Liberty City, known also as The City of Liberty, simply Liberty or L.C., is a fictional city in the state of Liberty in the United States of America. It first appeared in the 1997 video game Grand Theft Auto and returned across 8 more games in the series, making it the most frequently depicted location in the GTA franchise. Liberty City appears across the 2D, 3D and HD Universes. Notably it was the setting of Grand Theft Auto III and Grand Theft Auto IV.

Description

Liberty City's appearance, inspiration and other characteristics vary across Universes, however a common thread is that it is always for the most part based on the real-life New York City. In Grand Theft Auto it is almost exclusively inspired by New York City, while in subsequent depictions the primarily New York City-based Liberty City gets a bit of other East-Coast and some Midwest cities' inspiration mixed in.

Liberty City is situated across a number of islands connected by bridges, with the various islands having their own distinct districts with unique architecture, social structures and influences. The names of these districts vary from different depictions of the city, but are generally based on the real-life Boroughs of New York City.

In the 3D and HD Universes, Liberty City has its own version of the Statue of Liberty.

History

2D Universe

Liberty City was established in 1603 and became known as the "Gateway to Freedom". In the modern era, it became known as a hotbed for criminal activity and gang violence. This is the first city in which the Grand Theft Auto protagonist was active, completing a number of tasks for opposed criminal organizations before moving onto San Andreas.

3D Universe

Liberty City was founded in 1798, since when its population has ballooned to over 4 million. The city is implied to have the highest crime rate in the United States of America, and has the motto 'The worst place in America' accordingly. Between 1998 and 2001, Liberty City becomes the theatre for significant confilicts and shifts in the balance of power in the criminal underworld due to the actions of Toni Cipriani, Mike and Claude. All thre protagonists experience betrayal and end up doing jobs for multiple criminal factions in Liberty City, rising in power and influence in the process.

HD Universe

Founded in 1664, Liberty City was established on the site of a former Dutch colony called New Rotterdam, itself founded in 1609. Sporting a population of over 8 million inhabitants, Liberty City experienced the kind of unrest and crime rates expected of cities in the US this large and dense, but as of 2008 it was not particularly known as a standout location in terms of violent crime. Nonetheless, gang activity was rife. Between 2008 and 2009, major shifts in criminal underworld take place due to the activity of Niko Bellic, Johnny Klebitz, Luis Fernando Lopez and Huang Lee.

List of Appearances