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This article is about the State of San Andreas in the HD Universe.
For the city in the original Grand Theft Auto, see San Andreas (2D Universe).
For the state as it appears in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, see State of San Andreas (3D Universe).
For other uses, see San Andreas (disambiguation).

The State of San Andreas, also known as the San Andreas Republic, is a state located in the southwestern United States of America, featured in Grand Theft Auto V and Grand Theft Auto Online. San Andreas is closely based on real-life California. When compared to its 3D Universe predecessor, San Andreas is much more accurate in terms of geography and size.

Overview[]

San Andreas is a large, populous state. Its diverse climate makes it unique, ranging from grassy plains to arid deserts to forests and mountain ranges. The forests of San Andreas are dominated by the mighty Redwood trees, standing tall over the ground. San Andreas is located on the West Coast of the United States and is the birthplace of several new pop culture trends, including celebrity fallouts. The state sits on the coast of the Pacific Ocean. San Andreas is nicknamed "The Golden State", much like California.

The area of southern San Andreas accessible in Grand Theft Auto V consists of two counties: urban Los Santos County and mostly rural Blaine County. Other locations such as San Fierro do not appear, but are mentioned numerous times. Red County and Flint County were also previously mentioned in Grand Theft Auto IV.

SanAndreasMap-GTAV-BirdsEye

The entirety of Southern San Andreas, with a Shamal flying over.

San Andreas is unique in that it is the first setting in the Grand Theft Auto series not to have any part of the map restricted at the start of the game, with the exception of certain specific locations, such as the city airport, the Humane Labs and Research chemical laboratories, the military base, and the state prison. This means that even at the very beginning of the story, players can explore and discover the world to their hearts' content. However, some locations, such as Sandy Shores, do not play a role in the storyline until a certain point in the game.

San Andreas' motto is, "We won't be broken hypocrites forever," as stated in a San Andreas Tourism Board commercial; according to the same advertisement, San Andreas has the most polluted air in the world.

By the summer of 2022, San Andreas is considered "the most violent state in the country".[3]

History[]

Little is known about the history of San Andreas. Throughout the story, snippets of the state's history are mentioned in dialogue. San Andreas used to be a territory of Mexico in the 1800s, which explains the large Mexican population and some Spanish geographic names. The city of Los Santos, however, was founded in 1781, which was when the Spanish Empire was still in control. Old Mexican bloodlines like Manuel's resided there for over 200 years, and consider themselves more American than Americans themselves. Blaine County was established in 1823.

Judging from the state flag, it is possible that the American settlers came to San Andreas and defeated Mexico, thus establishing the San Andreas Republic. Los Santos County was established in 1889, several decades after the founding of Blaine County. In the 20th century, San Andreas became the center of culture in America and gave birth to the famous Vinewood film culture, resulting in classics like Vinewood Zombie. In Grand Theft Auto IV, it is stated that Los Santos experienced riots in the 1990s, just like the Los Angeles riots. In 2021, San Andreas legalized recreational cannabis, though there had long been stores before that in 2013 that sold medical marijuana purportedly to only those with prescriptions.

The beaver is the official state animal of San Andreas. The beaver can be seen on the state flag, the logo of the Los Santos County Sheriff, and on the seal of the city of Los Santos.

Geography[]

The entire state, like its real-life counterpart, is geographically diverse, with nearly every biome. Unlike its counterpart, the entire state of San Andreas gets covered in snow for a week or two each year. The metropolis of Los Santos is located at the very south of the state, separated from the Grand Senora Desert by the Vinewood Hills, where the famous Vinewood Sign is located. The Alamo Sea, a salty lake based on real-life Salton Sea, along with the aforementioned desert and the towns of Sandy Shores and Grapeseed is in a wide basin surrounded by the massive Mount Chiliad, the highest point of the state, in the north, Mount Josiah to the west, the San Chianski Mountain Range and Mount Gordo to the east, and the Vinewood Hills to the south. Across Mount Chiliad, the town of Paleto Bay and its surrounding forest is connected to the rest of the state by the Great Ocean Highway, Mount Chiliad Tunnel and Braddock Pass between Mount Chiliad and Mount Gordo. The Fort Zancudo U.S. Army Base is located at the foot of Mount Josiah, beside the Zancudo River, one of two natural outlets of the Alamo Sea, the other being Cassidy Creek, which cuts through Raton Canyon. Natural beaches border the west of the island, stretching from the Los Santos district of Vespucci to Paleto Bay, while the east coast has high cliffs and mountains.

The state's flying industry is served by Los Santos International Airport (LSIA), Fort Zancudo (for military use), the Sandy Shores Airfield (owned by one of the protagonists Trevor Philips), and McKenzie Field in Grapeseed (used for air trafficking operations). The Port of Los Santos is a major seaport where cargo ships can be found.

Demographics[]

The city of Los Santos is very diverse in population, from the large African-American community in South Los Santos, the Hispanic population in East Los Santos and the celebrity millionaires in Rockford Hills and Richman. Rednecks inhabit Sandy Shores, while Grapeseed is the state's center of agriculture. It is also said that hipsters can be found in Chumash and the LS district of Mirror Park. The Chiliad Mountain State Wilderness is a common hunting ground and the home of the Altruist Camp.

