The City of Los Santos, commonly known as Los Santos and often abbreviated as L.S., is a major city featured in Grand Theft Auto V and Grand Theft Auto Online, located in southern region of the State of San Andreas.
The city serves as the county seat of Los Santos County, the most developed and populated county in the southern part of San Andreas.
Description[]
Los Santos can be described as a larger, more diverse and detailed counterpart of its previous universe depiction. Los Santos has become synonymous with the film industry thanks to the classic Vinewood motion pictures, attracting filmmakers and actors from all over the world. The city was first mentioned in the HD Universe in Grand Theft Auto IV and Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars.
Like its real-life counterpart, Los Santos is a huge and sprawling metropolis with various different cultures, ranging from the prestigious film-making industry of Vinewood to the suburban hood life of Strawberry, just to name a few. Like Liberty City in Grand Theft Auto IV, the time and date of the city in Grand Theft Auto V is the same as the year the game was released (2013), while in Grand Theft Auto Online (set in real-life timing), the city keeps evolving and new locations are introduced with each update.
Influence[]
Los Santos is based on Los Angeles, California and its greater metropolitan area. Like its previous appearance, "Los Santos" is Spanish and translates to "The Saints", a play on "The Angels", which is the translation of "Los Angeles".
Geography[]
Los Santos is divided into 40 districts and neighborhoods, some of which were incorporated communities that merged into the city.
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Downtown Los Santos (Downtown Los Angeles) Downtown is the financial center of Los Santos and its most urbanized area, with the presence of the tallest high-rises in the city, including the huge Maze Bank Tower, the FIB and IAA buildings, the Union Depository and the Mile High Club, still under construction. The district is divided into the neighborhoods of Pillbox Hill, Mission Row, Textile City and Legion Square. |
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South Los Santos (South Los Angeles) An economically depressed, predominantly African-American area of the city, characterized by street gangs and low-income housing projects. South Los Santos is divided into the neighborhoods of Strawberry, Rancho, Chamberlain Hills and Banning, and also contains the incorporated city of Davis. |
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East Los Santos (East Los Angeles) A large district with a high concentration of Latino residents and a strong gang presence, in particular the Los Santos Vagos and the Marabunta Grande. Although the district is primarily industrial, it has been experiencing gentrification over the last years. East Los Santos is split into the neighborhoods of La Mesa, Cypress Flats, El Burro Heights and Murrieta Heights. |
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Rockford Hills (Beverly Hills) Predominantly a shopping and residential area, Rockford Hills is an affluent incorporated city that merged into Los Santos. The iconic Portola Drive is a major tourist attraction in the city. The district also contains the smaller neighbourhood of Burton in the southeast. |
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A large and affluent district, famous for being the home of the entertainment industry and for its theaters and nightclubs. Vinewood is divided into the neighborhoods of Alta, Hawick, Downtown Vinewood, West Vinewood, East Vinewood and Mirror Park. |
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Vinewood Hills (Hollywood Hills) Notable for its views of Los Santos, the iconic Vinewood Sign and its expensive homes and celebrity inhabitants. |
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Richman (Bel Air, Holmby Hills) A rich, high-class neighborhood known for its large luxury mansions. The Los Santos Golf Club is located here, making it an exclusive recreation area. |
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A quiet and wealthy commercial and residential neighborhood, known for its historic theaters. |
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Little Seoul (Koreatown, Wilshire) Located in Central Los Santos, Little Seoul is a middle class district with an ethnically diverse population, home to Korean and Asian immigrants. |
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A laidback, trendy beachfront community widely known for its beach and the world famous Pleasure Pier. |
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A residential, commercial and recreational beachfront neighborhood known for its canals, beaches and a world-famous front walk. Vespucci is split into the neighborhoods of Vespucci Beach, Vespucci Canals and Puerto Del Sol. |
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A community with strong roots in the fishing and longshoring industry, La Puerta is primarily industrial and sparsely populated. The district is the home of the Maze Bank Arena. |
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Los Santos International Airport (Los Angeles International Airport) One of the busiest airports in the world. The LSIA district is also the location of the airport's nearby warehouses, hotels and restaurants. |
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Port of Los Santos (Port of Los Angeles) The major seaport for the city of Los Santos and the busiest port in America. It is split into two areas: Elysian Island, the location of Pier 400, the Naval Port, shipyards and various warehouses, and Terminal, a maritime container terminal. |
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Pacific Bluffs (Pacific Palisades) Home to the world-famous Kortz Center museum, Pacific Bluffs is the entrance gate to western Los Santos. Like neighboring Richman, it is predominantly a high-class residential district with a low population density. |
Neighborhoods[]
Downtown Los Santos[]
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Vinewood[]
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South Los Santos[]
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East Los Santos[]
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Vespucci[]
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Landmarks and Sightings[]
Skyscrapers and corporate buildings[]
A view of Los Santos.
