Los Santos (HD Universe)

"Imagine a city full of people ruthlessly pursuing wealth, fame and self-improvement, at any cost? Where everyone you met was either a celebrity, trying to be a celebrity, or used to be a celebrity? Where nature's bounty meant you could enjoy perfect weather all year round? Where the air was so good you could literally see and taste it? Dare to dream, because that city exists..."

- GTA V Manual

The City of Los Santos, commonly known as Los Santos, is a major city located in southern San Andreas in Grand Theft Auto V. GTA V marks Los Santos' second appearance in the series after Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, which came out in 2004. The new rendition of the city is much more detailed, larger, and looks more alive than ever before. Los Santos is based on, and its greater metropolitan area. Los Santos is Spanish for "The Saints", a play on "The Angels", which is the translation of Los Angeles. 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 is the same as the year the game was released (2013).

Los Santos serves as the County Seat of Los Santos County, the most developed and populated county in the southern part of the fictional State of San Andreas.

Geography
Los Santos is divided into 40 districts and neighborhoods, some of which were incorporated communities that merged into the city.

Skyscrapers and corporate buildings


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 Tower (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)
 * 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


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 of Anaheim)
 * 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 (Los Angeles Galaxy )
 * U.C.L.S. Bookworms
 * Los Santos Panic Basketball Team (Los Angeles Lakers)
 * San Andreas Magnetics (Los Angeles Chargers )
 * LS Jardineros
 * 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)
 * Sisyphus Theater (Greek Theatre)
 * Ten Cent Theater (Million Dollar Theater)
 * Tivoli Cinema (Fox Bruin Theater)
 * Valdez Theater (Wiltern Theater)
 * Whirligig Theater (El Capitan Theater)
 * 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
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)
 * Vinewood Boulevard (Hollywood Boulevard)
 * Vinewood Sign (Hollywood Sign)

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.


 * La Puerta Freeway (Harbor Freeway)
 * Elysian Fields Freeway (Seaside Freeway)
 * Los Santos Freeway (Hollywood Freeway)
 * Del Perro Freeway (Santa Monica Freeway)
 * Olympic Freeway (Glen Anderson/Century Freeway)
 * Palomino Freeway (Long Beach Freeway)
 * Senora Freeway (State Route 111)
 * Great Ocean Highway (East Pacific Coast Highway)
 * Bay City Avenue (Ocean Avenue)
 * Carson Avenue
 * Dorset Drive (Rodeo Drive)
 * Eclipse Boulevard (Sunset Strip)


 * Elgin Avenue
 * Hawick Avenue (Melrose Avenue)
 * Innocence Boulevard
 * Marlowe Drive (Mulholland Drive)
 * North Rockford Drive
 * Palomino Avenue
 * Popular Street (Alameda Street)
 * Portola Drive (Rodeo Drive)
 * San Andreas Avenue (Wilshire Boulevard)
 * South Rockford Drive
 * Strawberry Avenue (Crenshaw Boulevard)
 * Vespucci Boulevard (Venice Boulevard)
 * Vinewood Boulevard (Hollywood Boulevard)
 * West Eclipse Boulevard (Sunset Boulevard)

Transportation
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

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

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, they use newer Vapid Police Cruisers and also use the Vapid Interceptor, as opposed to the Merit-based Police Patrol, but they still use the 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.

Crime
Los Santos is also the stronghold of the criminal underground. Some of the neighborhoods in Los Santos suffer from high crime rates, specifically the southern part of the city. Since the 1990s, Los Santos is primarily affected from drug trades between many gangs in the city. These drugs include crack, meth, and marijuana as well as a new drug called "Toilet Cleaner". Despite all the crime in Los Santos, the city still remains safer than Liberty City.

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. 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 was 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 San Andreas, Rockstar Games' Aaron Garbut said that they wanted the new world of Los Santos to feel "very fresh" and that there 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. From 24-26 December 2014, snow reappeared via a DLC. Snow was also present from 31 December 2014 to 2 January 2015.

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 Bigfoot also appears on the Seal, possibly a nod to the Bigfoot rumors from Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, or a hint towards the Bigfoot easter egg.
 * Just like Los Angeles, Los Santos is accused of having terrible traffic. 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 are scripted, and do not happen in normal gameplay.
 * It is revealed in the Loot & Wank website that there were riots in Los Santos several years ago, which is a reference to the Los Angeles riots and to the riots that took place in the final act of Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas.
 * Some in-game places, such as the Jetsam Terminal, indicate that Los Santos is a state, when in reality, is a major city of San Andreas.
 * If the player manages to reach the city during nighttime while a blackout is active, such as using the mission Slasher in GTA Online, they may notice that the purple, blue, green and orange glow from buildings is still present, proving the glow from the city is in fact not caused by the light.

Navigation
Лос-Сантос вселенной HD Los Santos (V) Los Santos (V) Los Santos (GTA V) Los Santos (V) Los Santos (uniwersum HD)