Introduction
The fifth appearance of Liberty City in the Grand Theft Auto video game franchise is in Grand Theft Auto IV, a**uming a very different design that is based much more closely on New York City than previous renditions. This new rendition of Liberty City is larger in scope than any previous version, with highly advanced detail and a greater degree of realism. The city continues to be referred to as the 'Worst Place in America', which has been trademarked by Rockstar Games and appears on the License Plate given to those who pre-ordered the game
Overview
The mayor of Liberty City, as of 2008, is Julio Ochoa, and the deputy mayor is Bryce Dawkins. During the course of the game there is an election campaign taking place for the state governorship. John Hunter and Michael Graves are the two main candidates although it is not clear who belongs to which party or who is the incumbent
The bridges in the city are locked down during the early stages of the game due to a terrorist threat, and crossing the police blockades will result in the player receiving a 6-star wanted level. As the player progresses through the game, the blockades are gradually lifted. This allows the player to access the other islands in the city in a fashion similar to previous games in the series. The population of the city as of 2008 is 8,363,710
During the game, the player is able to watch the first part of a television documentary that tells the story of the history of Liberty City from its founding up until the Civil War. The city's timeline is also similar to that of New York City. The Liberty City area is said to have first been explored in 1609 by Horatio Humboldt. A Dutch trading post was established in 1625 on Lower Algonquin, quickly becoming a den of d** and vice. The city was originally named New Rotterdam by its first Dutch settlers, but was changed to Liberty City when control of it pa**ed to the English in 1664 due to a sponsorship deal that had been agreed with the Bank of Liberty. The British abandoned Liberty City in 1783, concluding the American War of Independence. Liberty City became the first capital of the United States and remained so until the government moved to Capital City in the 1790s
Geographic layout
At the center of Liberty City is Algonquin Island. Algonquin Island is bordered to the west by the West River, to the east by the Humboldt River, and to the north and south by open seas. Happiness Island sits southwest of Algonquin Island. To the northeast of the city sits Charge Island, and immediately to its south sits Colony Island. All four of these islands make up Algonquin Borough. The Humboldt and West Rivers both flow north to south
Directly across the West River from Algonquin sits the State of Alderney. Alderney is bordered to its east by the West River and the other three sides by open seas. Alderney is connected by bridge and tunnel to Algonquin and does not directly connect to any other borough
Across the Humboldt River to the northeast of Algonquin, past Charge Island, is Bohan. Bohan is the city's smallest borough. Dukes Bay separates Bohan from its neighbor to the south and it is bordered on the north and east by open seas. Dukes Bay is stagnant and has neither tides nor flow
To Bohan's south lies another island which holds the boroughs of Dukes (nothern side) and Broker (southern side). This island is bordered by Algonquin across the Humboldt River to the west, Bohan to the north across Dukes Bay, and by the east and south by open seas
With the exception of a rise on the northeast shore of Alderney, and hills in south Bohan and central Broker, the islands are flat land. The native flora is similar to that of New York City except less diverse. The native fauna in Liberty City is restricted to the odd pigeon or seagull. There is no aquatic life shown; no zoo, and no animals of any other type
Landmarks
Liberty City includes many landmarks with real-life counterparts. Some prominent examples:
Statue of Happiness, Zirconium Building, Rotterdam Tower, Grand Easton Terminal, Civilization Committee Building, Firefly Island Screamer, Triangle Building, Alderney Ferry Terminal, LC24 Tower, GetaLife Building, Middle Park, Civic Citadel, Star Junction, Burlesque, Monoglobe, Vespucci Circus, Randolf Art Center and WTF Center
Culture
The culture of Liberty City of the Grand Theft Auto IV era is focused on the collective civic misery of the five boroughs
The general mood of the city is paranoid dread and self-loathing. The citizens of the Liberty State boroughs focus their disdain on the residents of Alderney; the residents of Alderney know they are the 'ugly little sister' and wallow in self-pity. Every aspect of life is commercialized, from the name of the city itself to every available surface in the city being coated with advertising, graffiti, or both. The average citizen of the city is a weatherbeaten addict of some ethnic extraction who would just as soon be dead as live in Liberty City. There are no grade schools or children depicted in Liberty City, despite the presence of several playgrounds
