State of North Yankton

North Yankton is a fictional state featured in Grand Theft Auto V and is seen in the missions "Prologue" and "Bury the Hatchet." The state is located in the Midwest and may be based upon the state of North Dakota. Very little is known about the state, however, the small town of Ludendorff is located in the state, a city based on Fargo, North Dakota and Bismarck, North Dakota. It is snowing in North Yankton during both of its appearances.

Known Towns

 * Ludendorff

Bank robbery
In 2004, nine years before the main events of GTA V, Michael Townley, Trevor Philips, and Brad Snider rob a bank in Ludendorff. The North Yankton State Patrol swarm the scene and chase the three men as they try to escape to their pickup helicopter. The getaway SUV is hit by a train and ruined, and the trio escape on foot to their destination. A sniper (Dave Norton) hiding around a corner shoots Brad and Michael, killing Brad and immobilizing Michael. Trevor is forced to fend off the approaching police himself, and runs away from some armed pursuing locals. A funeral for Michael is then shown at a snowy cemetery, while Michael watches on from a distance and flicks away his cigarette.

Sometime between 2004 and 2013, Michael and his family, and Trevor both move to Los Santos and Blaine County, respectively.

Cemetery shootout
North Yankton is visited again in 2013 during the mission "Bury the Hatchet" by Trevor, who was determined to figure out who was really buried in Michael's fake grave after the bank job, despite Michael's attempts to talk him out of it. Michael pursued him in an attempt to stop him. Trevor's suspicions are eventually confirmed when he discovers that the person who was buried in the grave was none other than he and Michael's old running buddy, Brad. After discovering Brad's corpse in the grave, the two are attacked by Triads in hunt for Trevor; Trevor escapes from the place, leaving Michael to fight the Triads alone. Michael fights his way through the Triads, but he is captured when he reaches his car.

North Yankton State Police

 * See main article North Yankton State Patrol.

The police seen in Ludendorff are State Police, evidenced by text on the cars. As of 2004, the state police drive white Police Roadcruisers with two stripes down the side and "STATE PATROL" next to the front door, and the police emblem emblazoned on the front doors. They also use Police Ranchers with the same livery. Due to the snowy weather, the cars are fitted with snow chains on the tires to allow for better traction on the road. State Troopers wear black coats over white shirts with black ties, and light brown pants and can be sometimes seen wearing a winter hat.

NOOSE

 * See main article NOOSE.

Though the NOOSE are never seen in either parts of the missions in GTA V, they also have jurisdiction and law enforcement capabilities in North Yankton, being a federal government agency. They most likely have a field office set up in a larger city in the state and were therefore never seen or responded to the actions of the bank robbery Prologue and Bury the Hatchet missions due to the amount of time it would take for them to arrive at the scene.

Trivia

 * Most of the map isn't solid and accurate, being replaced by background textures in it. Roads and rails are legal within Cavalry Boulevard, but as the player driver far away, the road/rail are start to missing textures and ends in boundaries that will fall beyond this point. Trees are also missing textures, except the closest ones, and some are placed over the roads. Missing terrains are at least the same, with fake fences rounding large portions of the map.
 * When the North Yankton "glitch" in GTA Online could be done, players could hear strange noises when in North Yankton. These noises have not been confirmed. This has been patched since then.
 * When the glitch is done in Online, the portion of the map are located near the Port of Los Santos. This has been patched since then.
 * All objects, such stop signs, trashcans and fences are unbreakable compared to the Los Santos counterparts. This due to the fact that North Yankton doesn't allow the player to explore.
 * Train signs are made with permanent warning lights on, even in Online pre-patch.
 * A postcard for North Yankton can be seen on the official GTA V website in the Los Santos and Blaine County travelogue.
 * North Yankton's license plates have a red stripe on the top with "YANKTON" written in white text, based on 2001-2006 South Dakota license plates.
 * Unlike Los Santos and Blaine County, North Yankton does not allow players to roam around the whole map, as attempting to do so will result in mission failure. This is because the rest of the map doesn't physically exist and several areas are not solid.
 * North Yankton is so far the only location in the Grand Theft Auto series that is completely landlocked.
 * Textures, models and sounds for a Husky were found in the game files. Since Huskies naturally appear in cold places (Alaska, Canada, Siberia), it means that it could be spawning in North Yankton since San Andreas is not a suitable place.
 * There is a postcard of North Yankton in Michael's mansion. This may mean he still keeps in contact with friends and/or family still living in the state, or he visits the state from time to time. However, it might just be a reference to the location.
 * It is not possible to take Snapmatic pictures in Singleplayer in North Yankton, however it is possible in GTA Online with a glitch (though it was patched as of 1.10, rendering it impossible).
 * If North Yankton is based on North Dakota than in the GTA Universe, it is entirely possible that a South Yankton exists, that is based upon South Dakota.
 * There was a glitch to get into North Yankton in GTA Online. This glitch is very similar to the glitch on getting to Liberty City in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. This glitch was patched in update 1.10, removing the ability to explore North Yankton online.
 * The name "Yankton" comes from the Yankton Tribe of the Sioux Native Americans. This is similar to how North Dakota (which North Yankton is based off of) is named after the Dakota Tribe of American Indians.
 * There is also a city in South Dakota called Yankton, and it was even the capital of the Dakota Territory before the territory was split into what is now North and South Dakota.
 * There is an easter egg in North Yankton. Under the train bridge, there is an alien frozen inside the river. This exists in both Prologue and Bury the Hatchet.
 * In a prologue time order, it is the first location explorable to the player in the HD Universe, being set in 2004, four years before the story of GTA IV.

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