Los Santos is not as renowned as Liberty City for its cityscape, but many important companies as well as government agencies FIB and IAA are headquartered here. Most of the city's high rises are located in Downtown LS, and the rest are scattered throughout the nearby districts of Little Seoul and Rockford Hills.
- 3 Alta Street Tower (801 Tower)
- 707 Vespucci (800 Wilshire Boulevard)
- Arcadius Business Center (Westin Bonaventure Hotel)
- Badger Building (Capitol Records Building)
- FIB Headquarters (One California Plaza)
- IAA Headquarters (Two California Plaza)
- Little Seoul Tower (Equitable Life Building)
- Lombank West (100 Wilshire Building)
- Lombank Building (Figueroa Tower)
- Maze Bank Tower (US Bank Tower)
- Mile High Club (JW Marriott & Ritz-Carlton hotels) (under construction)
- Penris Building (Wedbush Securities Building)
- Richards Majestic Tower (Constellation Place)
- Schlongberg Sachs Center (Citigroup Center)
- Union Depository Tower (Mellon Bank Center & Gas Company Tower)
- Weazel Plaza (Fox Plaza)
- Wiwang Tower (Variety Building & Aon Center)
Hotels[]
Los Santos, especially the northern side of the city, is praised for its high quality hotels. There are many famous hotel chains such as the one owned by the affluent Von Crastenburg Family.
- Banner Hotel & Spa (Fairmont Miramar Hotel & Bungalows)
- The Emissary (Millennium Biltmore Hotel)
- The Generic Hotel (Standard Hotel)
- Gentry Manor Hotel (Chateau Marmont Hotel)
- Hookah Palace (Figueroa Hotel)
- Opium Nights (Sheraton Gateway Hotel)
- Pegasus Concierge Hotel (Sunset Tower)
- The Richman Hotel (Beverly Hills Hotel)
- Rockford Dorset Hotel (Beverly Wilshire Hotel)
- Von Crastenburg Hotel (Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel)
Residential buildings[]
Aside from houses, there are also large apartment buildings for people to live in. These buildings are typically high-end and go up to thousands of dollars in price, except the low-rise housing projects of South Los Santos.
- Dream Tower (Wilshire Christian Manor)
- Eclipse Towers (Sierra Towers)
- Kayton Towers (Central Plaza)
- Rancho Projects (Nickerson Gardens)
- Tinsel Towers (Sierra Towers) (shortened version)
- Weazel Plaza (Fox Plaza)
Recreation and sports[]
Maze Bank Arena.
Los Santos is not only famous for its film culture, but also its sports. There are many famous sports teams in Los Santos that have fans arguing about them on Lifeinvader.
Sports teams[]
- Boars Baseball Club (Los Angeles Angels)
- LS Squeezers
- LS Pounders (Los Angeles Rams)
- Los Santos Corkers Baseball Team (Los Angeles Dodgers)
- Feud Baseball Team
- Los Santos Kings (Los Angeles Kings)
- LS Benders (LA Galaxy)
- U.C.L.S. Bookworms (UCLA Bruins)
- Los Santos Panic Basketball Team (Los Angeles Lakers)
- San Andreas Magnetics (Los Angeles Chargers)
- LS Jardineros (Los Angeles FC)
- Los Santos Shrimps (Los Angeles Clippers)
Locations[]
- Del Perro Plaza (Portofino Plaza)
- Los Santos Golf Club (Los Angeles Country Club)
- Maze Bank Arena (Great Western Forum & Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum)
- Pleasure Pier (Pacific Park)
- Puerto Del Sol Yacht Club (Marina City Club)
- Rockford Plaza (Beverly Center)
- Vinewood Bowl (Hollywood Bowl)
- Vinewood Racetrack (Hollywood Park Racetrack)
Art and Culture[]
Before the Internet age, people went to the various theatres of Los Santos to see movies. These theatres have been used since the 20th century and are what made the Vinewood film industry famous. There are also art museums and galleries located throughout LS.
- Betsy O'Neal Pavilion (Dorothy Chandler Pavilion)
- Doppler Cinema (Hollywood Pacific Theatre)
- Kortz Center (Getty Center)
- Oriental Theater (TCL Chinese Theatre)
- San Andreas Gallery of Modern Art (SAGMA) (Pacific Design Center)
- Sisyphus Theater (Greek Theatre)
- Ten Cent Theater (Million Dollar Theater)
- Tivoli Cinema (Fox Bruin Theater)
- Valdez Theater (Wiltern Theater)
- Whirligig Theater (El Capitan Theatre)
- Weazel Morningwood (Fox Theater, Westwood Village)
Government[]
Each of the incorporated cities within the Los Santos metropolitan area has a representative city hall, while the center of the government of the city is located in Alta:
- Los Santos City Hall (Los Angeles City Hall)
- Davis City Hall (Compton City Hall)
- Del Perro City Hall (Santa Monica City Hall)
- Rockford Hills City Hall (Beverly Hills City Hall)
Iconic landmarks[]
Vinewood.
