State of San Andreas

San Andreas is a fictional state, that is also the main setting location for Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. The state is based the real states of California, Nevada, Arizona, Wyoming and Oregon. San Andreas appears to be comprised entirely of island, as the state is surrounded by water, however, several maps throughout the state depict the northern reagions (Tierra Robada and Bone County) connecting to the mainland. San Andreas is estimated to be 36 square kilometers in size (13.9 square miles), making it the largest setting location in the Grand Theft Auto series.

Unlike the State of Liberty of the State of Florida, much of the State of San Andreas is completely accessible to the player. The state is divided into three large cities and five counties, the cities of Los Santos, San Fierro, and Las Venturas, and the counties of Flint County, Red County, Bone County, Whetstone, and Tierra Robada.

The state has a very diverse climate and terrain. The first region (primarly Los Santos, Flint, and Red Counties) is mainly made up of forests (with the area directly north of Los Santos meant to represent the Angeles National Forest) and some creeks and small towns (representing the San Fernando Valley). The weather in this region is fairly warm, but sometimes Los Santos can get very smoggy. The second region (San Fierro and Whetstone) is mostly cool, and San Fierro is sometimes foggy.The terrain here is also forest-like, with many rugged hills and boasting Mount Chiliad. An area directly north of San Fierro lies Tierra Robada and Bayside, both which are semi-arid and partly forest-like. Bayside is meant to represent affluent Sauslito, California, while the areas outside it seem to represent Redwood forest areas outside the San Francisco Bay Area. The forth and final region (Bone County and Las Venturas) is an arid climate, with the terrain being highly elevated deserts with natural formations such as the El Castillo del Diablo and government buildings, such as The Big Ear and Area 69. One can find many cactus and desert trees here.

Cities
The State of San Andreas consists of three main cities:

Los Santos

 * Main Article: Los Santos

Los Santos is the largest city in the state. It's clearly based on Los Angeles, California, due to that the city is filled with references of famous L.A. landmarks, such as the Hollywood Sign (Vinewood Sign), the Watts Towers, the Capital Tower, the U.S. Bank Tower, and the Santa Monica Pier, and many others. It is bordered by Flint County to the west, and Red County to the north. Los Santos is also the hometown of Carl Johnson, who returns from Liberty City after hearing that his mother was killed in a drive-by shooting. After a deadly shootout under the Mulholland Intersection, Carl Johnson is escorted out of the city by Officers Frank Tenpenny and Jimmy Hernandez to Angel Pine. Los Santos also includes several fictional boroughs that resemble real-life cities in Los Angeles County, such as Ganton (Compton), Idlewood (Ingelwood), and Vinewood (Hollywood).

San Fierro

 * Main Article: San Fierro

San Fierro is the smallest city in San Andreas, situated on a peninsula in the western portion of the state. The city is based on San Francisco, California, with additional referances of two Fifth of Forth bridges in Scotland, the Forth Bridge and the Forth Road Bridge, with the latter being made to resemble the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge in both design and physical location. South of San Fierro lies the massive Mount Chiliad and the little town of Angel Pine in Whetstone. North of the city, across the Gant Bridge (San Fierro's version of the Golden Gate Bridge) lies the small port town of Bayside. Northeast of the city lies the county of Tierra Robada. To the east is the Panopticon, and to the southeast is Flint County.

The city bears visible scars of an earthquake, a possible referance to the Loma Prieta earthquake of 1989, 3 years before the game takes place. However, news on the radio reports the aftermath of the earthquake early in the game, suggesting that a major earthquake has hit the state recently.

Las Venturas

 * Main Article: Las Venturas

Las Venturas is a fictional city that is based on Las Vegas, Nevada. It is the second largest city in the state, and like its real-life counterpart, the city is located in a desert region and enjoys legalized gambling, sporting casinos such as The Camel's Toe and Caligula's Palace.

The city is also notiable for its freeway system, the Julius Thruway, which circles the whole city. Both freeways from San Fierro and Los Santos intersect with it. Another major road is the Harry Gold Parkway, which runs through the middle of the city and intersects twice with the Juilius Thruway, and then leads to Los Santos (but no longer called the Harry Gold Parkway once it leaves the city). At some point in the game, Car Johnson pulls off a major heist at Caligula's Casino, subsequently fomenting relationships between Carl Johnson and Salvator Leone.

