This rendition of Liberty City has three boroughs: Portland, Staunton Island and Shoreside Vale. This is also the only rendition of Liberty City that is not based entirely on the real-life New York City, being a hybrid of midwestern American cities and port areas of Leith, Scotland. Assuming a significantly different design compared to the previous incarnation in the first Grand Theft Auto, the city plays a role in five games in the series.
Influence[]
Liberty City in the 3D Universe is loosely based on a series of East Coast and Midwestern cities, including New York City, Philadelphia, Detroit and Baltimore, Chicago, Pittsburgh, as well as the port area of Leith in Edinburgh, Scotland (where the Rockstar North headquarters is located), but with no overall inspiration from one city in particular. [4][5][6] The city area has a population of 4,000,000 people by 2001. According to the official website, Liberty City's sister city is Beirut, an ironic joke from the producers considering Beirut was frequently bombed during the Lebanese Civil War.
Despite the multiple inspirations, Liberty City is treated as being New York City in the 3D Universe.[7]
The Liberty Tree says in its October 1998 issue that Liberty will celebrate its 200th anniversary:
“Liberty City, 1998. To commemorate Liberty City's 200th anniversary, we in The Liberty Tree's cartography department have created a map of what our magnificent city looks like today. As we approach the new millennium there are surely great things in our future. Very soon the Office of Public Works will complete the bridges that join Portland and Staunton Island with the mainland. This is but one of many achievements we should celebrate at this moment in Liberty City's grand history.”
Liberty City was established in 1798, 22 years after the Declaration of Independence in the United States. According to Chatterbox FM host Lazlow Jones, Liberty City was "a church, a cow pasture and three houses when the telephone was invented" (the first telephone was patented in 1876). Most of the history of the 3D Universe Liberty City does not reflect that of real-life New York City; for example, New York City was founded in 1624, making it 174 years older than the 3D Universe Liberty City, and by 1876 New York was a sprawling metropolis of over one million people that ranked as the largest city in the US and second largest in the world (behind London).
Boroughs[]
Liberty City is divided into three boroughs, comprising 25 defined districts and neighborhoods, and the outskirts of the city. In Grand Theft Auto III, a small area made exclusively for the introduction cutscene is hidden behind the hills of Shoreside Vale, although the area cannot be reached by normal means. It is popularly known as the "Ghost Town" due to the lack of collision. In Grand Theft Auto III - The Definitive Edition, the area is rendered invisible after the cutscene ends, and the hills are replaced by an unnamed section of Upstate Liberty only meant to be background scenery.
Portland is the easternmost borough of the city, and it is known as a primarily industrial portion of the city, focused on varied industries and shipping. A sizable residential and commercial population resides on the island, as the majority of it is occupied by several non-industrial districts.
While it appears to be inspired by industrial class areas from Brooklyn and Queens, as well as areas from Manhattan Island and Long Island, the port areas are confirmed to be inspired by Leith in Edinburgh, Scotland. Although many areas of Portland could have been inspired by any East Coast and Midwestern city areas according to Rockstar's Q&A.
Staunton Island consists of a high-rise downtown in the southern part, a high-rise Midtown in the Center, and a much smaller skyline in the northern part or more of the Uptown. Staunton Island is home to eight districts.
Shoreside Vale is primarily residential, but also features the Francis International Airport to the south, a light commercial and industrial estate (Pike Creek) on the western edge, and the Cochrane Dam in the northwestern corner. Shoreside Vale is the only part of the city situated on the mainland and is considerably hillier than the other two boroughs, with a mountain range along the northern edge of the borough.
It appears to be inspired by New Jersey, The Bronx, and upstate areas of New York. Although many areas of Shoreside Vale could have been inspired by any East Coast and Midwestern city areas according to Rockstar's Q&A.
