Exploring the history of Los Santos throughout the GTA franchise

The GTA series has always introduced some of the most iconic locations throughout its games, especially the recently visited Los Santos.

The City of Los Santos debuted in GTA San Andreas back in 2004 and has been reintroduced into the HD Universe with the latest Grand Theft Auto 5 and Online. It is one of the major cities located in the southern part of San Andreas and is based in the real-life city of Los Angeles, California. The name is derived from the Spanish words: “The Saints,” a play on “The Angels” which refers to Los Angeles.

With the series recently completing its 25th year, it’s time to learn about the history of Los Santos and its presentation in both games.

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GTA San Andreas starts with CJ’s arrival in Los Santos

In GTA San Andreas, Los Santos is a major global city for television, motion picture, and other related industries. The city is huge with a co-mingling of different perspectives and cultures. It is the hometown of many famous big-time and small-time actors and musicians.

It’s quite famous for the following things in the game:

• Television and movie studios
• Multimillion-dollar estates
• Crack-ridden suburbs
• Los Santos Forum race track
• Los Santos Observatory
• Los Santos International Airport
• Graffiti

The city is also home to Carl “CJ” Johnson, the protagonist of GTA San Andreas, during the events of the game. The title starts with CJ’s arrival in Los Santos and one sees that the city is very much torn apart due to gang warfare issues.

When it comes to crime, the city of Los Santos is one of the most crime-riddled cities in the entire state as it suffers from rampant gang violence, car theft, drug trafficking, and corruption on various levels.

It’s the only city in the game that contains various gang territories without the exploitation of a glitch.

The city has a total population of 3,000,000 and is separated into 27 different districts. The major districts in the game include:

• Central Los Santos
• East Los Santos
• South Los Santos
• West Los Santos

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Everything to know about Los Santos in GTA 5 and Online

The latest rendition of Los Santos makes it a sprawling and huge metropolis that consists of various cultures, including the iconic film-making industry as well as suburban hood life. It is set in 2013, giving it a more modern, larger, and more detailed city compared to its earlier appearance.

It is represented as the most populated and developed country in the state of San Andreas. Serving as the County Seat of Los Santos County, it features 40 different neighborhoods and districts, out of which these are the most famous ones:

• Downtown Los Santos
• South Los Santos
• East Los Santos
• Rockford Hills
• Vinewood
• Vinewood Hills
• Richman
• Morningwood
• Little Seoul
• Del Perro
• Vespucci
• La Puerta
• Los Santos International Airport
• Port of Los Santos
• Pacific Bluffs

The city of Los Santos is also famous for the following landmarks and sightings in GTA 5 and Online:

• Skyscrapers and corporate buildings’
• Tequi-la-la
• Hotels
• Residential buildings
• Recreation and sports
• Betsy O'Neal Pavilion
• Vinewood Sign
• Vinewood Boulevard
• Rancho Towers

In the latest games, the city is known to be a major hub for organized crime and serves as a large stronghold for the criminal underground network. It also suffers from murder, violence, and gang fighting, especially in the southern parts. There is also widespread corruption amongst the city’s officials, including the Los Santos Police Department (LSPD).

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Rockstar has done an amazing job at keeping the important aspects of earlier renditions of Los Santos alive in the latest games. Although the upcoming title is heavily rumored to be set in Vice City, It won’t be surprising if the developers decide to return to Los Santos once again in the future.