A list of requirements, benefits, disadvantages, and costs for Simcity 3000 Rewards and Opportunities

Mayor's House

Approval needed? No
Requirements: Pop is 5,000
Benefits: Aura and landvalue goes up in residential areas and
a tiny bit in commercial areas. Raises Population cap by 6,000
Disadvantages: None
Best place to put it: In a nice low density neighborhood that
you would like to see revitalized

City Hall

Approval Needed? No
Requirements: Pop is 20,000
Benefits:Sets a spot for downtown/commercial center. Increaces
Aura/landvalue more commercial zones. Raises Population cap by
9,000
Disadvantages: None
Best place to put it: Anywhere in the densest commercial area.

County Courthouse

Approval Needed? No
Requirements: Pop is 25,000
Benefits: Increases aura and landvalue for both residential
areas and commercial areas. Raises Population cap by 9,000
Disadvantages: None
Best place to put it: Near downtown, perhaps in the medium
dense residential/commercial areas surrounding downtown. Could
be in downtown, but might interfere with building space.


National Park (Geysar Park)

Approval Needed? Yes
Requirements: More than 35 park tiles in city.
Benefits: Increases aura in light residential areas and lowers
pollution. Raises Population cap by 25,000

Disadvantages: Cost is §10,000
Should you accept it? Yes
Best Place To Put It: In the outskirts, even out of the way of
a large neighborhood. Perhaps near a farm area.

Statue

Approval Needed? No
Requirements: Pop is 35,000
Benefits: Raises landvalue in downtown commercial/residential
areas. Raises Population Cap by 10,000
disadvantages: None
Best Place To Put It: In or near downtown, could make a great
centerpiece for a rotary.

Lighthouse

Approval Needed? Yes
Requirements: Pop is 15,000
Benefits: Increaces demand for seaport, increases aura in
light residential neighborhoods. Raises Population Cap by
6,000
Disadvantages: Cost is §5,000
Should you accept it? Yes, definately, even when there is no
coast.
Best Place To Put It: Up to the coast, perhaps at the end of a
peninsula that sticks out, looks best when placed near a light
residential neighborhood. If you have no coast, it also looks
nice as a seafood restuarant.

Country Club

Approval Needed? Yes
Requirements: Pop is 125,000
Benefits: Increases aura and landvalue in residential
neighborhoods. Raises Population Cap by 37,500
Disadvantages Cost is §25,000
Should you accept? Yes
Best Place To Put It: In a neighborhood you would like to see
revitalized drastically

Military Base

Approval Needed? Yes
Requirements: Population at 80,000
Benefits: Raises Commercial and Industrial Demand
significantly (doesn't raise any caps)
Disadvantages Raises crime, pollution, and lowers landvalue
significantly
Should you accept? This is a very hard decision. I am half and
half on this one.
Best Place To Put It In an industrial area, or in the
outskirts.

Medical Institute

Approval Needed? Yes
Requirements: Pop is 80,000; year is 1999
Benefits: Raises EQ, raises industrial demand.
Disadvantages Costs §75,000
Should you accept? Yes
Best Place To Put it: It looks great near the university, as
an addon, though it technically works independently. You can
put this pretty much anywhere.

Science Center

Approval Needed? Yes
Requirements: EQ is more than 135, year is 1999.
Benefits: Raises EQ, raises industrial/commercial demand
Disadvantages: Costs §75,000
Should you accept? Yes, definately
Best Place To Put It: Again, looks good in the university
area, better in the military base area, as yet another
addition. Could put it in the industrial areas, as well.

Performing Arts Center

Approval Needed? No
Requirements: Pop is 100,000
Benefits: Raises aura and landvalue in residential/commercial
areas; raises pop cap by 85,000
Disadvantages: None
Best Place To Put It: Near any commercial area, could be in
the suburbs, but will do better near the center.

University

Approval needed? No
Requirements: EQ is above 105
Benefits: Raises EQ and aura
Disadvantages: None
Best Place To Put It: Great in a light-medium residential
neighborhood. Could be on top of a hill, like Brown University
in Providence, RI.

Theme Park

Approval Needed? Yes
Requirements: Pop is 80,000
Benefits: Raises aura in residential/commercial; Population
cap is raised by 200,000!
Disadvantages: Costs §250,000
Should you accept? Yes
Best Place To Put It: Could go in any residential
neighborhood, with some medium commercial areas near it.

Defense Contractor

Approval Needed? Yes
Requirements: Military Base is built
Benefits: Raises Commercial/Industrial Demand.
Disadvantages Costs §75,000
Should you accept? If you can afford it well, I would accept
it.
Best Place To Put It: You can either place it next to or near
your Military Base, OR you can put it in the industrial zones.

Stock Exchange

Approval Needed? No
Requirements: Pop is 200,000; you have §50,000
Benefits: Raises commercial aura and landvalue significantly;
Disadvantages: None
Best Place To Put It: Right smack dab in the center of your
downtown district. Avoid street corners. You should allow room
for those awesome 4x4 skyscrapers.

Spaceport

Approval Needed? Yes
Requirements: Airport at 50 developed tiles; Date is later
than 2500.
Benefits Raises commercial demand very drastically; raises
population cap by 750,000!!!
Disadvantages: Increases pollution; costs §250,000; bug in
SimCity3000 that will cause the ticker to say airports needed
frequently.
Should you accept? If you want your city to get larger than

2,000,000, then you must get this.
Best Place To Put It: The only good place I can think of is in
your airport as an addition.

This should clear things up for you

NOTE: The 'population caps' are not relieved by rewards alone.
Museums, parks, and other buildings will also relief these
caps. 

This page was not written by me, please see the citation below. I posted it 6/24/2002 because it doesn't seem to be anywhere else on the WWW, and it's highly useful.

Date: 3/14/02 12:05 PM   msg #1
From: Rand Huck <RandHuck@cox.net> (Who Is...)
Homepage: Scout Providence
Subject: The Author Awaketh

Doing a search in the thread, I found this one. This is one of a few
articles I wrote for The SimPage in the column "Rand Huck's SimCity Tips"

The article archives are now offline at the moment, but the webmaster, Kevin
Stange, is working to put it back on.

And to explain the lighthouse thing, I forgot to add that it increases
seaport demand, but it also raises land values in residential areas that
need it, and just for aesthetics reasons. (you don't see that many
lighthouses in a dirty industrial district)

And the reason you should still accept it even if you don't have a coast
line is because of the population cap relief and the land values and aura
that it brings. 

Date: 2/15/02 8:36 AM SimCity 3000 Unlimited Edition msg #6302
From: dafiden <dafiden@yahoo.com> (Who Is...)
Subject: Building Info

I posted a message last month requesting this info. Lo and below I found it
in a text file on my hard drive. I have no idea where it came from, so I
cannot give the author appropriate credit. Enjoy.