The city is relatively flat, with major hills only appearing in Portland (Saint Mark's) and Shoreside Vale (Pike Creek and Cedar Grove). In Grand Theft Auto Advance, however, the city is depicted to have no hills, although this is due to the limited resources of the Game Boy Advance. Portland and Staunton Island are completely surrounded by ocean water. In Shoreside Vale a major river flows through the center of the borough down from the Cochrane Dam to Witchita Gardens.
The hills of Cedar Grove as seen in Grand Theft Auto III.
The hills of Pike Creek as seen in Grand Theft Auto III.
Cityscape[]
Panorama of Liberty City, as seen from the Shoreside Vale mountains.
Climate[]
A view of the Belleville Park in 1998, where you can appreciate the season of autumn in the trees and part of the day.
During the setting of Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, in 1992 Liberty City was going through a snowy December winter, with snow on streets and structures visible. During the setting of Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories, in 1998 Liberty City experiences a pleasant autumn with rain and cloudy days. During the setting of Grand Theft Auto III, in 2001 the weather is cool with frequent rain and fog. The thermometer in Bedford Point indicates the city's current temperature, which oddly tells the temperature in Celsius rather than in Fahrenheit. Liberty City is the only city in the 3D Universe where snow has covered the ground.
Liberty City in winter seasons. Saint Mark's in 1992.
The thermometer in Bedford Point, left Flashback FM poster and below another sign that says "Half-Cocked".
Belleville Park in the autumn seasons of 2001, with cloudy weather.
Differences between GTA III & GTA: Liberty City Stories[]
The Liberty City featured in Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories is based on the Grand Theft Auto III version of the city, but it is set three years previous in 1998. The majority of the city remains the same but there are some noticeable differences between this and its 2001 counterpart.
In 2001, the Porter Tunnel runs under the entire city while in 1998 the tunnel is limited to Shoreside Vale while the Staunton- Shoreside tunnel is still under construction and the digging has not yet begun to reach Portland.
In 1998, the Callahan Bridge is under construction and is apparently due to be completed in May of that year.
Fort Staunton differs in the two games. In 1998, it is a vibrant and lavish Italian district, complete with opera house and museum but it was almost completely destroyed by Toni Cipriani under orders from Donald Love. In 2001, it becomes a construction site for the large-scale redevelopment of the area, including the construction of Staunton Plaza.
The cemetery is larger in 1998 and located to the right of the Cathedral with a small strip still present. In 2001, the Bedford Point Opera House now sits there and the cemetery is now located only on a small strip of land North of the Cathedral.
One of the towers and its plaza in Hepburn Heights is under construction in 1998.
The Dolls House, which Toni destroyed in 1998, is absent in 2001 and is replaced with a similar building positioned slightly further south.
Toni's Portland safehouse is partially demolished in 2001.
Gang Control differences[]
The Forelli Crime Family in Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories.
Due to the city’s large Italian-American population, particularly in Portland, the city sees a constantly fluctuating level of mafia activity. In 2001, two mafia families are present, with the Leones being the dominant Mafia family operating in Portland, mainly in Saint Mark's and the Red Light District, and the much smaller Forelli family operating mainly out of their only known front: Marco's Bistro, and an additional hideout in Atlantic Quays. But in 1998, there were three families operating in the city, the Leone, the Forelli and the Sindacco families, and a fourth trying to get in. The Leones are still in control of Saint Mark's but the Sindaccos control the Red Light District and Hepburn Heights in Portland and Newport and Torrington in Staunton while the Forellis control Fort Staunton in Staunton Island and Wichita Gardens in Shoreside Vale. The three families are locked in war with each other, leading to the arrest, trial and release of Salvatore Leone, the deaths of Forelli-controlled Mayor Roger C. Hole and Sindacco Don Paulie Sindacco and the destruction of Fort Staunton.
The Dolls House prior to its explosion
The weakening of the Mafia led to new gangs coming in for control of territory left behind. The Yardies end up controling Newport, the Colombian Cartel control Fort Staunton while the Yakuza control Torrington, southern Newport and surrounding areas. On Portland, the Triads control Chinatown and the Diablos battle with the Leones for control of Hepburn Heights and the Red Light District. While on Shoreside Vale, the Southside Hoods control former Forelli Wichita Gardens. Other gangs in 1998 include the Avenging Angels and the Liberty City Bikers.
