Residential Quadrants on Birchwood Isle

We envision Birchwood Isle as a quaint and homey small town spread out over roughly half of a privately-governed island in the North Atlantic.

The inhabited half of the island is divided roughly into four main quadrants: The Northern Isle (middle class), the Eastern Isle (upper classes), the Southern Isle (farmlands, ranches, and homesteads), and the Western Isle (lower classes). Originally the Western Isle was devoted as reserved lands for the Piper clan, but that has since changed. 

Recently we've altered the way that we handle the class system on Birchwood Isle (something which will come up soon in one of our Weekly Roleplay Tips, so watch out for it!) in order to encourage people to branch out and make some more unusual selections for their characters. The Eastern Isle has begun to grow too much and we'd like to divert some of these characters into other social classes.

It's difficult to categorize people, and so we've generally filtered people into residential areas at the request of the players. this results in a large number of "wealthy" characters and fewer "poor" characters. We wanted to make things more interesting, so we've further divided these quadrants into two halves each.

From now on, it will look like this:

Upper Class (wealthy) residents will live on the Eastern Isle where it borders the coast and the Northern Isle. This means that some of these residences will be "beach front" while other residences in this section will be set into the woods. Homes in this quadrant will have spacious lawns with larger home buildings. No home will be within shouting distance of its neighbors, and these homes will always be single-family homes (i.e. no condos, townhomes, or apartments in this area).

On the forum, look under Eastern Isle for the Upper Class forum. Your character must either be in the government or have a high-profile, high-income career in order to live here.

Upper Middle Class residents will live on the Eastern central island, closer to the town. This means that the residents of this area have easier access to the town areas and to work. Most of the families housed in this area have at least one working adult in them, and these adults may work higher-profile jobs or simply higher-paid jobs. Homes in this area resemble upper middle class neighborhoods in the United States. These homes are generally in the half-million to million dollar price range (for comparison to American homes). Townhomes and a wealthy apartment complex is provided in this area of the island.

On the forum, look under Eastern Isle for the Middle Class forum. Your character's job must meet income requirements in order to maintain a home in this section. Speak to an administrator before declaring an Eastern Isle family.

Middle Class residents will live on the Northern Island in the wooded area where it borders the Eastern Isle. This area spreads from the woods all the way to the town. These homes are closer together, much like a suburban area in the United States. Neighborhoods are compact and closely knit. Residents of this area generally have good jobs as shoppe or restaurant managers and may work in finance. Apartment complexes and middle class townhomes are available in this area.

On the forum, look under Northern Isle for the Middle Class forum. Your character's family must have at least one adult working in upper management or finance in order to have a home in this area.

Lower Middle Class residents will live on the Northern Isle where it borders the Western Isle. This area spreads back into the woods and stretches to the border with the Western Isle and the lower class areas. Homes here have smaller lawns to keep costs down, but they are still generally very well kept. Residents of this area generally work in lower management and/or have two adults per family working. Two apartment buildings provide inexpensive housing for small families or couples.

On the forum, look under Northern Isle for the Lower Middle Class forum. Your character's family must have at least two working adults in order to have a home in this area. Consider an apartment for single adults.

Working Class residents will live on the Western Isle where it borders the Northern Isle and the beach. This area covers a small amount of land, as there is such a small segment of the population of Birchwood Isle that fit into this wealth class. Homes here are small and compact, and a trailer park dominates much of the land here. Anyone preferring to live in a mobile home will ultimately make their home here, regardless of social class. There are no apartment buildings here: Residents must choose cottages or trailers.

On the forum, look under Western Isle for the Working Class forum. Your character must either belong to a family with low-paying jobs or desire to live in a trailer or trailer park. Please consider your preference of home carefully!

Piper Clan residents will live on the Western Isle where it borders the Southern Isle. This area is reserved specifically for the Piper Clan and no other residents may live here. The clan is played primarily by the administrative team, so this is not an area you'll need to worry too much about. Pipers live in small cottages and occasionally trailers without much organization to their homes. Strangers are generally unwelcome on this part of the island.

On the forum, look under Western Isle for the Piper Lands forum. Your character must be a Piper or adopted into the Piper clan in order to live on this part of the island. Not all Pipers have to live here. 

Homesteaders will live on the Southern Isle where it borders the Piper Lands. This section has been carved out specifically for those who are running small, private homesteads. Properties in this area range in value and size, but many are less than five full acres of land. Families may be dependent entirely on their own homesteads for food, and homesteads may include animals and crops. 

On the forum, look under Southern Isle for the Homesteaders forum. Your character's family must be a homesteading family in order to live on this part of the island. He or she may also hold down a regular job.

Farmers and Ranchers will live on the Southern Isle where it borders the Eastern Isle. The homes here are spread out, the houses generally large, and the acreages huge to provide food for the families on the island as well as to provide livestock animals and meat. Horse and cattle ranches are abundant with one or two sheep ranches scattered throughout. These people provide most of the food for the island.

On the forum, look under Southern isle for the Farms and Ranches forum. Your character must be a farmer or a rancher in order to live on this part of the island. At least one adult must actively farm or ranch the land in order to remain here. Farmers and ranchers may treat their home as a business and hire on additional staff. Include this in the family profile!