The Sims Life Stories is a video game, the first game in the The Sims Stories series. The game is a version of The Sims 2 optimized for laptops (and lower-end desktop computers) and bears similarities to the console ports of The Sims games. In Story mode, it begins with the problems of Riley Harlow and Vince Moore. Rewards are unlocked as set goals are achieved. In open-ended Classic mode, the player creates Sims and then choose how they'll live their life through. The Sims Life Stories was released on February 6, 2007. It is categorized as laptop-friendly since it lacks the need for an independent graphic card.

Currently, two other entries in the series are available: The Sims Pet Stories and The Sims Castaway Stories.

The game begins in Story Mode with Riley Harlow's life story as she moves from SimCity to Four Corners to live with her Aunt Sharon to start a new life. A second story follows the life of Vincent Moore, a millionaire who is looking for true love. After both stories are completed the gameplay continues in open-ended Classic mode, which is similar in nature to The Sims 2. The towns in which Riley and Vince live are also available to play when their stories are finished.

Gameplay[link]

The Sims Life Stories uses the same game engine and gameplay mechanics as The Sims 2. In addition to the open-ended freestyle mode from The Sims 2, Life Stories features 2 pre-defined scenarios. In each scenario the player takes control of one of two protagonists and is tasked with accomplishing various goals in that character's life. The game features significant use of scripted sequences to create pre-defined dramatic events and situations. As Life Stories was optimized for use on laptops, hardware requirements are significantly lower than The Sims 2.. There are three neighborhoods to play in this version of the Sims....one for each of the two stories and a freeplay neighborhood. There are no existing expansion packs for The Sims 2 for The Stories series, and The Sims Pet Stories and The Sims Castaway Stories are NOT expansion packs to The Sims: Life Stories. Although the Stories series was specifically designed for laptops, the original version of The Sims 2 will work for laptops provided it meets the specified system requirements.

Characters in Riley's Story[link]

Riley Harlow[link]

The main character of Riley's Story. She moves into her aunt's house in Four Corners after losing her job and being evicted from her house in Sim City. On her first day she moves in, however her Aunt Sharon almost immediately has to leave for something urgent, thus leaving Riley alone for the first few days. Meanwhile, she makes friends with the neighbours who come to welcome her to the neighbourhood, and falls in love with a guy named Mickey Smith, while having to deal with her ex-boyfriend Dylan moving in two weeks before her.

Mickey Smith[link]

A party DJ and also Riley's love interest. He dates Riley after their first meeting and they later begin a relationship, but he breaks up with her on the assumption that she is dating Dylan as well. He later gets engaged to Agora Tchotchke and eventually reconciles with Riley before the wedding. After discovering Agora's scheme, he leaves her at the altar. He then marries Riley at the end of the story and has a baby..

Fiona Fortuna[link]

Riley's friend who gives her a coffee maker as a housewarming gift. She is the one Riley trusts and acts as the provider of information about the neighborhood to her. She also attends Mickey and Agora's wedding and calls Riley to attend as well. She is a widow and the mother of Madison Fortuna.

Dylan Kincaid[link]

Riley's ex-boyfriend from high school who tries to patch things over with her. He has moved in 2 weeks before Riley did and currently works at the Sunworthy Bank. He goes to Riley's house for dinner with her and they have a great time. He also appears to comfort Riley after she breaks up with Mickey. He is found to be cheating on her when he is caught dating Ashley Sinclair. Later it is revealed that he and Agora have attempted to start a plot to kidnap Sharon in order to claim her vast fortune and use Riley who as a relative can claim the cash. He is arrested for doing this.

Agora Tchotchke[link]

Arch enemy of Riley who works as a party DJ. She also has a romantic interest in Mickey, hence fueling the jealousy towards Riley. She has kidnapped Sharon at the bank with Dylan to claim her Simoleons. Towards the end of the story, after she admits that she has done it to marry Mickey and share the money with him, she is left at the altar and arrested.

Sharon Foss[link]

Riley's aunt who lives in Four Corners. She offers Riley her place to stay but leaves abrupty for something important. She is later found kidnapped by Dylan and manages to escape from him. She later passes on her home to Riley and at the end of the story is revealed to be a self-made millionaire who made her fortune in the stock exchange.

Ashley Sinclair[link]

Co-worker of Dylan who attends Mickey and Agora's wedding. She is also seen dating Dylan behind her husband Waring's back and gives a gift to Riley after her wedding. She is the wife of Waring Sinclair.