Counties[]

San Andreas has four known counties: Los Santos County, Blaine County, Red County and Flint County. However, the latter two do not appear in the game.

Los Santos County[]

Main article: Los Santos County

Los Santos County is the southernmost county in the state, and is also the most developed. It consists of the cities of Los Santos and Davis, along with a large variety of highlands, beaches, and interconnected highways. The town of Chumash is located in the western side of the county along with a large beach. It is bordered by Blaine County to the north by Route 68. Los Santos County is the urban area of Southern San Andreas.

Blaine County[]

Main article: Blaine County

Blaine County is the second-southernmost county of the state and the northernmost featured. Blaine County is mostly known for its wildlife, including a large desert, highlands, a sea, and forests. There are three towns in the county: Sandy Shores, Grapeseed, and Paleto Bay. One of the most visited landmarks in the county is Mount Chiliad. Blaine County is the rural area of Southern San Andreas.

Other Mentioned Counties[]

Throughout the series, some names of counties are mentioned and referenced, but other than that, they never physically appear in the HD Universe of the series.

Red County[]

Main article: Red County

Red County is mentioned in Grand Theft Auto IV and V.

Flint County[]

Main article: Flint County

Flint County is mentioned on homecremation.com in Grand Theft Auto IV, and during the mission Short Trip - Fire It Up in Grand Theft Auto Online.

Major Cities[]

Los Santos[]

StateOfSanAndreas-GTAV-SanAndreasRepublic

Welcome to Los Santos

The city of Los Santos is based on Los Angeles, California. The city is the main setting of the events of Grand Theft Auto V and initial home of two of the protagonists.

Other Mentioned Cities[]

San Fierro[]

The city of San Fierro is based on San Francisco, California. The city was mentioned by Lester Crest during The Doomsday Heist and Zachary on Kult FM.

Towns[]

The state features four known towns:

Sandy Shores[]

Ajmsandyshoresmainave

Sandy Shores.

Main article: Sandy Shores


Sandy Shores is the most notable due to this being the home of one of the protagonists, Trevor Philips. The town is located in the center of the Grand Senora Desert, bordering the Alamo Sea to the north.

Chumash[]

Pacific Bluffs

Chumash.

Main article: Chumash


Chumash is a town mostly based on Malibu, California. It is supposedly populated by hipsters, as stated by Dave Norton. There are many beachfront homes and some docks. It is bordered by the Great Ocean Highway.

Paleto Bay[]

PaletoBay-GTAV-Aerial

Paleto Bay.

Main article: Paleto Bay


Paleto Bay is the northernmost town in southern San Andreas. Paleto Bay is known for being a visited landmark for people who like BASE jumping from Mount Chiliad. Paleto Bay is a good rest stop for truckers on the Great Ocean Highway due to it holding various services such as a bank and a gas station.

Grapeseed[]

Grapeseed-east

Grapeseed.

Main article: Grapeseed


Grapeseed is a town located at the northeast end of the Alamo Sea. The town is primarily an agricultural one and contains several farms. It is the second smallest town in the state, just ahead of Sandy Shores.

Unincorporated communities[]

Dignity Village

Dignity Village, a large homeless encampment.

This is a list of communities that usually have no local government or services and are generally unrecognized as official territories.

Ecosystems[]

Our coastal areas and beautiful lakes and rivers are a dream come true for those who crave aquatic adventure. Come relax and take a swim at our beaches (unless it's just after a storm, in which case the runoff is toxic), or go deep and scuba dive to the ocean floor. Keen oceanic explorers have even been known to discover some exciting finds in our coastal waters with the aid of the proper submersible equipment.
— Official tourism website for San Andreas.

San Andreas has a rich and diverse variety of ecosystems ranging from mountains to canyons. These include locations throughout San Andreas that are typically unsettled by humans and populated by different animals.

TrainBridge-GTAV

A view of Raton Canyon.

Wildlife[]

San Andreas is home to many different species of animals. From dogs to seagulls, San Andreas has it all. Animals are not present in Grand Theft Auto Online, however.

Shark-GTAV

A shark swimming with a scuba diver in the background

Highway System[]

Route 68

The famous Route 68.

San Andreas has a complex highway system that contains many elaborate routes, interstates, and freeways. The system reaches all throughout the state and is the most developed highway system in the Grand Theft Auto series to date.

Grand Theft Auto IV[]

There are numerous references to the State of San Andreas in GTA IV and its episodes. These include characters mentioning locations, TV shows, and radio; however, they refer to the 3D Universe rendition of San Andreas instead of GTA V; in particular, the TV broadcast for Venturas Poker Challenge uses footages of Las Venturas from GTA: San Andreas. This is due to the HD Universe rendition of the state of San Andreas not being developed at the moment.

Locations from San Andreas in the HD Universe have been pre-established in GTA IV before their appearance in GTA V, such as the University of San Andreas, Los Santos.

