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Contributor/author(s): John Musacha

The loan interest rate in the simulation is 20%. The return on high-density, high-value zoning, however, even with modest tax rates of 6-7%, is closer to 30% or higher, making the use of the loans an almost no-risk option, thereby allowing you to build up a city quickly without ever cheating. One must be careful to spend your loan money on high-density zoning and parks though, and not frivolously.

I started out in 1900 on the "hard" level (§10,000 loan only). I then took out §175,000 through loans before I began to lay out my city. To maximize property values, I used the 11x11 grid (see below). My industrial zones were varying strips of light, medium, and high density. Make sure everything is powered and watered, and build the city in that grid from the center of the map, with the industrial strips on the borders on the map. You can zone a landfill away from the city, but I chose to export all my trash as soon as the city started, thereby eliminating an impediment to reaching high land values. I used all §185,000 to zone as much as I could, then I started the simulation. I also left empty spaces in the plan for the Mayor's House, City Hall, and Courthouse to be placed when the population reached the requisite levels.

I started the simulation and by 1904 I already had a population of over 50,000 and, while I was running in the red, the city was making enough money to allow me to safely take out another §50,000 in loans and zone in the 11x11 grid some more. I easily repaid the loans in 10 years, and then took out another §175,000 and again zoned a massive amount of high-value land on the 11x11 grid. By 1915 the city was running large budget surpluses, thereby making the loans from then on a no-risk venture, and by 1945, my city had over 450,000 citizens, and was running a surplus of over §250,000 a year at 7% tax rate. All this was done with no cheating whatsoever.

Note: If you get impatient and want to raise the money for the first amount of loans up front, raise taxes up to 22% after your first zoned areas are fully developed. The Sims will take about 4 years of 22% tax rates to move out, but in the meanwhile you will reap massive tax revenues. I did this once with a population of 50,000, and raised about §130,000 in surplus over the four years before the Sims moved out. You can save this money in the city's treasury to pay off the loans, or you can use the money for further zoning. After your Sims leave in disgust, you can always immediately bring them back by lowering taxes down to 7-9%. The Sims never catch onto this scheme, so you can repeat this on them as needed (or desired, in the case of you sadistic dictator types).

Note on 11x11 grids (surrounded on all four sides by road):

R R R R s s s R R R R
R R R R P P P R R R R
R R R R P P P R R R R
R R R R P P P R R R R 
s P P P P P P P P P s
s P P P P P P P P P s
s P P P P P P P P P s
R R R R P P P R R R R
R R R R P P P R R R R 
R R R R P P P R R R R 
R R R R s s s R R R R 

R = high density residential (or commerical)
P = large park (3x3)
s = small park (1x1), to use on edges of the grid

The large park in the middle of the grid can be replaced with police, fire, education, or hospitals as desired, and the small parks on the edges can be replaced with bus stops or subway stations as desired.

This grid always leads to extremely high value land! This 11x11 layout costs approximately §9,700 to build (including road costs), but your tax recepits will skyrocket, thereby paying for it over and over, year in and year out.

See also
Financial tips for beginners

Knowledge Tree
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