When was Gold Saucer built?

[LicoriceAllsorts]

I'm sure this has been asked before, but I can't find the thread, so forgive me for being a bore and asking it again.
I know that originally it was suggested, or assumed (or even stated?) that Gold Saucer was built after the destruction of Corel; but apparently it features in Before Crisis. Does this imply that it was perhaps built before Corel was destroyed? Is there anything which definitively states that the Gold Saucer was only built after Corel was burnt by Shinra? Many thanks to any and all who take the time to answer.

 

[S and G]

There is a sub games section in BC that includes games at the Gold Saucer and chocobo racing. I don't know how far into the game you have to be to unlock it, but bear in mind chapters 16 and 17 of BC take place just before the destruction of Corel and the story then leaps to three years later. The Gold Saucer is built over Corel's remains and as such construction must only have commenced after this event. It is less than four years old, but no exact opening date is known.

 

[Aki]

What I thinks funny is how Coral was shown to be surrounded by a forest and be mining town. But now its suddenly in the middle of a HUGE desert with nothing for miles. Ands its accessable only by chocobo or buggy. In the space of a few years

 

[ForceStealer]

I was always rather confused about the whole Corel thing. When I was a kid I was pretty sure Corel was in North Corel for that very reason (the expansive quicksand-lined desert). As for the house in Corel prison...I dunno, didn't think about it

 

[Ryushikaze]

Consider that Corel was destroyed in a massive fire. Also consider the effects of the reactors on the land around Midgar. Horrible devastation plus nothing coming back could lead to a pretty damn well destroyed ecosystem. Perhaps not as bit as it is portrayed on the worldmap, but there.

 

[Smaddy]

Plus, Corel was a mining town. If they were strip-mining, it could have devastating effects on the environment, turning what once was forests/greenery into barren land.

I agree that the drastic changes happened extremely quickly, though.

 

[Aki]

is it possible to go back to corel prison once you've left?

 

[Splintered]

is it possible to go back to corel prison once you've left?

I'm pretty sure you can if you have the buggy, and if you wander around long enough, a guy comes and takes you out. But don't quote me on that.

 

[Makoeyes987]

You can never go back to the prison after you leave. If you try, a weirdo in a Chocobo Carriage finds you because you're lost and takes you back to the world map. Once you leave, there's no going back.

And on Disc 3, you can't even get to the weirdo in the carriage due to the quick sand and Ruby Weapon taking up residence there.