As seen by character dialogues and Internet sites, the city names Los Santos (including Vinewood), Red County, Flint County, San Fierro, and Las Venturas are still used, confirming that these locations exist in the HD Universe, but are not located in the southern portion of the state seen in Grand Theft Auto V.

References[]

Grand Theft Auto IV[]

In Grand Theft Auto IV, the stats can say "miles traveled from Liberty City to Los Santos." Also, when you hear other pedestrians on the sidewalk or the street talking on the phone, you may hear them mention San Andreas.

Episodes from Liberty City[]

  • At the end of the mission Shifting Weight, Malc jokes that he and Johnny should get a room at the Jefferson Motel, a motel in Los Santos.
  • During gang wars against the Angels of Death, Johnny will sometimes yell, "Go back to San Fierro!"

Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars[]

  • The in-game description of cocaine says how it can make you "party like the guys in Vinewood."

Trivia[]

SanAndeasComparison-GTAV-GTASA

A comparison of the two renderings of the State of San Andreas.

  • So far, San Andreas is the largest setting ever featured in the Grand Theft Auto series, with a total area of 49 square miles.
  • Throughout GTA V, San Andreas is often accused of stereotypes that mirror California. For example, the people of San Andreas are described as "illegal immigrants," "hipsters," and "fake plastic people."
  • In-game maps of the U.S. seem to show a realistic-looking America, with the exception of a state in place of the real California. This altered state has the same general shape as the real-life California, except that the southern part of the state is missing; presumably, this is where the in-game San Andreas is located.
  • San Andreas is the first map in the Grand Theft Auto series to consist of one solid landmass that remains unrestricted to the player (with exception of a few locations). Previous entries have consisted of several islands connected to each other that remained restricted to the player until a certain point in the story was reached. In the GTA V storyline there is only one location that becomes permanently unrestricted after reaching a certain point in the game, Backlot City; another restricted area, the runway and tarmac of Los Santos International Airport, becomes unrestricted for Michael De Santa and Franklin Clinton after hangars are optionally purchased. Some areas, most notably the Fort Zancudo military base and Bolingbroke Penitentiary, remain off-limits permanently in single-player (though a glitch in the optional side mission Fair Game temporarily allows unhindered exploration, though only for Trevor Philips) and will trigger high wanted levels if entered.
  • It was confirmed through Rockstar that the area the player can explore in GTA V is not the whole state of San Andreas, but just the southern island portion of it. Trevor Philips refers to the map as "southern San Andreas" in the mission I Fought the Law...
  • San Andreas is the first fictional state in the GTA series to be featured with its own state flag. The flag resembles California's flag except that the red stripe and star is now blue and the bear is replaced by a beaver. The animals are also facing different directions.
  • California and its locations are mentioned several times on the radio. There is also a California license plate on a wrecked car in the Grand Senora Desert.
  • Despite its size, the map for San Andreas is not infinite. Straying too far from shore will result in the player's vehicle breaking down, shark attacks are likely for those stranded at sea.

References[]

Navigation[]

Navigation
[ ve ]Grand Theft Auto V
LocationsState of San Andreas (Los Santos (County) and Blaine County) | State of North Yankton (Ludendorff)
CharactersMichael De Santa | Trevor Philips | Franklin Clinton | Lamar Davis | Amanda De Santa | Jimmy De Santa | Tracey De Santa | Chop | Simeon Yetarian | Martin Madrazo | Lester Crest | Ron Jakowski | Wade Hebert | Dave Norton | Steve Haines | Devin Weston | Stretch | Wei Cheng
ContentMissions | Strangers and Freaks | Random Events | Vehicles | Weapons | Properties | Safehouses | Characters | Clothing | Tattoo Parlors | Radio Stations | Internet | TV Shows
Information100% Completion | Achievements/Trophies | Cheats | Trailers | Screenshots | Artworks | Snapmatic | Rockstar Editor | Grand Theft Auto Online
[ ve ]Grand Theft Auto Online
LocationsState of San Andreas (Los Santos County (Los Santos) | Blaine County) | Cayo Perico
CharactersGTA Online Protagonist | Lamar Davis | Gerald | Simeon Yetarian | Lester Crest | Ron Jakowski | Trevor Philips | Martin Madrazo | Executive Assistant | Agent 14 | Tony Prince | Malc | Agatha Baker | Miguel Madrazo | Pavel | Sessanta | Kenny Dixon Jr. | Franklin Clinton | Hao | Agent ULP | Dax | Mutt | Charlie Reed | Jamal Amir | Yusuf Amir | Vincent Effenburger
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Customization
VehiclesHao's Special Works | Los Santos Customs | Weaponized Vehicle Workshop | Arena Workshop
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Game ModesFreemode | Freemode Events | Adversary Modes | Captures | Deathmatches | Last Team Standings | Races | Stunt Races | Survivals | Parachuting | Versus Missions
InformationAwards | Achievements and Trophies | Reputation (RP) (LS Car Meet | Arena Points) | Ranks | Skills | Trailers | Screenshots | Artworks
Add-ons and Social Club FeaturesCrews | Snapmatic | Grand Theft Auto V: Story Mode (Rockstar Editor | Director Mode)
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