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

[Jmouse]

Jon, you never cease to amaze with your outstanding maps and charming neighborhoods. I really like the way you've laid out the two parallel roads in 52.02. Actually, you've done a great job on all the roads. They look very natural, and I know from experience that's easier said than done!

The Marshall Historical Park is a real gem. I don't recall seeing those paths edged in stone - are they on the LEX? The fire pit is a favorite BAT, and looks especially good in the night shot.

I'm anxious to see where the next stop will be, and I'm taking a private shot at guessing the locale. I'll tell you whether I was right or wrong, but I won't tell you what I guessed - I want to see how long it takes to actually get there.

Later...
Joan

[JBSimio]

Bobbi:  Thank you!

Earthquake:  Thanks!  I'm glad you liked it.

Ethan:  Thank you!  Dixie Highway may see some development in time, but I doubt it would be widened anytime soon.  It really isn't a major through route in the overall scheme of things.  Cotton Valley Road or Summit Avenue (just west of I-85) would be sure to see upgrades before Dixie Highway would.

Tomas Neto:  Thank you!

Joan:  Thanks!  The parallel roads veer their separate ways just south of the image you mentioned.  Dixie Highway takes the lower route while James E Marshall Road winds through the upper hills in this area.  The paths you mentioned are the rural bike paths by SFBT... I had a look on the LEX but couldn't find them there.  I have them from the DVD... I'll see if Andreas can tell me where else they may be available.  I'm curious to know which area you picked as I honestly have not chosen my next spot yet.  Either way, you're off the hook for a couple days until the next "proper" update is ready.


All this suburban sprawl has really got me itching for some fresh air... how about a little drive to the east of the Riedsville River (somewhere between Reidsville and Boone)

Thanks for stopping by!!!
JB

[Bobbi]

Great mosaics.

[Tomas Neto]

Awesome mosaic, really fantastic!!! 

[Battlecat]

Beautiful mosaic, I like the clouds!  Nice batch of farms there.  Also great job on the details in the last update, I really like the historical park, particularly the stone walls lining the road! 

[Nardo69]

I've always admired how easily you use FAR / FARR. My old donkey's brain seems to be stuck in 45 degrees somehow ...

Great work as always as I might say ...

Take care


Bernhard 

[Earth quake]

This rural interlude is just splendid.
The mosaic is really nice and realistic.

[Jmouse]

Jon, you're such a showoff, but I'm so glad for it! Gorgeous mosaic, and a nice break from the norm. Lots of farms and fields worthy of further study. One thing I noticed right away - you couldn't fit anything else into the space you've shown, but it doesn't feel crowded or cluttered at all. Looks like that's another lesson I can learn from studying your masterful work.

Later...
Joan

[art128]

Hey Jon, such a lot of update I missed there since my last visit, all my apologize for that, because I was a lurker, I passed here but I didn't leaved any comments.. my bad... 
Anyway, that last mosaic is just awesome awesomeness, I've no more words to describe it, as it's such a fantastic example of the FAR use and the non-gird farming. I like, as usual, how you raised the houses at different locations on the farms. Like Joan just said, the farmlands are really study and that is a good thing, I like it a lot. Also, nice trees mix, always nice to see such different varieties of trees.
Take care,
-Arthur.

[vester]

Beautiful countryside. Love it.

[hooha47]

Your suburbs are fantastic and I love that last mosaic.  I still can't get over your region shots, they look so real. 

Keep it up. 

[ecoba]

As Joan (JMouse) said above, you are quite the show off, Jon. But of course, I wouldn't be able to get by some days with out it.

That's some fancy photoshopping there, rainy day in North Carolina, I've experienced that, and I think that looks pretty similar. Maybe Bruce (Schulmanator) could tell us if it looks like this on rainy days outside of Charlotte. Have you ever lived in North Carolina, Jon?

I really like the variety of farms in that picture, very, very pretty, I've got a problem with custom farms growing, is GrandpaAl's farm blocker still available?

Sorry for all the weird questions,

Ethan

[threestooges]

Jon, amazing work as always, but no cars. You've given me an idea though for something to do next week though. The fog effect is nice too. Not sure how that's done, but it's a good effect. Rural Covington, it's always worth a visit. Out of curiosity, what's the farm in the top right of the mosaic, the one with the littel bumps?
-Matt

[danielcote]

Whoah how many updates have I missed!? Sorry if I havn't commented in a while but for some odd reason I thought this CJ was dead. Anyway I'm loving the suburbs but I'd also like to see some more small town action soon.

-Daniel

[JBSimio]

Bobbi:  Thank you!

Tomas Neto:  Thanks to you as well!

Battlecat:  Thank you!  I was pretty happy with how the historical park turned out as well... there were other things I had hoped to add, but there wasn't room due to the fact that it straddles two city tiles. 

Bernhard:  Thank you so much!  Now if I could just get as good with the railroads...

Earth quake:  Thank you!

Joan:  Thanks!  I always thought that I left my farm areas rather sparsely populated, so when I first read your comment, I thought, "What is she talking about?  I could fit all sorts of other stuff in there if I wanted to!"  Then I went back and studied it more myself, and wouldn't you know it?  You're absolutely right!  This is a perfect example of why I'm always so grateful for your comments, Joan.  You seem to notice and then point out things that I may have known only subliminally if at all.