By 2001, the aforementioned gangs still control their aforementioned territories but the Sindaccos have been ran out of the city and the Forellis are now considerably weakened. Furthermore, the Liberty City Bikers have gone extinct following a city-wide motorcycle ban, and the Avenging Angels have similarly disappeared without a trace.
Roger C. Hole was elected Mayor of Liberty City in 1992 and during this time proved to be corrupt. Hole, who was being controlled by Forelli Crime FamilyDonFranco Forelli, caused numerous controversies during his term in office. In 1993, three Russian prostitutes and a construction company manager were caught trying to get a government contract from Hole. In 1995, he was photographed with members of the Forelli Crime Family whilst he was accused of securing drugs for city officials in return for sanitation contracts. Hole was also accused of sleeping with two underage girls. Eventually, his connections with the Forelli Crime Family resulted in his own death in 1998. During his term in office, he raised taxation, reduced public expenditure, increased bureaucratic costs and kept Liberty City in the national news.
An election was then triggered, with businessman Donald Love running against former candidate Miles O'Donovan. Love received help from Salvatore Leone and Toni Cipriani, who campaigned for him, stopped the Forelli Crime Family rigging the election and even attempt to rig the election in Donald's favour. However, after links between Love and the Leone Crime Family were discovered, the people voted in favour of O'Donovan.
There is only one known educational building in the city: the Liberty City Community College in the Liberty Campus district of Staunton Island. In the beta version of Grand Theft Auto III, a school could also be seen in the Chinatown district of Portland, although this was later replaced by the Old School Hall.
The Liberty City Community College is based at the Liberty Campus district. The college is run by Dean Smegley, with Eric Ershwitz employed at the college as Professor for Contemporary Crime. The college was named the worst in the United States, resulting in Smegley's appointment as Dean and his changing of the colleges program. Smegley, in 2001, announces his plans to abandon the old methods of evaluation and old subjects, planning to replace them with diplomas for new subjects and grading students on how bad they look. The new subjects include: Street cleaning, Processed Agriculture Rotation, Grill Management, Floor cleaning, Restroom Administration, Coatroom Management, Automobile Ignition Circumvention and Pharmaceutical Baking.
Liberty City's media is dominated, in 2001, by the Love Media group run by Donald Love, which also controls numerous other businesses across the city. The company owns "900 radio stations, 300 television stations, 4 networks, 3 satellites, and 10 senators" according to a Love Media advert. Besides owning various media, Love Media probably also has films, including "The Mainframe" which was released in 1998.
Radio[]
In 1998, the city had ten independently owned radio stations. The city also had a publicly funded station, Liberty City Free Radio. By 2001, the airwaves of the city had changed. Love Media purchased Head Radio, Double Clef FM, Flashback 95.6 and Liberty City Free Radio, replacing that station with Chatterbox FM. A number of stations remain outside of Love Media's ownership: Lips 106, Rise FM, MSX FM (replacing MSX 98) and Game Radio (which replaced The Liberty Jam). Three other radio stations also exist in the city in 2001, although Claude cannot listen to them. They are Liberty FM, WLLC ‘The Zone’ and Liberty Soul FM. Meanwhile, Radio Del Mundo seems to have disappeared due to unknown reasons.
The player can listen to the following radio stations:
The city's newspaper, the Liberty Tree, is privately owned in 1998, but by 2001 comes under the ownership of the Love Media group. The newspaper has been "promoting family values" for over fifty years. Adam Tedman, a report for the paper, reports that the Liberty Tree won the "Most Absorbent Newsprint Award" at the Cleaning and Tidying Association of America annual awards ceremony. In the same article, Tedman also references that Liberty Tree has a rival in the city, although he does not mention the newspaper by name.
