CJ Denver---Renovated skyline

Population:

562202

Map:

A_Labyrinth_of_Hills

Game Version:

• Cities XL 2012

4th Update

Situated in the primitve of Sierra Florida, this labyrinth was once dominated by snowy peaks and rampant creeks. Icy water rushed into a valley where is now located the Central, forming a huge mountainous lake and nourishing the greenery. This green maze was also home to unusual wildlife thanks to its abundant natural resources and vast forest.

It was the Frontiersmen that first set foot in the valley in the 1800s. Spellbound by its spectacular beauty, they decided to stay despite the fact thant this was land yet untamed. And so, the very first settlements were made several years after the discovery of the vale. Then a trading post was established to the north of the lake(the current site of Olde Towne). “Lacville” was how they called the town.

The 1820s witnessed the prosperity of lumbering and a steady growth of population from 108 to 1482, a large portion of which was woodcutters and merchants.

Mining explorations ensued. Silver and copper was soon detected on the foot of the Peak Nevada, as was called by the first settlers. Then in the 1830s mining replaced lumbering, becoming the dominant industry of the small town(not yet called Denver). Lost forever was the serenity of the Green Labyrinth ever since the arrival of the mining crew, with their carriages crushing over the mountain trails the first Frontiersmen cleared. They built ore refineries. Toxic gases were generated, soot covered the foot of the mountain, but money was flowing into the town faster than ever before.
-----City Hall~It was there in 1844.

In 1844 the city hall of Lacville was constructed. Roggero S. Denver, the first governor of the small city with a population of 5000, was of European origin. During the first month after his arrival, he, too, was immersed in the natural beauty, but shortly afterwards he was unsatisfied. The lack of decorum in the streets pained the governor, for the buildings were but simple huts and wooden tasteless bungalows. Public service was, at his time, of very low quality as well. And there was no such thing as an exquisite theatre or a grand plaza. With a large sum of tax income, he ordered immediate construction of Denver Opera House(in the Olde Towne) and a catholic church which he christened St. Bartolonew Cathedral in honour of Bartolomew Roberts, the legendary Sage.
-----Denver Opera House and Grand Plaza
View attachment 7166
-----Olde Towne

-----St. Bartolomew Cathedral and May Stadium(Built in 1960)


Architects from France and Italy had been engaged in the work. The constructions took years to complete. In the early 1850s, shops and residences in European style sprouted around the newly built Opera House, and Olde Towne was gruadually shaped, with the main street crossing the town between the Grand Plaza and the City Hall.
The town never ceasing to prosper, the governor prided in showing off his exploits elsewhere, and finally he decided to rename the town “Denver” instead of Lacville, because the old name had hardly pleased him since his first day in the town(“Lac” and “ville”, too common as it seemed). However, he never thought of the deteriorating environment quality, which slowly derpived the Green Labyrinth of its original beauty. Nor did his successors.

The huge lake began to drain in 1860 due to overuse of water. In 1905, the city already had a population of 80,000, and though there was no shortage of electricity and labour, it was confronted with a more serious problem this time--mine depletion. Once rich in copper, the foot of Peak Nevada was now ravaged by abandoned refinery sites, blackened soil seemed like a huge piece of coal. Peaks were no longer snowy owing to the over-emission of greenhouse gases. Though the thriving manufacturing industry saved the city from major recession in the early 1920s, the economy was still devastated in the Great Depression, provoking an exodus of citizens.

At its lowest ebb, the City of Denver was bound to rise again. Served by interstate highways since 1937, the city had a larger intercity traffic flow and improved transportation capacity. The new industrial area was constructed on the old mining site. In addition, the snow having thawed out, the northwest plateau had spared a perfect place for an airport. A small airport was built in 1948. Little New York was also built in commemoration of its revival.
-----Little New York


-----Alviano Art Museum

-----Denver Grand Hotel

The year 1950 marked the commencement of Green Recovery Project. Plans for City Forest were proposed to the government soon after the debut of the Project. Temaining lake areas were transformed into lake-park-residential zones(including South Lake, Central Lake, Muholland Lake and Kingfisher Lake). Bare plains in the north were again covered with green forest.

-----South Lake & Southgate Stadium

View attachment 8319





-----Kingfisher Lake


Modern architecture was largely introduced into the construction of the Central in the 1960s, Denver now has sky-scraping towers as well as classic European buildings. High-tech Industry is now dominant, benefiting from improved freight service. But as Denver developed traffic congestion worsened. Hopefully the Denver Tram System established in 1980 successfully relieved traffic pressure in the Central. The small airport is being transformed into an international airport which will serve as the Air Reception Hall of Denver.

The city is thriving. Never stops its prosperous pace.
-----Industrial E. Interchange

-----Muholland & The Observatory

-----Independence Pass

Denver Road Grid with Ring Highway


Updates Later on
Any suggestions and criticisms are welcome