AJ Murphy wrote:What can you tell me about the different areas of Harper Rock, both before and after the quarantine was implemented? What were the low-income areas, where was wealth generally concentrated in and around town, what were the town's ethnic enclaves, etc?
This is an excellent set of questions. Let me see if I can get it all =D
Some general information about the city can be found
here.
As far as areas go, Harper Rock is broken down into districts.
Honeymead is basically a suburb and has a ton of residences. It's upper-middle class and has locations like little boutique shops, library etc.
Cherrydale and Elmworth are some of the oldest parts of the city, and they happen to be where a lot of affluent members of society live (including the Mayor). Think mansions, older architecture, etc.
Gullsborough is a commercial district on the river. Prior to the zombie outbreak, it was probably one of the nicest parts of the city, simply because it was a tourist destination which (along with the industrial districts and Wickbridge) were some of the backbone of Harper Rock's economic structure. Because it's so close to the Quarantine zone (which is roughly in the center of the city), the city's economy has taken a bit of a hit as business owners are abandoning their shops (which are also being looted in some cases).
Bullwood and Coastside are industrial centers. Thin gray with factories and warehouses.
Wickbridge is all entertainment - think clubs (moreso than other areas), pubs, casino, luxury shopping etc.
Swansdale is a less affluent suburb.
Stag Heath and Westwall are slums. Poorly maintained etc.
Redwood is a secondary entertainment district, though that's more the fault of the player base than by design.
River Rock has a lot of coast-side features like a wharf, docks etc.
Moss end is a middle-class suburb.
And I /think/ that's everything
If you poke around on grid, you'll note the squares correspond to a particular feel/theme for a district.
There are also small towns outside of Harper Rock, though the owners of those (player owned towns are a thing) would need to describe the feel they were/are going for.
Some additional reading:
1,
2,
3