Derrick Thackery mentioned a match between the two on WCTR'sThe Tight End Zone in 1992. Another match between the two is played in September of 2001, with the Liberty Tree reporting that the Liberty Cocks won 3-0 after a hat-trick (three goals) from Iranian striker Ma'am.
There is a slight oddity with the Liberty City Cocks. They are an American football team in Two-Hand Toss, and the Liberty Memorial Coliseum in Grand Theft Auto III has an American football field with Liberty City Cocks lettering in the end-zones, implying that they are an American football team. Either this is a developer oversight, or the Liberty City Cocks field both a soccer and a football team; this would be somewhat akin to the real-life New York Giants, who shared somewhat of an association with the baseball New York Giants.
Liberty City has many services available 24 hours per day, including restaurants, transportation, gas, firefighting and health care; these services have different levels of interactivity and benefits. Food service can range from restaurants, food distributors (companies) and cafeterias as Punk Noodles, Joe's Pizza (used more in 1998), to Tarbrush Café, Momma's Restaurante, Belly-Up Fish & Seafood Processing Plant, etc. Public transportation comes in the form of taxis, buses and commuter trains (both subway and elevated lines).
A taxi in Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories, most widely used public transportation in the city.
Public Transportation[]
The public transportation of Liberty City is widely used by pedestrians in the city. The taxi, which is available for the player to use in taxi side missions, is a common form of transportation for the residents of Liberty City. Liberty City also features a subway system which can provide the player with convenient, reasonably fast transportation between the three boroughs. The Portland El is another carrier, which provides local elevated train service for Portland Island.
Health Care[]
The Carson General Hospital.
Hospitals provide another important service in Liberty City; they revive the player, for a cash fee, in the event of his death. The hospitals of Liberty City are:
Sweeney General Hospital: Founded in 1847, Sweeney is the oldest hospital in the city. Sweeney General Hospital serves the borough of Portland.
Carson General Hospital: Founded in 1973, is the largest hospital in the city. Carson General Hospital serves the borough of Staunton Island.
The Liberty City Police Department, which was founded in 1869, is another widely used service for all types of problems such as gang fights or theft. The LCPD has problems with bribery and corruption; the dealings of Ray Machowski with the criminal elements of Liberty City, many of which are revealed in his missions for Claude, are a rather typical example of the nature of the LCPD. This is most notable and happens in the 2001-Grand Theft Auto III rendition of Liberty City, since they will not attack street criminals like in earlier and later games, or simply because they weren't programmed to do so, as the FBI, and the Army will also not attack street thugs. They will take down criminals at any force in the 1998-Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories rendition, though, along with the aforementioned in-game agencies.
The Liberty City Fire Department, founded in 1872, is responsible for extinguishing burning buildings, cars and people throughout the city. The Liberty City Fire Department founded has three stations, one located on each island. Fire trucks can usually be found parked outside each of these stations.
Transportation Infrastructure[]
Primary road infrastructure around the city includes four bridges (only two bridges -- the Callahan Bridge and the Shoreside Lift Bridge -- serve the purpose of connecting the three islands), two expressways, the Porter Tunnel, which runs underneath all three boroughs of the city, another tunnel under construction in Shoreside Vale (which presumably leads upstate). There is also Francis International Airport and public transportation, such as the subway, that can be used by the player and the pedestrians.
Bridges[]
Liberty City has four street bridges throughout the city, two large bridges that connects the three islands:
Callahan Bridge, also known as "West Port Bridge"[8], is a four lane suspension bridge finished sometime after 1998, when construction was almost completed. The bridge links the Chinatown district of Portland to the Newport district of Staunton Island. In 2001 the bridge was partially destroyed when the Colombian Cartel kidnapped the Old Oriental Gentleman, planting a bomb to kill the LCPD officers transporting him, Claude and 8-Ball to Portland.
