SimCity Site & Map: Cotton Bend

The bend in question refers to a river which transects the site. This site is particularly tricky, as you are forced to build a bridge as early as possible or risk complicating your life horribly as time ticks by.

Elevation and Terrain

Cotton Bend is a site divided by a rather large river. The narrowest part of the river is also home to a small mesa that interferes with your ability to build a bridge -- well, a less expensive bridge anyway. You'll start out on the mainland part of the site and then find time to build a bridge over to the island once you are established.

Water Table

So, here's the bad news. When you start this one, you'll be trapped on the mainland -- which has very, very little water. You'll need to make your way to the island as fast as possible. To avoid any ore extraction you may be doing in the future, you should set up your waterworks on the northern tip or southeast corner of the island.

Resources

The island has a crap-ton of metal. The mesa hides a coal deposit and there is also a large coal deposit on the mainland due north of the highway ramp.

Usable Land

The river is your primary focus. I'd say it consumes about a quarter of the site. The mesa is just tall enough to also cause some problems and limit what your island zones will look like. There is a single piece of waterfront -- a tiny little cove -- in the southwest corner that probably is good for nothing -- except a well-deserved mansion for a certain special mayor!