Madison Fortuna[link]

Minor character in the story. She is the daughter to Fiona Fortuna and only appears as a guest at Mickey and Agora's wedding. She is infatuated with Jacob Margison.

Waring Sinclair[link]

Waring is married to Ashley and a minor character in the story who only appears at Mickey and Agora's wedding. Waring is a successful businessman who fears that his wife Ashley will cheat on him because she is a lot younger than him.

Characters in Vince's Story[link]

Vince Moore[link]

Vince is a rich business tycoon who lives in Bitville. He breaks up with Samantha Hayden after he feels that her wedding proposal was far too sudden. After a while he meets Naomi Hunt and realizes that he really cares for her. Unfortunately while showing Naomi his satellite, it falls on her and she dies. While pleading with the Grim Reaper, he has the choice to save Naomi and lose his house and his money or let her die. If you choose to let her live, you lose your fortune and house. If you choose to let her die you get to keep your fortune and house.

Sherman[link]

Sherman is one of Vince's best friends he goes bowling with him and Greg. He also gives him some information about Samantha. He also tells him about the satellite that kills Naomi.

Naomi Hunt[link]

A barista who works at Baliwood Star Lanes and also Vince's love interest. Their first date at Cliffside Park and the date goes well until a mysterious woman (Kendra Blaise) flirts with Vince and Naomi incorrectly assumes that Vince is a womanizer. Later, she gives Vince a second chance and their relationship improves. At the end of the story she moves in with Vince and is crushed by the SimSat 9000 (that Vince's company shot into space). The Grim Reaper comes and you choose if she lives and Vince loses his money and house, or she dies and he keeps his fortune.

Samantha Hayden[link]

Vince's girlfriend at the beginning of the story who is only dating Vince because of his fortune. They break up after she proposes marriage after only three weeks of their relationship. Subsequently, she harbors a bitter relationship with Vince and gets back at him by dating his rival, Johnny Cullen. She secretly sabotages all of his dates and later on in the story vents out her anger by destroying his house before marrying Johnny.

Greg Chomsky[link]

Vince's best friend.

Johnny Cullen[link]

Vince's business rival and later Samantha Hayden's new boyfriend turned husband. At the end of the story his business fails and he and Samantha split up.

Alexa Starr[link]

One of vince's dates. They dine at Don Calamari's for their date. However the date turns disastrous when Samantha sneaks into the kitchen and sabotages the food causing Alexa to fall asleep on her food. She tends to interrupt during conversations and has an addiction to coffee.

Kendra Blaise[link]

A mysterious lady who is paid by Samantha to claim she had a great date with Vince and sabotage his date with Naomi. She is described as a pyromaniac.

Sasha Aires[link]

Materialistic young woman who is one of Vince's dates. They shop at the Arcadium Plaza during their date. Vince realizes that she is only after his fortune.

Dr. Maximillion Oglethorpe[link]

Vince's friend whom he introduces to Sasha after their date.

Don Calamari[link]

Owner of Don Calamari's and a friend of Vince. He gives Vince a gift as an apology to the incident that happens during Vicne and Alexa's sabotaged date.

Critical reception[link]

On the review aggregator Game Rankings, the game received an average score of 70% based on 22 reviews.^[6] On Metacritic, the game received an average score of 72 out of 100, based on 21 reviews — indicating "mixed or average reviews".^[7]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official Sims 2 website: About The Sims Stories
• Official Sims Stories website: About The Sims Stories
• Official MySpace profile of Riley Harlow

Life Stories may refer to:

• Life Stories (Pat Donohue album), 2003
• Life Stories (Earl Klugh album), 1986
• David Attenborough's Life Stories, a British radio programme
• Piers Morgan's Life Stories, a British television programme

This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the same title. If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article.

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The Sims is a strategic life-simulation video game developed by Maxis and published by Electronic Arts. Its development was led by game designer Will Wright, also known for developing SimCity. It is a simulation of the daily activities of one or more virtual persons ("Sims") in a suburban household near SimCity.

Gameplay[link]

The Sims uses a combination of 3D and 2D graphics techniques. The Sims themselves are rendered as 3D objects, but the house, and all its objects, are pre-rendered, and displayed dimetrically.

