Growing town

[Gingerkid]

My town is fast growing. So many sims living there. But the original sims are getting old & dying which is life, but sad that my town will only be occupied by family.

Any suggestions to get new sims in town that aren't family.

I've built an old people's home & a couple of apartment blocks to get lots of sims under one roof  & to help limit the amount of children they can have.

[Wai]

I don't know of any way to grow the town naturally, but, you can always (so long as it's not a challenge/dynasty game) use edit town to add families.  I went into a town I never normally play, picked on several families, mostly young couples, gave them fertility treatment and then got them pregnant before moving them to the clipboard and from there to the library.  I now have several families, all close to having twins or triplets, in my library waiting to repopulate my town if needed.

[Saltypaws]

I usually go to house bin and place a few inexpensive homes and eventually new sims will move into them, if your regular townies don't get to them first, but then their old house is now available.  I have a town, which has no old townies in it and I thought that no one was moving in, until I went into edit town and clicked on houses that had names I did not recognize.  If there income is $20,000, then they have just moved in.  I usually don't have any problems with new families coming to town, unless there are no empty homes and I try to put as many in as possible.  This seems to solve the problem. 

[Gingerkid]

Thank you both. I'll place some small houses then and wait. I haven't got a shortage yet but planning ahead.

[Janna]

I've had a few times where it seems as if there are no new sims, the "old" families children have become adults but none have married or had children.  So, fresh blood is needed.  Yet none seemed to be added to the town, or they are adults or elders and are of no help for my teens soon to age up to YA. 
I took care of that by starting a new game (really, several games), creating a sim and moving him or her into a starter home, give them some money by the kaching cheat, copy to bin and then when I want fresh blood, new bodies, I just take one or two from the bin.  Also, save families that I play in other games where they have children and add them to the town so my sim's family with children will have future mates when they all reach YA age. 

I seem to have the bad luck of playing a sim family in a town that doesn't have anyone my sim's offspring can be mated too.  Either there is no one their age, or they are so different it won't work out.  I am too picky, probably in what I want also.  I don't want, at least for right now, to have my sims be mated to a sim with any of the traits of insane, neurotic, klepto, evil or mean.   

[Wai]

Every town has an endless supply of teenagers if you use a little manipulation.  This can be useful if you are looking to find a romantic interest for a teen.

When the paper boy/girl arrives, invite inside and give them a birthday.  Bingo, one new teen.  They will not live in a house in town, but can be invited over via the phone once you have done this.  Make sure, of course, you develop a good relationship once the party is over.  If an observant sim does this you should get to know the traits.  The next day a new paper boy/girl will arrive.  Repeat if you didn't fancy the first, or if the wrong sex.  If you like what you get invite them over the next day and have a bday party again to get a young adult.  Invite to move in then move them out, if you wish and can afford it, to an empty house.

Of course, if you want to take the time you can pair these paper delivery sims, and then move the couple out (pregnant if you wish).