Builders in Glendale, CA

Dwarf Fortress, if you can stomach it. The learning curve is the steepest of any game I've ever played, and the graphics aren't out to impress, but I've never had so much fun in a city-building game.

Anno 1404 is great (anno 2070 is enjoyable,but I'd recommend it only after playing 1404), and I still really enjoy Zeus: Master of Olympus and it's prequels and sequels (caesar, cleopatra, emperor). It's a great citybuilder but also funny and the visuals hold up very well since they're 2D

Cities in Motion possibly? It's part of the current Indie Gala.

I mean Sim City 4 is still the gold standard.

Cities XL is not bad, I would get 2011 or 2012 not both. There is very little between both of them

Some people have been recommending 4X type games, so I thought I'd throw mine in. Endless Space is a relatively deep game (especially multiplayer) that has a steep learning curve. For real "city building" though, I've got to recommend SimTower.

CIV V. Little bit differnt from what you want but its still pretty good

Played Darwinia? No? GO. Do it. While not too much strategy is involved it's one of my favorite games games of all time. Yes? Well then you're awesome. Carry on!

If you haven't played sim city 4 with mods play that!

Minecraft :)

A great spin on that kind of game is [Evil Genius](http://store.steampowered.com/app/3720/). And of course the Dungeon Keeper games that inspired it.

I don't have either, but Civilization IV or V. The fifth one is apparently easier for those new to the franchise.

You don´t realy build cities here, but help them develop. You mainly built Transport systems. I don´t know how much of a graphic whore you are. But if you are not, then Simutrans may be something you could like: http://www.simutrans.com/ I recommend playing with the Standard "Pak Set" first. It might be confusing for a beginner, but the Pak Sets are not graphics only. They define how everything works together and the pricing system.

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The Caesar games. I've never played the newer ones but I loved Caesar 2. It's free on Abandonia.

Well if you like to fight battles while defending the city your building the stronghold series is great for that.

It's not city building per se, but I just got back into Theme Hospital, which is one of Bullfrog's best. So satisfying to put together a hospital where everything works like a well oiled machine. And funny to boot!

I recently picked up Patrician 3 in the Steam sale... It's not a classic city builder per se, but as someone who likes games in that genre and likes this, I think you may find it worth taking a look. The emphasis is less on city building and more on managing your trade between your home city and cities throughout the hanseatic league (medieval northern Europe). The growth of the cities hinge on how well you keep them stocked with the goods and services they need- Your ability to build your industries requires the presence of an unemployed urban population.