Gangs permeate the entire city; no area is unclaimed as gang turf. Every ethnic group has its gang, from the Russians, who are portrayed as brutal maniacs without conscience, to the Jews, who are portrayed as money-mad hooknosed yarmulke-clad stereotypes. No ethnic group goes unspared, from WASPs to Eastern Europeans to African-Americans. The entire game is a function of urban satire with no regard to anyone's sensitivities
For recreation, the residents of Liberty City might visit one of the city's beaches, which generally have some form of gun-based violence going on, or participate in sports such as baseball or tennis. Other pastimes include petty crime, s**ual misconduct, and property destruction
Commercialization
The city's most recognized brands are plays on real-life brands or smutty double-entendres
Cluckin' Bell, Burger Shot, Sprunk, E. Cola, Rusty Brown's Rings, Weazel News, Liberty Tree, Bank of Liberty, TW@, Pizza This, BAWSAQ, Pißwa**er, Dusche Gold, Bean Machine and Whiz Mobile
Media
There are a large number of media outlets in Liberty City. These provide the player with a more immersive experience as well as a vehicle for exposition of game situations
Newspaper
The in-game newspaper for Liberty City and Alderney is the Liberty Tree. The paper is sold at vending machines and kiosks throughout the city, although the player is unable to purchase and read a hard copy. The user can view the paper's on line version on the in-game internet or in real life. As the player progresses through missions, the on-line Liberty Tree is updated to show 'news' about the player's ongoing crime spree and related current events in the city
Radio
The following are the radio stations available in game and in Episodes From Liberty City episodic content
IF99, Vladivostok FM, K109 The Studio, The Beat 102.7, Electro-Choc, L.C.H.C., The Cla**ics 104.1, Fusion FM, Jazz Nation Radio 108.5, The Journey, Liberty Rock Radio 97.8, Ma**ive B Soundsystem 96.9, Radio Broker, San Juan Sounds, Tuff Gong Radio, The Vibe 98.8, Integrity 2.0, WKTT Radio, PLR, Vice City FM, Ram Jam FM, Ma**ive B Soundsystem 96.9 and Independence FM
Television
There are three simultaneously running television channels in Liberty City, each with a real-life counterpart
Weazel - Fox Broadcasting Company
CNT - TNT
PBC - The Public Broadcasting Corporation
Regions
Liberty City is made up of four major islands, three minor islands, and the interconnecting waterways
Broker Borough
Broker is located south of the borough of Dukes, on the southern half of the island located in the eastern part of the city. Broker is primarily an industrial portion of the city based on Brooklyn, made up of factories, warehouses and brick townhouses, many of which are dilapidated. The borough's population consists largely of ethnic gangs, hipsters, and industrial workers. The island shared with Dukes is a truncated version of Long Island
Broker is connected to Algonquin via the Broker Bridge and the Algonquin Bridge. It occupies the same island as Dukes and has no direct connection to Bohan or Alderney
A taxi service owned by Roman Bellic, called Express Car Service, operates within the district. The game begins in this borough, with Niko Bellic living in Roman's small two-room apartment in the Eastern-European district of Hove Beach
According to the TV documentary on the History of Liberty City, Broker is named after Sir William Broker III, the illegitimate son of the King of Great Britain. Most streets in Broker are named after famous cowboys, such as Hickco*k Street and Earp Street, while most avenues are named after Native American tribes of the Northeast, such as Mohegan Avenue, Seneca Avenue, and Mohawk Avenue
- Neighborhoods
The locations and landmarks in Broker are as follows:
Beachgate, Beechwood City, BOABO, Downtown, East Hook, Firefly Island, Firefly Projects, Hove Beach, Outlook, South Slopes, Rotterdam Hill and Schottler
- Landmarks
Schottler Arch, Schottler Library, Broker Bridge, Algonquin Bridge, Broker Navy Yard, Firefly Island Screamer and Shoot Them Down
Dukes Borough
Dukes is a borough in the northern half of an island at the southeastern corner of the city limits. The second largest borough in the city, it is based on the borough of Queens. Dukes is connected to Bohan by the Dukes Bay Bridge and the East Borough Bridge. The East Borough Bridge also connects Dukes to Algonquin. It shares a land border with Broker; these are the only two boroughs in the city with a land border. The city airport is located in Dukes
According to the TV documentary on the history of Liberty City, Dukes is a shortened version of "dookie" (slang term for feces) because most of the residents there "smelled like sh**." Most avenues in Dukes are named after famous American military battles, such as Bunker Hill Avenue, Inchon Avenue and San Jacinto Avenue
The hospital for Broker and Dukes is located in the Schottler neighborhood
- Neighborhoods