Counties and regions
In addition to the three large metropolises, San Andreas is home to large counties and other regions:

Red County

 * Main Article: Red County

Red County is a rural county located amoung forests consisting of primarily tall redwood trees and streams. The county is based on the quintessential American countryside and is populated with sterotypical rednecks.

Flint County

 * Main Article: Flint County

Flint County is a undeveloped rural part of San Andreas. There are no towns and only a couple of farms. There are only a few missions in the game that take place in Flint County, all which involve racing around the area.

Tierra Robada

 * Main Article: Tierra Robada

Tierra Robada is based on the Sierra Nevada Area. It is a small, peninsular county located north of San Fierro.

Bone County

 * Main Article: Bone County

Bone County is one of the most important areas in the game, other than the major cities themselves, containing many areas and missions that are needed to continue through the game. The area is also home to a large number of easter eggs, and two of the county's most prominent features, which include the secret military base "Area 69" (based on Area 51) and the Verdant Meadows Aircraft Graveyard, located directly north of Area 69. Bone County boasts an oil field (Octane Springs), a quarry, and several unique natural features such as mesas.

Whetstone

 * Main Article: Whetstone

Whetstone is located in the south-west corner of San Andreas, located south of San Fierro. The county is home to Mount Chiliad, the tallest mountain in the state, and the town of Angel Pine.

Towns
In the State of San Andreas, there are also many towns:

Palomino Creek

 * Main Article: Palomino Creek

Palomino Creek is a town located in north east Red County, San Andreas. It is home to a bank, which has suffered from many bank robberies. a Pizza Stack, and Hanky Panky Point, a popular destination for tennage couples and wierd old men. K-Rose mentioned on their station a football game between Palomino Creek High School and Blueberry High School, in Blueberry (although there is no football field or high school in either city).

Montgomery

 * Main Article: Montgomery

Montgomery is a town that is located in northeastern Red County. It has a small hospital, Crippen Memorial, a Well Stacked Pizza, and also contains a small horse betting shop.

Dillimore

 * Main Article: Dillimore

Dillimore is a small town that is located on the northern outskirts of Los Santos. Although the town is small, it contains a sheriff's office, a Pay 'n' Spray, a gas station and a diner. It also houses the large farm estate which contains a Quad.

Blueberry

 * Main Article: Blueberry

Blueberry is a fairly large town. On the outsirts of town, there is a large farm and a brewery. The town itself is home to a liquor store and an Ammu-Nation. The climate resembles that of San Fierro. It is possible that the buildings outside of town are a high school, and the field could possibly be a football field of some sort, which would probable answer the announcement on K-Rose about a football game between Blueberry and Palomino Creek.

Angel Pine

 * Main Article: Angel Pine

Angel Pine is a logging town, located in Whetstone and at the foot of Mount Chiliad. It is notable because it contains a hospital from which Paramedic mission can be preformed. It also contains a sheriff's office, a saw mill, an Ammu-Nation and a trailer park. Interestingly, a hearse may also be found parked at the hospital. Angel Pine was the location that Carl Johnson was dropped off by Frank Tenpenny, Eddie Pulaski, and Jimmy Hernandez after being arrested in Los Santos.

Bayside

 * Main Article: Bayside

Bayside is a waterfront town located north, across the bay from San Fierro. The sole access point to the town is directly linked to San Fierro via Gant Bridge.

The town consists two notable features. One is its boat school, where Carl can obtain a boating license. Second, the town has a common rest stop for people traveling from San Fierro to Las Venturas.

The presence of the Bayside Marina and its proximity to the Gant Bridge suggests that the town is based on Sausalito, California, which is almost geographically similar to Bayside, in addition to having one of its access points connected directly to the Golden Gate Bridge.

El Quebrados

 * Main Article: El Quebrados

El Quebrados is a town in Tierra Robada, located east of Bayside. The town is home to a sheriffs office as well as a hospital. The name El Quebrados, which is an improper mix of singular and plural Spanish, which translates roughly to "The Bankrupt" or "the Broken".

Las Barrancas

 * Main Article: Las Barrancas

Las Barrancas is a small town located within viewing range of the Sherman Dam and located beside a cliffside ruin. "Las Barrancas" is Spanish for "The Ravines".