Neighborhood screen, Build and Buy modes[link]

While gameplay occurs in the game's Live mode, the player may enter Build mode or Buy mode to pause time and renovate the house or lot.

When the game begins, each family will start off with §20,000 Simoleons (regardless of its number of members). These funds can be used to purchase a small house or vacant lot on the Neighborhood screen. Once a lot is purchased, a house can be built or remodeled in Build mode, and/or purchase or move furniture in the Buy mode. All architectural features and furnishings customizable in the Build and Buy modes follow a square tile system in which items must be placed on a tile. Walls and fences go on the edge of a tile and can follow the edge of the tile or cross it, but furniture items cannot be placed on either side of a crossed tile. The base game contains over 150 items including furniture and architectural elements.

Sims' Lives[link]

Sims are instructed by the player to interact with objects, such as a television set, or other Sims. Sims may receive guests, invited or not, from other playable lots or from a pool of unhoused NPC Sims. If enabled in the game's options, Sims can have a certain amount of free will, allowing them to autonomously interact with their world. However, the player can override most autonomous actions, by cancelling them out in the action queue at the top of the screen. Unlike the simulated environments in games such as SimCity, SimEarth, or SimLife, the Sims are not fully autonomous. They are unable to take certain actions without specific commands from the player, such as paying their bills, finding a job, working out, and conceiving children.

The player can make decisions about time spent in skill development, such as exercise, reading, creativity, and logic, by adding activities to the daily agenda of the Sims. Daily needs such as hygiene maintenance and eating can and must also be scheduled. Although Sims can autonomously perform these actions, they may not prioritize them effectively. Much like real humans, Sims can suffer consequences for neglecting their own needs. For example, Sims can die from starvation if they do not eat for prolonged periods of time. Needs govern the overall moods of the Sims. The Sim will complain to the player in most cases when they are suffering from neglect. If the needs are not fulfilled, the Sims can become grumpy and unwilling to obey certain player-directed commands, particularly ones that further deplete the needs in question. This system follows the Maslow's hierarchy of needs, in which physiological needs must be satisfied before other needs can be attended to.

In addition to fulfilling their needs, Sims need to maintain balanced budgets. The most conventional method of generating an income is to obtain a job. The game presents various career tracks with ten jobs (levels of promotion) in each. The original careers include Business, Entertainment, Law Enforcement, Crime, Medicine, Military, Politics, and Science. Sims may earn promotions by fulfilling skill and friendship requirements of each level. These promotions lead to new job titles, increased wages, and different work hours. The Sims: Livin' Large and The Sims: Unleashed introduced additional career tracks including those of Paranormal, Cooking, and Education. Other means of generating an income include creating and selling various items such as artworks and gnomes at home, or growing produce at home and selling them at a nearby farmers' market. The latter option is introduced in The Sims: Unleashed.

The inner structure of the game is actually an agent based artificial life program. The presentation of the game's artificial intelligence is advanced, and the Sims will respond to outside conditions by themselves, although often the player/controller's intervention is necessary to keep them on the right track. The Sims technically has unlimited replay value, in that there is no way to win the game, and the player can play on indefinitely. It has been described as more like a toy than a game.

In addition, the game includes a very advanced architecture system. The game was originally designed as an architecture simulation alone, with the Sims there only to evaluate the houses, but during development it was decided that the Sims were more interesting than originally anticipated and their once limited role in the game was developed further.^[1]

The first game of The Sims series has several limitations, most notably that children never grow up to become adults, though babies do eventually become children. Also, adult Sims never age (or die of old age), and there is no concept of weekends. For example, adults and children are expected to go to work and attend school respectively, every day. In particular, adults receive a warning if they miss one day of work, but they are fired if they miss work for two consecutive days. Children can study at home to keep their school grades up. If they miss too many days of school or fail, they are transported away to a military academy indefinitely. Because children cannot prepare food or earn money, nor room with another adult Sim, they cannot sustain life on their own if their adult guardians die.

While there is no eventual objective to the game, states of failure do exist in The Sims. One is that Sims may die, either by starvation, drowning, perishing in a fire, electrocution or by virus (contracted from a pet guinea pig, which can happen when its cage is left dirty). When a Sim dies, a tombstone or an urn will appear in , the ghost of the deceased Sim may haunt the building where it died. In addition, Sims can leave a household (and game) for good and never return, if fed up with another Sim; two adult Sims with a bad relationship may brawl, eventually resulting in one of them moving out. Children will be sent away for good if they fail their classes. Sims can also be deliberately killed by the player by various means, such as removing the steps to a pool they are in, removing the doors to a room they are in, or surrounding them by objects. They can also be locked into an "undead" state, by blocking them from exiting a hot tub or bed, where they will remain to interact with other players, despite having few or none of their requirements left.