Much of Dukes is occupied by Francis International Airport and the parkland surrounding the Monoglobe. The neighborhoods of Dukes are:
East Island City, Cerveza Heights, Steinway, Meadows Park, Meadow Hills, Willis and Charge Island
- Landmarks
The following locations in the game are based on real world locations:
Francis International Airport, The Monoglobe, Liberty State Pavilion Towers and LC24 Tower
Bohan Borough
Bohan, based on The Bronx, is the smallest and poorest borough in the city. It contains dilapidated co-op housing projects and has high concentrations of homeless people, street people, and street prostitutes. Many of the businesses there are run-down. There are abandoned warehouses and construction sites in every neighborhood except the affluent Boulevard neighborhood at the northern side of the borough. Bohan contains two police stations, one medical center, and one fire station. The police are slower to respond in Bohan than in other boroughs
According to the TV documentary on the history of Liberty City, bohan is a Dutch word meaning 'Dutch word', but this is not true. Most avenues in Bohan are named after prisons, such as Alcatraz Avenue, Sing Sing Avenue, Rykers Avenue, San Quentin Avenue, and Guantanamo Avenue while the streets are named after break dancing maneuvers such as Windmill Street, Worm Street and Drill Street
- Neighborhoods
Industrial, Northern Gardens, Chase Point, South Bohan, Fortside, Boulevard and Little Bay
- Landmarks
Welham Park, Welham Parkway and Northern Expressway
Many real-life landmarks in The Bronx do not have in-game counterparts
Algonquin Borough
Algonquin, based on Manhattan, is the largest borough and is located across one large and three small islands in the center of the city limits. It is the most densely populated borough and serves as the city's business district and administrative headquarters. Algonquin's skyscrapers are concentrated towards the southern end of the island. A large parkland area called Middle Park, based on Central Park, occupies the center of the district and is suggested to have been built to give local drug users a scenic backdrop for narcotics abuse. The Liberty City Police Department have their headquarters on the island in East Holland. The Triangle features the Rotterdam Tower, the tallest building in the city based on the Empire State Building. The Exchange is the in-game equivalent of Wall Street. The Burlesque theater district, based on Broadway, can be found on Denver-Exeter Ave. just south of Star Junction
According to the TV documentary on the history of Liberty City, Algonquin is a Native American term meaning 'place to build condominium skyscrapers', or 'island to catch an STD on'
Algonquin's street layout is a grid rather than a patchwork as in the other boroughs. East-west roads, called streets, are named for minerals and chemical elements, and ordered by letter, from A in the southern part of the island to X in the north. North-south roads are called avenues and named for cities, from A in the east to G in the west. Some in-town streets have non-conforming names, such as Wong Way in Chinatown. There are a number of roads which lie outside the grid such as Grummer Road in the northwestern part of the borough. These are used to reach non-urban areas of the city such as docks on the West River
At the start of the game, any access to Algonquin is forbidden. The bridges are blockaded and subways do not cross into the borough. This is due to an unseen "terrorist incident." The evidence of this is a number of wrecked freight ships aground off Algonquin and Alderney. Should the player attempt to enter Algonquin or Alderney during the 'terrorist emergency' phase of the game, an immediate six-star wanted level is a**igned and the in-game military police will hunt down the player with intent to k**
There are three hospitals in Algonquin; one is in Castle Gardens; one is located in Lancet near Chinatown; the third, near Columbus Center in Middle Park West
- Neighborhoods
Burlesque, Middle Park East, Middle Park West, The Triangle, The Exchange, Chinatown, City Hall, Castle Garden City, Castle Gardens, The Meat Quarter, Purgatory, Lancet, Lancaster, Little Italy, Hatton Garden, Varsity Heights, Fishmarket North, Fishmarket South, Westminster, Suffolk, Presidents City, Easton, Lower Easton, Northwood, North Holland and East Holland
- Landmarks
The following landmarks are found on Algonquin and have real-life counterparts in Manhattan
Middle Park, Civilization Committee Building, GetaLife Building, Grand Easton Terminal, Star Junction, Vespucci Circus, Rotterdam Tower, Zirconium Building, Columbus Cathedral, Randolf Art Center, The Libertonian Museum, Triangle Building, Rubin Swinger Basketball Courts, Cleethorpes Tower and Civic Citadel
The theater district in Algonquin is called Burlesque, based on real-life Broadway. The counterpart of the Manhattan avenue called Broadway is Denver-Exeter Avenue
There is a large, unnamed construction site in the Castle Garden City area which is roughly an*logous to Ground Zero. It is never mentioned in such a context