Neighborhoods

This is a special section specifically to do with housing developments, which should prove of use to our delivery driving friends.

Neighborhoods are a special segment of existence. The rules inside them are different. Not every house is in a neighborhood; plenty of regular roads have houses along them. You are only in a neighborhood if there are only houses around, or if you specifically went into one. Most neighborhoods are marked with some kind of fancy title sign and bricks. Apartment complexes usually follow the same patterns; a housing development with a title and limited ways in or out.

For ease of memory, most neighborhoods look like one of four patterns, which have their own methods of escaping.




Quick and Easy Neighborhoods

They're just that - quick and easy. Sometimes they have a few bits - a loop, or a second dead-end street. You can tell on the way in whether there is a loop or not, because there will be a sign that says No Outlet or Dead End. Just use your brain and your eyes to get out of this one.



Through-Street Neighborhoods

A little trickier; these can dump you somewhere unexpected on the other side. This may cause some confusion, but not be a major problem after learning the rest of this book. Sometimes these have little cul-de-sac branches in them, sometimes not. Just keep turning left until you find a main road, any main road, and work from there.



Dead Tree Neighborhoods

What started off as a Quick And Easy got out of hand; but it's still a neighborhood. Limited ways in or out, but there is a LOT of it, and it keeps going. Dead Trees were either built by a sadistic development, or kind of grew that way from many smaller subdivisions branching off each other. The trick to getting out of these is to go uphill. There's always a creek at the back of the property lines, and a road at the top. And if that particular hill isn't the main road, you should at least be able to tell which direction is Town and which is Not from a quick look around.



Kudzu Neighborhoods

These horrors were probably once a through-street neighborhood or four, with a few Dead Trees stuck on. They loop, they wander, they have dozens of dead ends. They suck. Use everything - labyrinth navigation theory, avoiding dead ends, moving uphill as much as possible, and pray to whatever God you like to help your way back to some traffic lights and businesses. Traffic lights and businesses lead to JCT signs, interstates, landmarks, and other useful things from the rest of the guide.






Safety Tips


People get weird about residences in Appalachia. There are signs here, too. Beware of the Dog, Private Property, Trespassers Will Be Shot - believe them. Be safe, and turn around on streets if at all possible, not in driveways. Don't park blocking mailboxes or other cars.

Some streets allow street parking. Go extra slow - cats and children can dart from between parked cars with no warning, and get hurt very easily.

Do not stop and solicit help from any residence of strangers. People disappear too easily like that. Find a business or something with an Open sign.