There are also many tourist traps in LS. These landmarks are what gave LS a glamorous image.
- Rancho Towers (Watts Towers)
- Sightings Bar & Restaurant (Theme Building)
- Tequi-la-la (Whisky a Go Go)
- Bishop's WTF?! (Ripley's Believe It or Not!)
- Vinewood Boulevard (Hollywood Boulevard)
- Vinewood Sign (Hollywood Sign)
Infrastructure[]
Traffic on the Freeway at night.
Air and Seaport[]
Los Santos has one of the busiest airports in the world, along with one of the busiest seaports in the world. In the LSX, people are traveling to and from Los Santos every day, although there is barely enough infrastructure to support all this activity. The port is used mostly for Chinese goods and suspicious cargo.
- Los Santos International Airport (Los Angeles International Airport)
- Port of Los Santos (Port of Los Angeles)
Important Highways/Streets[]
- See Interstate System in GTA V and List of Street Names for more information.
Los Santos is also known for its heavy traffic congestion and a large system of freeways, interstates, and highways that run throughout the city. Commuters can be seen here day and night.
Transportation[]
Los Santos Transit logo.
Los Santos offers a wide range of transportation, including a connected major highway system, and several other smaller highways, with several exits and on-ramps around the city. The city also has its own rapid transit system named the Los Santos Transit. Buses can also be seen spawned in traffic all around the city. Like most cities, Los Santos traffic is monitored and controlled by the Los Santos Transport Traffic Control System which allows the city to control traffic lights and manipulate conditions and the flow of vehicles on the streets and highways.
The Los Santos International Airport is located in the south eastern part of Los Santos and is the only airport in the city. The airport is a major gateway to and from several locations throughout America.
Education[]
Los Santos is home to some schools and other educational institutions. The most famous one is the University of San Andreas, Los Santos, where the most privileged students attend for good careers. There is also the Los Santos Elementary for children to know the basic learning skills necessary to succeed. Sue Murry used to teach here. In the incorporated city of Davis, there is the Davis High School.
- Davis High School (Compton High School)
- Los Santos Elementary
- University of San Andreas, Los Santos (University of California, Los Angeles)
Healthcare[]
Los Santos boasts a wide variety of hospitals and medical centres. There are more high-end and affluent ones such as Mount Zonah Medical Center, while there are many cheaper ones such as St. Fiacre Hospital.
- Central Los Santos Medical Center (Los Angeles County General)
- Eclipse Medical Tower (Sunset Medical Tower)
- Mount Zonah Medical Center (Cedars-Sinai Medical Center)
- Pillbox Hill Medical Center (California Hospital Medical Center)
- St. Fiacre Hospital (Vernon City Hall)
Public Utility[]
Los Santos public utility services include:
- Los Santos Department of Consumer Affairs
- Los Santos Department of Green Power
- Los Santos Department of Nuclear Power
- Los Santos Department of Sanitation
- Los Santos Department of Water & Power
- Los Santos Department of Wind Power
Law Enforcement[]
LSPD[]
The Los Santos Police Department (LSPD) is the law enforcement agency that serves the city of Los Santos. They are based on the real life Los Angeles Police Department. Their motto is "Obey & Survive", which is inscripted on their squad cars and also reflects on their corrupt nature. Unlike the LCPD in 2008, the LSPD uses newer Vapid Police Cruisers and also uses the interceptor, as opposed to the Merit-based Police Patrol, as well as the newer Police Maverick as their main squad and helicopter units, respectively. The LSPD is accused of corruption and racism, much like its predecessor and the LAPD in real life.
NOOSE[]
The National Office of Security Enforcement also has a presence in the city of Los Santos, as one of its branches is located in the Los Santos International Airport area, while its main headquarters are located in the Palomino Highlands, northeast of the city. When there is dangerous criminal activity, NOOSE is deployed to the scene.
Criminal Justice[]
Although not seen in-game, Los Santos operates a criminal justice system. In a Weazel News radio segment, a court known as the Los Santos Superior Court is mentioned. It can be assumed that the Los Santos Superior Court is reminiscent of its real-life equivalent.
Crime[]
Los Santos is also known to be a one of the major hubs of organized crime and a large stronghold for the criminal underground in the United States specifically and North America as a whole. Some of the neighbourhoods in Los Santos suffer from high crime rates, specifically the southern part of the city. Since the 1990s, Los Santos is primarily affected from the drug trades between many gangs in the city. These drugs include crack, meth, and marijuana as well as a new drug called "Toilet Cleaner".
