How to get city level 2

The requirement, and only that requirement

I am not going to pad this with a fake shopping list of “12 houses and 3 shops.” The cross-checked fact is the population number. How you get there is the utility loop, and the apartment yields are community estimates you should treat as a planning hint.

Shops become more useful once the city can support them, but they are not the level-2 gate. If you are only chasing the level, housing plus water plus power is the path. If you are also broke, open the stores page after you hit 250.

Failures that look like a bug

The house is down and the counter does not move: check water coverage. The counter moves and the level does not: you are not at 250 yet, or the UI does not show a badge — guides disagree on whether a level icon exists in V0.1.

You demolished housing and the level stayed, according to community reports. Do not demolish your way back under 250 and expect the level to fall. Also do not demolish and expect the level to rise.

Reach city level 2

1. Lay a connected road grid. Housing that is not on a road does not feed the city the way you expect.
2. Place apartments. Community sheets put a basic apartment near 32 population and an upgraded one near 48. Those are reports, not official stats.
3. Connect power and water. Without utilities, population stalls even if the houses are placed.
4. Watch the population counter. Level 2 is the 250 mark, not a separate purchase.