Lego City

Once upon a time, a long, long time ago, way back in 1978, a town was founded. The town, Lego Town, is the only core-themed line of snap-together toys that has been continuously expanded upon every year since its debut in 1978. Other theme sets, Lego Castle and Lego Space, have also enjoyed a rich rate of expansion but they haven't been quite as popular or as regularly enhanced as Lego Town.

As most small towns do, Lego Town grew so rapidly that it became Lego City in 2005. Small town neighborhoods expanded and amenities in Lego City now include emergency medical personnel working in both the police and fire departments. Keep your Lego City up to date with helicopters, fire and police boats, off-road rescue vehicles, a hovercraft or two, and police and fire stations located strategically throughout the city's jurisdiction.

Bustling cities require almost round-the-clock building and maintenance and so does Lego City. A team of builders with all the heavy equipment a real city would require maintains the infrastructure of Lego City. Build your own construction site with diggers large and small, cranes, dump trucks, concrete mixers, haulers and loaders, and the manpower to keep the machinery running.

Accidents happen, especially on construction sites. Make sure your Lego City is equipped with a hospital, medical personnel, an ambulance or two, a rescue helicopter, and a car for the doctor so he can rush in from a busy day on the golf course to tend to medical emergencies. He might even use it to make house calls every now and then.

Transportation is a major issue in a city and no doubt your version of Lego City has made provisions to move the people and to move the freight. Include an airport, a cargo shipping facility, and a train yard to facilitate your busy metropolis.

Is your Lego City situated on the seashore or near a large body of water? A Coast Guard presence, including a rescue helicopter and life raft might prove to be a real life-saving investment in the case of a water-related emergency.

And don't forget the value of commerce along a waterway, either. Consider equipping your Lego City with a harbor that includes ship captain, first mate, dock workers, forklifts, container ships, and all the necessities of shipping freight via the water.

You'll want the inhabitants of your Lego City to have some fun, too. Add some corner cafes, an events center for weddings, and include some service stations so your residents can purchase the gasoline they need to get to the fun.

But after the party comes the clean-up. No modern city, including your Lego City, should be considered complete without a public works department and a recycling facility.