Besides the drug smuggling, the city suffers from violence, murder, and gang fighting in the southern part of the city (mainly Chamberlain Hills, Davis, and Strawberry). Most of these crimes are caused by the two long time rival African-American street gangs, The Families and the Ballas, alongside Mexican-American street gangs like the Los Santos Vagos and Varrios Los Aztecas to a large extent. They are involved in arms-trafficking as well, bringing in illegal weaponry such as Assault Rifles and SMGs.
Other than small-time street gangs, there are also influential and organized crime groups in the city. The Marabunta Grande, a powerful Salvadorian crime syndicate, are expanding their operations to Los Santos. They have fierce rivalries with other gangs all across San Andreas that are involved in the narcotics trade.
Not only is there high criminal activity, but there is also widespread corruption amongst city officials and even the police. The LSPD is known for their police brutality; there was even an instance where they shot and killed a dog. According to some sources, LSPD officers are also known for hiring prostitutes, which may explain the high presence of prostitution even in the affluent parts of the city.
Choice of City[]
When Rockstar Games started to conceptualize Grand Theft Auto V, they felt that they still had work to do in San Andreas. Dan Houser, the English Vice President of Rockstar Games along with his brother, Sam Houser, as well as the VP of Creativity, had given his idea on creating a new Los Santos this time around:
"Sam, my brother, more than anyone, but also the lead artist Aaron Garbut, were both really interested in the idea of doing a proper Los Angeles. We felt we hadn't done that with San Andreas - which were these very small, sketch like cities. Los Angeles and the surrounding countryside would be very interesting, giving us good themes to play on, and lots of good, different gameplay environments - something that allude to aspects of GTA IV and allude to some aspects of San Andreas, but still very fresh and different from the both of them."
Dan Houser also stated that, "The geography you could get outside Los Angeles is spectacular. The contrast between desert/rural Southern California, inland from L.A. and just a bit north, compared to L.A., gives you a great microcosm of red state/blue state theme - different vibes culturally as much as geographically. I think this would be good about this location."
When asked about what elements were Rockstar Games comfortable with leaving behind and what elements they wanted to preserve from Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, Rockstar Games' Aaron Garbut said that they wanted the new world of Los Santos to feel "very fresh" and that their reference for the world of Liberty City in Grand Theft Auto IV "wasn't the city from the earlier games." Aaron also stated that this version Los Santos is an, "entirely fresh game world waiting to be explored and experienced."
Once asked what is difference between Los Santos in GTA: San Andreas and in GTA V, Aaron stated that the focus of San Andreas was gang culture, while the focus of GTA V is about contemporary culture of L.A. as a whole, with the difference between the two is that GTA V is "so much broader."
Weather[]
Los Santos is heavily polluted, with smog common during the early hours of the morning. At night, the sky is commonly a dark yellow colour, especially when it is cloudy or raining. According to a radio advertisement, Los Santos was named "the most polluted city in the world" in 2013, ahead of Beijing. From 24-26 December 2013, Rockstar added snow to Grand Theft Auto Online. Snow covered the whole city and was visible from Blaine County. During this time, the days were shorter and the nights were darker, replicating a real-life winter. Snow reappears and covers the whole map for a few days every year, as part of each year's Festive Surprise event. With Los Santos not being known for snow, in universe, the appearance of it each year baffles reporters.
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- After travelling long enough in Grand Theft Auto IV, the stats will record miles traveled from Liberty City to Los Santos.
- The pedestrian stop/start walk signs show a man strutting.
- The Seal of Los Santos has an Epsilon Program logo at the top.
- A Sasquatch also appears on the Seal, possibly a nod to the Bigfoot rumors from Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, or a hint towards the Sasquatch-related mission and Easter egg.
- Just like Los Angeles, Los Santos is implied to have poor traffic control measures. This can be seen when sometimes switching to Michael or Franklin, where they will be stuck on the highway with lots of congestion.
- Traffic jams like those seen in the switches are scripted, and do not happen in normal gameplay, though it is common to encounter tailbacks and slow traffic on busy roads.
- It is revealed on the Loot and Wank website that riots took place in Los Santos several years ago, much like the riots in Los Santos in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas.
- Some locations and businesses, such as signage at the Jetsam Terminal Headquarters, incorrectly refer to Los Santos as a state.
- If the player manages to reach the city during nighttime while a blackout is active, such as during one of the Slasher missions in GTA Online, they may notice that the purple, blue, green and orange glow from buildings is still present. This is most likely an error.
- The city can be seen in the background of one of the ads for cosmetics at the airport terminal and inside the airport monorail car during the final chapter of the 2012 game Max Payne 3, one year before the release of GTA V[2]. Similarly, Liberty City can often be seen on various posters as well.
References[]
- ↑ According to city seal
- ↑ The advertisement as seen in Max Payne 3