The Shoreside Lift Bridge is a four lane lift bridge, most likely based off George Washington Bridge connecting Manhattan to the New Jersey. In 1998, Toni Cipriani has to wait for a strike to end before using the bridge, whilst in 2001 Claude is forced to wait until a mechanical problem is fixed.
There are three expressways located in Staunton Island. The first expressway is the Aspatria - Bedford Point Expressway, a four-lane highway located in the western part of the island. This is the biggest highway in the city, connecting Aspatria with Bedford Point, passing through Belleville Park and below the Shoreside Lift Bridge.
The second highway, called "Newport/Fort Staunton Expressway", runs along the east coast of Staunton Island through the Newport and Fort Staunton districts.
There is another highway that links the Newport, Fort Staunton and Torrington districts in east Staunton Island, which is the only highway that pedestrians will walk across; this is possibly because this highway is more akin to a traditional street than the other two.
Porter Tunnel is an underground and underwater road tunnel connecting the city's three boroughs. The tunnel may be based on the Holland Tunnel or the Lincoln Tunnel. The tunnel has four lanes, apart from the exit at Staunton Island, which only has two lanes. The tunnel entry/exit points include Harwood (in Portland), Rockford (in Staunton Island), and Francis International Airport and Wichita Gardens (both in Shoreside Vale). Construction for the tunnel begins in 1998, however, numerous delays see the tunnel finally open in October 2001, with Claude having to wait for the tunnel to be fully constructed.
A second road tunnel is located on Shoreside Vale, with entry points at Cedar Grove and Cochrane Dam, accessible only in Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories. The tunnel branches into "Upstate", although this is blocked off.
The Portland El (electric line) is an elevated train service running on Portland, connecting the Saint Marks, Chinatown and Hepburn Heights districts. The system, introduced in 1930[9], is not connected to the city's subway system. The three stations are Baillie Station (in Saint Marks), Kurowski Station (in Chinatown) and Rothwell Station (in Hepburn Heights).
The Portland El and Subway in Liberty City, with the same design
Liberty City´s ferry was the most used interborough transportation service until it was replaced with the more convenient and efficient Callahan Bridge. The ferry connected Portland and Staunton Island, with docks located in Harwood and Rockford. The ferry service was canceled by Miles O'Donovan, despite his promise to maintain the service. In 1998, workers across the city went on strike to protect the ferry service, which only provoked the closure, leaving Portland off the rest of the city. By 2000, the ferry service had been replaced by the Callahan Bridge and Porter Tunnel.
Airport[]
Liberty City as viewed from Francis International Airport.
Liberty City's airport, which is called "Francis International Airport", is the only airport in the city, located in Shoreside Vale. This means of transport is the most widely used by travelers going to and from Liberty City since 1953, providing $69 tickets for travel to different places like London, San Andreas, Vice City, Miami, Bogota, Amsterdam, Bangkok, Toronto, Leith and Tokyo.[11] Several airlines like Rockstar, DMAir, McAdam Airways, among others, operate in this airport, providing flights to domestic and international locations.
Very little is known about the Liberty City Railroad, but evidence like an old rail yard with some rusty rails located inside it and a tunnel shows that it once existed within the city.
Crime[]
A very early screenshot of Grand Theft Auto III depicting Claude running from an LCPD officer, after blowing up a car.
Liberty City has, in 2001, a rampant crime rate and is known as the "worst place in America" because of this. The main problem for the city is the organised crime, and in particular the problem of gangs. The city has also had problems with specific individuals, namely Tommy Vercetti in 1971, Carl Johnson in 1992, Toni Cipriani in 1998, Mike in 2000, and Claude in 2001. The Liberty Tree and radio stations document the criminal acts occurring in the city and the resulting consequences. These include the Liberty City Police Department introducing helicopters, paramedics threatening to go on strike and prosecuting criminals (such as Salvatore Leone between 1998 and 2001).