Arthur:  Thank you so much!  It's always nice to see you here.

Vester:  Thanks, Arne!

Hooha:  Thank you!

Ethan:  Thank you!  The clouds are really just a filter option on Photofiltre (which is what I use most often) and the rest were just a few color adjustments.  I did live in Greensboro, North Carolina for about 4 years once upon a time.  I draw the inspiration for Covington from my fading memories of the area.  I use the BSC No Maxis Files (available here) which does prevent the Maxis farms from growing.

Matt:  Thank you!  I saw your idea already so thank you for that as well! 

Daniel:  Thanks!  Not sure how many you've missed, but it's good to see you back.  Covington doesn't die... it just takes extended naps from time to time...

Speaking of napping diaries, I had hoped to have an update a week ago... but work didn't really play along with my personal plans.  However, it is now...

Update Time!!!

Some of you may remember the Piedmont region's other larger city of High Point.  Located southwest of Covington along Cypress Creek, this city has been slowly spreading out and growing larger.  I thought it was about time for another visit...

53.01


This is High Point before today's update.  You can see Interstate 85 passing by the south of the city with the US 29 freeway wrapping around the eastern side before continuing north.  The flattest land in the county can be seen to the east betweent High Point and the Cone River headed towards Covington.

53.02


The first place we should look at is the bend in state Route 6, which ultimately becomes High Point Road as we've known it in Covington.  Aside from I-85 itself, this is the other major road linking the two cities.  You may remember the subdivision on the left edge of this picture from the last time we visited this area.  If you do remember that update at all, you probably know that much of the farm land along High Point Road is under pressure from developers.  I'm sad to say that progress is marching from High Point towards Covington...

53.03


You guessed it... another subdivision in the making!  Some wooded areas along High Point Road are also being cleared to make way for some commercial development near Cone Junction Road.

53.04


A year or so later, the entire subdivision has been developed and new businesses line High Point Road from Cone Junction Road over to North Ridge Road.  Truth be told, the large vineyard just west of North Ridge Road is also under pressure and may soon become a new industrial park... but that won't happen today.  Let's take a closer look at the new development for now.

53.05


Ahh, progress... isn't it grand?  We see the same general housing styles as we have seen all over the region so there isn't a whole lot to be said about it anymore.  It is interesting to note just how quickly the trees grow in North Carolina though!  Pretty amazing, if you ask me...

53.06


The developers of this subdivision were at least thoughtful enough to provide a small community playground in the middle of the neighborhood.  It turned out that this became a very significant selling point and the new neighborhood is made up mostly of younger families with small children.  Also notice that the original farm house survives at what is now a bend before the cul de sac.

53.07


All this residential growth in High Point has helped the city grow.  While downtown will never be a crowd of tall office towers, the buildings here have certainly begun to reach higher.  The central train station has also seen an increase in ridership as more people begin to take advantage of the region's commuter trains.  Although the system is still new and very sparse, High Point does provide direct connections to the Covington and Ashboro lines as well as areas outside the region like Charlotte to the west and Richmond, VA to the north.

53.08


Just south of downtown across the creek is Cypress Medical Center.  Other public safety buildings are also located here and a number of apartment buildings have recently gone up to take advantage of the quick drive across the bridge to downtown.  The views across the creek have also made this a very desirable location for the city of High Point.

53.09


Views like this one, actually.  The most densely packed blocks of High Point are here around the old Kingston Market near city hall.  High Point's tallest building is actually not in this picture but sits almost by itself at a bend in Cypress Creek.

53.10


After all that growth, High Point now looks like this from the air.  The commercial development along High Point Road is noticable even from here and you may be able to pick out several more farms in the area that are beginning to feel squeezed out as the subdivisions surround them.

Thanks for reading!!!
JB

[Tomas Neto]

Very interesting to follow the development of this part of your city!!! I really think fantastic how you manage such a development!!! 

[Battlecat]

Neat to see the area grow like that.  Very nice touch indeed!

[ecoba]

High Point has always been one of my favourite towns in the whoole of Covington, Jon.

So, it's nice to come back, how it brings back memories. Unfortunately, it seemed inevitable that High Point would fall prey to the suburban sprawl that curses so many cities in the present day.

...so, I'm happy....

Ethan

P.S. Hope that post made sense....

[Jmouse]

Sad to see agri-fields surrendered to cigar-puffing developers who wave wads of money in the faces of weary farmers. Progress does march on, though, trampling everything in its path. I saw the same thing happen in the small Texas town where I used to live.

On a brighter note, the new subdivision does look good, though. The CBD (53.07, .08 and .09) is looking good, too - better than most growing towns I've seen in RL. You've chosen very appropriate BATs and achieved an amazingly-realistic effect.  I especially like the hospital in 53.08 - don't recall seeing it before. I'm still adding to my new plugin folder, though, and will continue to do so for quite a while I'm sure.

You definitely have an eye for re-creating the essence of America's most attractive rural and suburban areas. It shows in Covington, and it's visible in such exceptional collections as the SHUR Project.

Excellent update...
Joan

[Fabian93]

Congratulation on moving into the HALL OF FAME  
You really deserve it

The recent Update looks fantastic - as I've already said... your region shot looks so real and I really like High Point, especially those little settlements along the fields

Keep up the fantastic work ,
Fabian