Life Stages[link]

There are three life stages in The Sims: infant, child and adult. While babies spawn into children, children and adults never age. This means children and adults remain in their life stage indefinitely. All Sims, however, can die from various causes (e.g. burning to death in a fire, drowning in a pool, starving, or dying from disease). If the player owns the Livin' Large expansion pack, the Grim Reaper will appear after the death of a Sim. If a relative of the dead Sim wins against him in Rock, paper, scissors, the dead Sim will be revived. If the relative loses, the dead Sim will remain dead and his/her tombstone will appear. The tombstone will appear where the Sim died, unless the player decides to move it to another place, or just delete it. The Sims Makin' Magic allowed children to turn into adults with a spell.

Music[link]

The game music was composed by Jerry Martin,^[2] Marc Russo , Kirk R. Casey,^[3] and Dix Bruce. The game disc contains 37 tracks, of which 15 were published in 2007 as an official soundtrack album.^[4] Most of the tracks contain no vocals, but some of them feature Simlish lyrics.

Simlish language[link]

Simlish is a fictional language appearing in Maxis' Sim series of games. Inspired by the code talkers of World War II, the Maxis development team created the Simlish language by experimenting with fractured Ukrainian, French, and Tagalog; Sims creator Will Wright also suggested experimenting with Navajo.^[5] Debuting in 1996's SimCopter, the constructed language is prominently featured in The Sims series, and, albeit less frequently, in SimCity 4 and Firaxis' Sid Meier's SimGolf. Conscious of the need for in-game dialogue, designer Will Wright dismissed using a modern language due to repetition during gameplay and financial costs for international translation. Currently, on both The Sims 3 and all of the MySims games, the startup screens feature a clip of a Plumbob and the EA logo, along with a voice speaking in Simlish, which are the same "words" that a Sim uses to greet another.

Expansion packs[link]

The Sims is one of the most heavily expanded computer game franchises ever. In all, a total of seven expansion packs were produced for The Sims (listed in chronological order):

[edit] The Sims: Livin' Large

Release date: August 31, 2000 (North America)

The Sims: Livin' Large (known as The Sims: Livin' It Up in the United Kingdom) is the first expansion pack released for The Sims. This expansion pack focuses on adding new characters, careers, items, and features that allow for more obscure and extreme gameplay. Many of the games new additions may seem a bit out of place. For example, Sims can transform into Frankenstein-esque monsters by ingesting certain potions made from the chemistry set.

[edit] The Sims: House Party

Release date: April 2, 2001 (North America)

The Sims: House Party is the second expansion pack for The Sims. House Party gives players the ability and facilities to hold elaborate parties and gatherings in their Sims' homes. For example, sims can purchase dance floors, costume trunks, and buffet tables complete with hired caterers. Interestingly, if a Sim throws a really good party with a lot of guests, Drew Carey will make a guest appearance and mingle with the guests at the party. Conversely, if the guests at the party become bored, a mime will show up to entertain them with his act, only making them more angry.

House Party was reissued in October 2002, not only to mark the release of The Sims Deluxe Edition, but also to match the box covers of the Hot Date and Vacation expansion packs.

[edit] The Sims: Hot Date

Main article: The Sims: Hot Date

Release date: November 12, 2001 (North America)

The Sims: Hot Date is the third expansion pack released for The Sims. Hot Date adds a significant new feature not present in previous versions of the game: the ability for Sims to leave their homes and travel to new destinations. In this expansion pack, the new destination is composed of ten new lots and is called "Downtown". This new feature sets a new legacy for the franchise as all of the following expansion packs for The Sims add new destinations as well. At this city, Sims can enjoy various activities such as eating at a restaurant, shopping at a store, and going out on dates. Hot Date introduces other new features such as a revamped relationship system involving daily (short term) relationship and lifetime (long term) relationship scores. Sims can also carry inventory and give gifts to other Sims. As with other expansion packs, Hot Date also adds a variety of items such as the heart-shaped hot tub, cuddle swings, and items used to build eateries and shops. New characters such as the blonde bombshell, the matchmaker, and lounge lizards are introduced.

