Victoria 2 was the gateway that finally got me into Paradox Games. Most people seem to think it's better than Victoria 3. It's only $4.99 right now (75% off). Victoria is an economics/trade simulator with simulated populations/demand. So your goal is to try to make a lot of money on whatever resources you choose--lumber, cotton, etc, while also providing enough to meet the demand of your population/grow various populations.
After I played that, Crusader Kings 3 got its claws into me.
Victoria 2 is easy to recommend. However, it's tough to recommend Crusader Kings 3 and other modern Paradox games with their shitty DLC model. I've frankly pirated it all.
Do you mean Big York and New Hamberger?