SimCity 4 What makes a city your city?

It's true. You can decide which places can be rich or poor; houses have either a $, $$ or $$$ ranking. You can raise the taxes from $$$ construction, and lower taxes for $ construction, but when you start off your city, it's mostly $, but if you treat your city well, the $ will fall, and the $$ and $$$ will rise!

 

That sounds very logical to me. Seems there's alot of detailing in it, small adjustements and such. But how's that working contra the speed of time in the game? I know I'm not fast at all when I have to take up different screens and stuff. Does the time stop meanwhile automatically, like when you go to buy or build mode in sims. Or do you have to stop it yourself?