[edit] The Sims: Vacation

Release date: March 28, 2002 (North America)

The Sims: Vacation (called The Sims: On Holiday in the Republic of Ireland, the UK, China and Scandinavia) is the fourth expansion pack for The Sims. Vacation introduces a new destination called "Vacation Island" where Sims can take vacations with family members or with other Sims. This marks the first time Sims can stay on lots away from home. In other words, the game can be saved while a Sim is on Vacation Island. Vacation Island is split into three distinct environments: beach, forest, and snow-capped mountain. Sims can stay at a hotel or rent a tent/igloo to rough it in the wild. They can also purchase or find souvenirs. As with other expansion packs, Vacation introduces new items, characters, and features pertaining to the theme of vacations.

[edit] The Sims: Unleashed

Release date: November 7, 2002 (North America)

The Sims: Unleashed is the fifth expansion pack developed for The Sims. Unleashed introduces pets into the game. While dogs and cats are treated as Sims, other pets are treated as objects. However, dogs and cats cannot be controlled directly like human Sims are, and can only be directed to move around by the player. Small pets introduced by the expansion pack include scarlet macaws, Greater sulphur-crested cockatoos, iguanas, box turtles, Fischer's lovebirds, and budgerigars. Furthermore, Unleashed introduced gardening, allowing Sims to grow and nurture plants that could later be harvested and consumed. In Unleashed, the original ten-lot neighborhood that was featured in all previous games was expanded to over forty, and also provided an option to re-zone lots into residential or commercial. In commercial lots, one can build shops and cafes which Sims can visit by calling the Old Town trolley to take them there. The theme of the game is considered to be Cajun or Zydeco. One could compare it to New Orleans' French Quarter with voodoo shops and jazz musicians appearing on commercial lots. With the addition of The Sims Makin' Magic, users could cast spells on pets and turn them into humans.

[edit] The Sims: Superstar

Release date: May 13, 2003 (North America)

The Sims: Superstar is the sixth expansion pack of the seven released for The Sims. This expansion allows the player's Sims to become entertainment figures and includes representations of several famous personalities. A number of celebrities make cameo appearances but cannot be controlled by the player, and include Andy Warhol, Marilyn Monroe, Jon Bon Jovi, Christina Aguilera, Freddie Prinze, Jr., Sarah McLachlan, Richie Sambora, and Avril Lavigne. Along with new work items such as the runway and leisure items such as the mud bath tub, Superstar includes a new destination called "Studio Town" in which celebrity Sims can utilize these work items to generate simoleons and fame.

[edit] The Sims: Makin' Magic

Release date: October 29, 2003 (North America)

The Sims: Makin' Magic is the seventh and final expansion pack released for The Sims. It introduces magic to the game and allows Sims to cast spells, forge charms, and buy alchemical ingredients. Dragons are also made available as pets to hatch from eggs, and can destroy a Sim's home and garden as well as provide spell ingredients. Makin' Magic introduces the Magic Town lots, which house vendors of magical ingredients and items and a number of magic-related mini-games. Additionally, Sims with enough MagiCoins (the newly-introduced currency) can buy lots to build houses in Magic Town, which provide special magical benefits and abilities. In addition, it introduces baking and nectar-making. This expansion pack includes a disc containing a preview of The Sims 2.

The theme of the game is Mediterranean and Eastern European/gypsy carnival.

Compilations[link]

Core game with expansions[link]

The Sims has been repackaged in numerous editions. These are not expansions in themselves, but compilations of the basic game plus pre-existing expansion packs and additional game content.

Expansions only[link]

There have also been compilations of expansion packs without the core game released in only North America, and some parts of the UK.

Reception[link]

In 2002, The Sims became the top-selling PC game in history, displacing the game Myst, by selling more than 6.3 million copies worldwide.^[6] As of February 7, 2005, the game has shipped 16 million copies worldwide.^[7] Critics praised it with positive reviews. It has been a success in many ways—attracting casual gamers and female gamers (the latter making up almost 60% of players).^[8] Open-ended gameplay has been done before in games, such as the farming-based simulation series Harvest Moon, but The Sims has certainly gained popularity for this particular style of gameplay. In March 2009, Electronic Arts announced that The Sims, as a franchise, has sold more than 100 million copies.

