Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas/Los Santos



Los Santos is a fictional city located in the state of San Andreas, in the video game Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. Los Santos is based on Los Angeles, California (in fact, at some points within the game a voice actor will say "Los Angeles" instead of "Los Santos").

Los Santos' nickname is "The City of Saints", and obvious play on Los Angeles' nickname "The City of Angels".

Los Santos is located in the southern part of San Andreas. It's a bustling city filled with many kinds of people and diverse districts. Ganton in the east and Los Flores in the northeast are the slums of the city, whilst Mulholland is the wealthy part of Los Santos. Rodeo caters to the rich, while the poorer areas such as Jefferson and Little Mexico contain cheap stores.

Landmarks
Los Santos is filled with references to famous L.A. landmarks, including the Walk of Fame, the Watts Towers, the Capitol Tower, the U.S. Bank Tower, the Hollywood Sign (in the game called the Vinewood Sign), the Los Angeles City Hall, the Theme Building from LAX and the Santa Monica Pier. There are also many real Los Angeles Skyscraper look-alikes such as the Two California Plaza, the Gas Company Tower, The Biltmore Hotel Office tower, The Century Plaza Hotel (In the game called the Rodeo Hotel), The St. Regis Los Angeles Hotel & Spa, Rodeo Drive Shops, and the Sunset Vine Tower. There are a few other skyscraper look-alikes that in real life are in bordering cities of Los Angeles. Such as the 100 Wilshire building in Santa Monica and The Argyle Hotel in West Hollywood. Also, like Los Angeles, Los Santos suffers from severe smog. This can be seen hovering above Downtown Los Santos throughout the day as well as many other districts of Los Santos.

Storyline
Los Santos is the hometown of Carl "CJ" Johnson, who returns from living in Liberty City for five years, after his brother informs him of their mother's death. The game starts then, and the story revolves around a lengthy gang war between CJ's gang, the Grove Street Families (named after a street in the Ganton district of the city, from which the gang based its activities), and the Ballas. Hispanic gang rivals the Varrios Los Aztecas and the Los Santos Vagos are also present.

Eventually the Grove Street Families slowly regain their strength and influence, only to be betrayed by OGs Big Smoke and Ryder, who are revealed to be working with the Ballas and corrupt C.R.A.S.H. officers Frank Tenpenny and Eddie Pulaski. As such, a major offensive launched by Carl's older brother Sweet against the Ballas was already anticipated and the GSF was decimated in the ensuing gun battle. Sweet was wounded and imprisoned, while Tenpenny effectively banished Carl from Los Santos, blackmailing him into working for C.R.A.S.H. by threatening the welfare of Sweet in prison. The story leaves Los Santos and moves into the countryside and then San Fierro.

Carl returns to Los Santos later in the game after becoming the manager of disgraced rapper Madd Dogg, who desires to take back his mansion from a drug dealer. Carl discovers that the GSF have been virtually wiped out, the Ballas and Vagos own all of the turf in East Los Santos, and drugs are everywhere. Luckily for Carl, Mike Toreno returns with one more dangerous mission in exchange for Sweet's freedom. After Carl is successful, Toreno lives up to his end of the bargain and has Sweet released from prison. Carl and Sweet bring back the GSF and slowly but surely regain their turf once more.

Meanwhile, Tenpenny and Pulaski are charged with murder and sexual assault (however, Carl killed Pulaski in the Arco Del Oeste ((West Arch in Spanish)) after he and Tenpenny decided there was no more use for CJ). At a court hearing, Tenpenny was released when the judge dropped all charges. The entire city, outraged that Tenpenny walked free after horrendously heinous charges, erupted in riots. During this chaotic time, Carl killed his former friend turned cocaine drug lord Big Smoke. Carl then chased after Tenpenny, who died when his stolen fire truck drove off the side of an overpass. When news of Tenpenny's death reached the people of Los Santos, the city riots came to a stop.

Districts
Apart from famous Los Angeles landmarks being emulated, a number of districts and neighborhoods are as well.


 * East Beach - Long Beach, possibly Redondo Beach or Torrance
 * East Los Santos - East Los Angeles
 * El Corona - El Sereno
 * Ganton - Compton
 * Glen Park - Echo Park/MacArthur Park
 * Jefferson - Watts
 * Idlewood - Inglewood
 * Las Colinas - Los Feliz
 * Marina - Marina del Rey
 * Mulholland - Mulholland Drive and the Hollywood Hills
 * Ocean Docks - San Pedro
 * Pershing Square - Pershing Square
 * Playa del Seville - Playa del Rey
 * Richman - Bel-Air
 * Rodeo - Beverly Hills
 * Santa Maria - Santa Monica
 * Verdant Bluffs (also known simply as "Bluffs") - Griffith Park
 * Verona Beach - Venice Beach
 * Vinewood - Hollywood
 * Willowfield - Willowbrook