proper update for months...

Joan:  Thank you very much!  I'm really glad you liked and mentioned the church in 17.9... it's always been one of my favorites, and I thought it fit perfectly in that town.  The guy in the bow tie deserves to be laughed at, ridiculed, and then banished for weeks on end... but that probably won't happen.  I really appreciate all your comments and your response this time tells me that I've definitely found the right balance for the area.

Update Time!!!

I think it's time we finally revisit Covington.  Most of the city updates to this point have centered around a specific neighborhood or some sort of theme.  This one... well... not so much.  We'll stay primarily on the east side of town, but that's about the best summary I can give you.  Here's a look at the map...

18.1


Hopefully these are starting to become familiar enough that you can orient yourselves without too much trouble.  I did label the major neighborhoods we've already visited in this area.  I shaded a couple of the outer industrial parks, which we'll see in a minute.  We'll also be looking at a couple more transitional residential neighborhoods which really don't even have names.  One is the area that sort of wraps around the north and east of Shacktown.  The other is south of Indian Village and east of Oak Park.  Anyway... on with the update...

18.2


This is part of the I-85 Industrial park on the north side of the city.  I still have a lot of fine tuning to do here.  Frankly, this probably doesn't even warrant a picture just yet... but I had already shaded the map so I had to do something!  Industry has always fronted the railroad here, but with easy access to the expressway as well, this promises to be a pretty busy area as it redevelops.  But for now, let's just move on...

18.3


Heading southeast from I-85, we come into our first neighborhood.  You can see a bit of Shacktown just to the south in the corner of this picture.  The developer for this area tried to make a very defined neighborhood with distinctive British inspired architecture, but the proximity of Shacktown and also the heavy pollution from the older industries kept the housing values fairly low.  The unfortunate developer just wasn't able to attract enough buyers to make his vision a reality.

18.4


Moving further east, the houses definitely get a little nicer.  Much like the rest of Covington, there seems to be no rhyme or reason to the layout of the local side streets.  Even busses have been known to drive around in circles through these streets trying to find their way back to a main road.  This entire area continues to change as people come and go.  The occasional mansion is built right alongside smaller 19th century houses.

18.5


As we continue on, we'll head south crossing over I-40 at the exit ramps and then across Market Avenue which can just be seen in the upper corner of this picture.  The cemeteries here mark the eastern edge of Indian Village.  I tried to make this transition somewhat subtle by mixing in some lower densities, although it doesn't show up very well in this picture.

18.6


Continuing south, we cross Lee Street and then another rail line alongside of the C&A Industrial Park.  Named for the Covington & Atlantic Railroad line, this industrial park also has older and newer areas.  The land between Lee Street and the tracks is packed with older factories.  South of the railroad was entirely residential at one time, but that all changed with one signature by a city official in the late 1970's.  Wanting to attract new industry, the former mayor relocated multiple blocks of people to make way for a series of large distribution centers.  The first picture above shows how the new "industrial park" just cuts right into the older neighborhood (which doesn't appear to have fared all that well since then).

18.7


This is just another angle of the same area.  Many people have questioned the former mayor's logic in locating these warehouses as there is really no quick route out of the city for all the trucks to follow.  They are basically force to stay on Lee Street heading east for several miles until they can finally turn north on another surface avenue before eventually joining up with I-40.  Or they can cut through Indian Village on the narrower roads, but the local police are never very appreciative of this tactic.

18.8


This picture serves no additional purpose, except to point out just how amazing Jestarr is when it comes to industrial buildings.  I love the detail on this Acme Boiler factory!  It does also show how the area needed to be stepped down to handle these much larger lots.

18.9


Heading west from the C&A Industrial Park we can see more of the same neighborhood that was torn apart by the "job creation" tactics of 30-some years ago.  This area runs along the same railroad and has never been a very wealthy part of the city.  Sandwiched between the industrial area we just left and the major industrial center downtown, these houses have never been more than working class homes.  Primarily lower-middle class now, the neighborhood continues to stay occupied, but it is a very transient area.

18.10


Probably the most defining "landmark" for this neighborhood is its large school complex.  Housing both elementary and high schools, this is probably the largest public school in the city.  The buildings themselves are beginning to get a bit crowded, but the school system has invested so much money in the surrounding sports facilities that space has become limited.  Time will tell how much longer this problem remains.

18.11


The neighborhood, once again,does improve as we move further south approaching Oak Park.  The houses get a little nicer and the people tend to stay in one place a little longer.  The southern edge of the city's main industrial center can also be seen in the background of this picture.

And of course, it wouldn't be Covington without one of these... (hopefully the areas of new expansion are noticable!)

18.12


Thanks for stopping!
JB

[Pat]

WoW Jon so that is the mugg behind the pic ehh? I love your story behind the bow tie... I could have sworn I left a witty comment but I didnt what the heck is wrong with me??? Anywho to make up for it I see there is a building starving for power there in the last pic    What a wonderful update in whole and I cant wait till the next one!!!

[art128]

excellent update my friend  I realy like the region shot, very realistic 

[bat]

Beautiful new update there! The map and pictures of Covington are looking fantastic! Great work there and looking forward to the next update, too!!!!!!!

[Diggis]

I also learned that playing along is much easier than arguing when there are language barriers involved! 

Or when women are involved.  

Great update there Jon.  Nice tour of the suburbs and love the industry.  But my favourite has to be the school complex.  Well laid out. Reminds me of my old school, except we had rugby and hockey fields and a swimming pool instead of the baseball diamond.  I can point you in the direction of some nice tennis courts if you want.

[BarbyW]

Great update, Jon. Your special brand of humour certainly shows through and your neighbourhoods are diverse and always have plenty to look at.
I see Shaun managed to get a shameless plug in there

[Sheep49]

Nice update, Jon!

I love the whole region screenshot. The farms look so realistic there!

Everything is lovely and well-planned. I like it!
Piotr