Legacy[link]

The Sims was first released on February 4, 2000.^[9] By March 22, 2002, The Sims had sold more than 6.3 million copies worldwide, making it the best-selling PC game in history;^[6] the game has shipped 16 million copies worldwide as of February 7, 2005.^[7] Since its initial release, seven expansion packs and sequels The Sims 2 and The Sims 3 have been released. The Sims has won numerous awards, including GameSpot's "Game of the Year Award" for 2000.

Sequels and spinoffs[link]

• The Sims Online — Online version of The Sims, where players can interact with other players in real-time
• The Sims 2 — Sequel to The Sims; second generation of the main series; set 25 years after The Sims
• The Sims Stories — Spinoff series featuring goal-directed Story Mode
• MySims — A Wii spinoff focused more on building objects
• The Sims 3 — Prequel to The Sims; third generation of the main series; set 25 years before The Sims
• The Sims Medieval — First title in a line of spinoff products set in medieval times.
• The Sims Social — Facebook spinoff.
• The Sims Freeplay — A freemium version of The Sims for smartphones, iPod Touch, and iPad.

Other versions[link]

Ports[link]

• The Sims and all its expansion packs were ported to the Mac by Aspyr Media, Inc..
• The Sims was ported to Linux using Transgaming's WineX technology (now known as Cedega) and was bundled with Mandrake Linux Gaming Edition. However, the WineX engine is unable to run the Windows version of the game. Transgaming also acknowledges that the original port will no longer run on modern Linux distributions as is. It is important to note that a guide is available to get the game working with Cedega 4.4. The Linux port is unable to accept the various add-on packs intended for the Windows version.^{[citation needed]} It was released on March 12, 2003.

Console versions[link]

The Sims was ported to the PlayStation 2, Xbox, and Nintendo GameCube in 2003. (It was originally for the Nintendo 64 and the PlayStation but was moved to later consoles) Gameplay is similar to that of the PC versions and retains many of the core elements. Notable changes include a full 3D camera perspective (instead of the original 2D isometric viewpoint), more detailed appearances of Sims, and the introduction of a "Get A Life" goals-based story mode. However, a number of limits are placed on the simulation to keep within the more restrictive system requirements on a video game console.^[10] The ports enjoyed a generally favorable reception, with Metacritic scores ranging from 83-85 as of August 2009.^[11][12][13]

The console ports were each followed by a sequel, The Sims: Bustin' Out, and a spin-off game, The Urbz: Sims in the City. These versions incorporate some features of later PC expansion packs, and add a multiplayer mode supporting two simultaneous players.

Film[link]

The Sims (working title) is a live action, drama film currently in preproduction.^[14]

On May 25, 2007, it was announced that The Sims film rights had been purchased by 20th Century Fox.^[15] It will be written by Brian Lynch, the writer of Angel: After The Fall. The film will be produced by John Davis, who has worked on films such as Norbit and Eragon.

Website[link]

The website made by Maxis for The Sims, is now disconnected after 11 years. It has now been replaced with just The Sims 2 and The Sims 3.

References[link]

Inline[link]

General[link]

• Nakamura, Rika; Wirman, Hanna (2005-10). "Girlish Counter-Playing Tactics". Game Studies 5 (1). http://www.gamestudies.org/0501/nakamura_wirman. 
• Pearce, Celia (2002-07). "Sims, BattleBots, Cellular Automata God and Go". Game Studies 2 (1). http://www.gamestudies.org/0102/pearce. 
• Paulk, Charles (2006-12). "Signifying Play: The Sims and the Sociology of Interior Design". Game Studies 6 (1). http://gamestudies.org/0601/articles/paulk. 
• Atkins, Barry. More than a game: the computer Game as fictional form Manchester: Manchester Univ. Press, 2003.

External links[link]

• Official Website
• The Sims Wiki

The Four Corners region is in the red area on this map.

False-colour satellite image of the Four Corners. Bright red lines are vegetation along the major rivers of the area.

A young Navajo boy on horseback in Monument Valley. The Navajo Nation includes much of the Four Corners area, including the valley, used in many western movies.

Flags surrounding the Four Corners Monument. In clockwise order starting from the frontmost flag, the state flag of Arizona, Flag of the Navajo Nation (twice), Utah, Ute Mountain Ute Tribe Reservation, Colorado, New Mexico, Navajo Nation (third instance) and the flag of the United States of America

The Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad, now a heritage railway, formerly connected the Four Corners area to the national rail network.