Fort Carson

 * Main Article: Fort Carson

Fort Carson is the largest town in Bone County, and also its county seat, as indicated by the small red building on the town's main street, being significantly undeveloped as of 1992. It is based on the real life town of Rachel, Nevada, which is the closest habitation to Area 51. North of Fort Carson lies Area 69, as well as the smaller town of Las Payasadas. The town has a small hospital and a sheriff's office. There is also an Ammu-Nation located outside of town. The town sits directly west of Las Venturas. A small cropduster is known to appear next to a house in town and is flyable.

Fort Carson is seen in The Introduction. Ken Rosenberg was in rehab in the town's hospital.

Las Payasadas

 * Main Articles: Las Payasadas

Las Payasadas, Spanish for "clowning off", bills itself as home of "The Big Pecker-the world's largest cock", which in fact is a hugh animatronic rooster designed to advertise a store called "Pecker's Feed and Seed". The town is located in northern Bone County. The town is possibly based on Palisade, Nevada.

Ghost Towns
Also located in the state are two ghost towns:

Aldea Malvada

 * Main Article: Aldea Malvada

Aldea Malvada is a ghost town that is located on a hill in Tierra Robada. The ghost town sits southeast of El Quebrados. "Aldea Malvada" translates into English as "Evil Village".

Las Brujas

 * Main Article: Las Brujas

Las Brujas is another ghost town located in the El Castillo del Diablo region of Bone County. It is located right off the Verdant Meadows airstrip. The name is Spanish for "The Witches".

The Panopticon

 * Main Article: The Panopticon

The Panopticon is a little area situated in Red County. It is home to the infamous Leatherface, due to a clue of blood stains in the cabins. There are also Shovel and Chainsaw pickups in the area.

The Sherman Reservoir and Dam

 * Main Articles: Sherman Reservoir and Sherman Dam

Both the Sherman Reservoir and the Sherman Dam are located on the borders of Bone County and Tierra Robada. Las Venturas is located to its east, and Red County to its south. Bone County, as a whole, is obviously based on rural portions of the American state of Nevada, because of its similar climate, terrain and topography.

Area 69

 * Main Article: Area 69

Area 69 is a restricted, fenced-in military base that is located in the heart of Bone County. Area 69 is based off of real-life Area 51, but named after the 69 sex position. The base is located north of Fort Carson, south of the Verdant Meadows airstrip, and west of Las Venturas. The base houses various government-type projects, including the "Black Project" jetpack. It may possibly house some projects involving UFOs and/or extraterrestrial life, as suggested by the presence of the "Lil' Probe Inn" (a referance to Rachel, Nevada's "Lil' Ale Inn), dialogs on the base's PA system during the "Black Project" mission, and by diolag on Marvin Trill's in-game radio show.

Much of the base consists of underground research labs, although the player can only enter the labs during the course of the "Black Project" mission, or by finding a way into San Andreas' "Blue Hell", an area under the main terrain mesh, which the player can find the underground base there. The above-ground structures include a series of control towers, guard posts, and garages for storing military vehicles. These garages is the first place where military vehicles spawn. However, entering the base will give the player a 5-star wanted level. Flying over the base at low altitude will not only trigger the wanted level, but also trigger attacks from nearby surface-to-air missiles. The player can destroy SAM sites with heavy weapons, such as rockets from launchers or shooting the turret with a heavy gun, such as the Minigun. However, if the player is flying a Hydra aircraft, the player can deploy flares, which reduce the chance of being shot down by SAM missiles.

Lil' Probe Inn

 * Main Article: Lil' Probe Inn

The Lil' Probe Inn is a fictional bar and motel that is located directly north of Fort Carson. The Lil' Probe Inn is a parody of Rachel, Nevada's Little A'll Inn. The interior of the inn matches the interior of the real life Little A'le Inn. Down the road from the Inn sits Area 69. Its name is a mix of the real-life Little A'le Inn while also referring to "probing", the alleged anal probes used in alien research.

The Big Ear

 * Main Article: The Big Ear

The Big Ear is a large satellite dish located west of Area 69, and is claimed by the official San Andreas website to emit radiation that results in birth defects in the local populace, specifically where newborns are born without ears.

Name origin
In real life, there is a fault that runs through California named the San Andreas fault. since 3/4 of San Andreas is based off of California, Rockstar probably chose that the name was suited for the state.

Trivia

 * San Andreas is still a state in the GTA IV Era, as in the Liberty Tree article on the Eunux controversy states of a female plumber "run out of a town in San Andreas", which confirms San Andreas still is a state in this era.
 * The Grand Theft Auto V trailer further reveals that Los Santos is still a part of the state of San Andreas in the GTA V Era.