According to the FBI, residents of Liberty City "were 38% less likely to be a victim of a violent crime than the rest of the nation, unless those crimes included mugging, murder, carjacking or assault". Whilst the Liberty Tree reports that between 2000 and 2001 "part I" offenses (murder, rape, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, larceny, grand theft auto and arson) went up 11%. They also report that "Violent Offenses (Murder, Rape, Robbery, and Aggravated Assault) are up 73% and murder has increased four fifths from last year's 23% of what it had been previously".[12]
The 3D Universe rendition of Liberty City in Grand Theft Auto Advance is not entirely similar to the original version depicted in Grand Theft Auto III. While the map layout remains the same, there are major changes in the world itself. This is likely due to the limitations of the Game Boy Advance, or an oversight by Digital Eclipse. For example:
Portland is bigger than the original rendition in Grand Theft Auto III.
The neighborhoods of Wichita Gardens, Portland View, Harwood, Rockford, Torrington and Bedford Point are totally different from the original rendition in Grand Theft Auto III.
There are height differences. The city is totally flat.
Most landmarks, skyscrapers and other prominent locations from Grand Theft Auto III are replaced by generic buildings and warehouses.
The train stations, tracks and tunnels are not present in the game.
Roles in other games[]
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City[]
Liberty City appears twice and is mentioned on a number of occasions during Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, including being the setting for the introduction to the game, where the Forelli Crime FamilyDonSonny Forelli, his right-hand man and an unnamed associate are seen in a back-room inside Marco's Bistro discussing the future of a Forelli Crime Family soldato Tommy Vercetti after he gets out of jail. Sonny Forelli appears inside Marco's Bistro again during An Old Friend. The district of Harwood is also referred to during the game, and in particular during the games climax, Keep Your Friends Close..., with Sonny referring to Vercetti as "The Harwood Butcher". There are also several posters in the city that mentions the phrase "take a vacation in Liberty City".
Liberty City in Grand Theft Auto Advance (Manual).
Other[]
Satellite view of Liberty City in GTA III
Liberty City in GTA III, including upstate.
Map showing the name of all sub-zones in GTA III.
Grand Theft Auto Advance: The Boroughs
Liberty City in GTA III Sketch Map)
Liberty City (GTA III Beta Map)
The map of Liberty City compared to Vice City and San Andreas.
Trivia[]
In real-life, there is a neighborhood in the city of Miami named Liberty City.
None of the protagonists whose stories are based in Liberty City are able to swim or fly airplanes and helicopters. Claude can 'fly' a Dodo with no wings, but it was never intended to be flown. Toni can fly a helicopter, but only by performing tricks in some missions.
Liberty City appears the most in the 3D Universe. It is also the only 3D Universe location to be featured in all three decades (1980's, 1990's, and 2000's).
Going by the release date of the games, Liberty City is the first location visited in the 3D Universe. Although chronologically, it is the last 3D Universe location.
“Liberty City, 1998. To commemorate Liberty City's 200th anniversary, we in The Liberty Tree's cartography department have created a map of what our magnificent city looks like today.”
— Official Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories manual
↑Printed Manual- page 15 - 4 MILLION PEOPLE LIVE IN THE LIBERTY CITY AREA.
↑GTA III: The Game Design Document - Portland Harbor and Trenton are inspired by Leith in Edinburgh. Leith is also referenced in many subsequent GTA titles.
“That Liberty City was not particularly meant to be New York. That was meant to be a hybrid of a generic American city: Chicago, Pittsburgh, Detroit, New York, Philly. An old, post-industrial American city. [GTA III] was America, whereas Vice City was clearly Miami.”
“Check it out, we've got shoutout from Sam and the boys from Liberty City. They are all here in the west coast handling some business. Loving the show, and I appreciate y'all listening, man. Of course, if you don't know, you know now.”
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![Official[13] high resolution map for GTA III](/wiki/File:LibertyCity-GTAIII-OfficialRockstarHighResDownload.png "LibertyCity-GTAIII-OfficialRockstarHighResDownload.png (8.91 MB)")
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