Bluff, Utah and Comb Ridge from the air.

The Four Corners is a region of the United States consisting of the southwestern corner of Colorado, northwestern corner of New Mexico, northeastern corner of Arizona and southeastern corner of Utah. The Four Corners area is named after the quadripoint where the boundaries of the four states meet, where the Four Corners Monument is located. The majority of the Four Corners region is part of semi-autonomous indigenous American Indian nations, the largest of which is the Navajo Nation, followed by Hopi, Ute and Zuni Indian nations. The Four Corners region is part of a larger region known as the Colorado Plateau and is mostly rural, rugged and arid. In addition to the monument, commonly visited areas within Four Corners include Monument Valley, Mesa Verde National Park and Canyon de Chelly National Monument. The most populous city in the Four Corners region is Farmington, New Mexico, followed by Durango, Colorado.

History[link]

The United States first acquired the area now called Four Corners from Mexico after the Mexican–American War in 1848. In 1863 Congress created Arizona Territory from the western part of New Mexico Territory. The boundary was defined as a line running due south from the southwest corner of Colorado Territory, which had been created in 1861. This was an unusual act of Congress, which almost always defined the boundaries of new territories as lines of latitude or longitude, or following rivers. By defining one boundary as starting at the corner of another Congress ensured the eventual creation of four states meeting at a point, regardless of the inevitable errors of boundary surveying.^[1] The area was first surveyed by the U.S. Government in 1868 as part of an effort to make Colorado Territory into a state, the first of the Four Corners states formed. The first marker was placed at the spot in 1912.^[2] The first Navajo tribal government was established in 1923 to regulate an increasing number of oil exploration activities on Navajo tribal lands.^[3]

Geography[link]

The Four Corners Area is generally defined as a circle around the Four Corners Monument located at 36°59′56.31532″N 109°02′42.62019″W / 36.9989764778°N 109.045172275°W / 36.9989764778; -109.045172275.^[4]

The Four Corners is part of the high Colorado Plateau. This makes the area a center for weather systems, which stabilize on the plateau then proceed eastward through Colorado and into the central states. This weather system creates snow and rain fall over the central United States.^[5]

Protected areas in the Four Corners area include Canyon de Chelly National Monument, Hovenweep National Monument, Mesa Verde National Park and Monument Valley. Mountain Ranges in the Four Corners include Sleeping Ute Mountains, Abajo Mountains and the Chuska Mountains.^[6]

Politics[link]

Six governments have jurisdictional boundaries at the Four Corners: the states of Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico and Utah as well as the tribal governments of the Navajo Nation and Ute Mountain Ute Tribe.^[7] The Four Corners Monument itself is administered by the Navajo Nation Department of Parks and Recreation.^[2] Other tribal nations within the Four Corners region include Hopi and other Ute tribes.^[8] The Four Corners is home to the capital of the Navajo tribal government at Window Rock, Arizona.^[2] The Ute Mountain Ute Tribal headquarters are located at Towaoc, Colorado.^[9]

Cities[link]

The Four Corners region is mostly rural. The economic hub, largest city, and only metropolitan area in the region is Farmington, New Mexico.^[10] The populated settlement closest to the center of Four Corners is Teec Nos Pos, Arizona.^[11] Other cities in the region include Cortez and Durango in Colorado, Monticello and Blanding in Utah, Kayenta and Chinle in Arizona, and Shiprock, Aztec, and Bloomfield in New Mexico.^[10]

Transportation[link]

Air service is available via the Four Corners Regional Airport in Farmington. Interstate 40 passes along the southern edge of the Four Corners region. The primary U.S. Highways that directly serve the Four Corners include U.S. Route 64, U.S. Route 160 (which serves the Four Corners Monument itself), U.S. Route 163, U.S. Route 191, U.S. Route 491 (previously U.S. Route 666^[12]) and U.S. Route 550.

The main line of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway, now operated by the BNSF Railway, passes along the southern edge of Four Corners. The area is home to remnants of through railroads that are now heritage railways. These include the Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad and the Cumbres and Toltec Scenic Railroad. The Black Mesa and Lake Powell Railroad, which connects a power plant with a coal mine near Kayenta comes near the Four Corners.^[6]

See also[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Four Corners, United States

• List of regions of the United States
• List of sets of four countries that border one another
• Four Corners radio stations
• Quadripoint

Notes[link]