The Sprawling Open World of GTA 5‘s San Andreas

As an avid gamer and content creator focused on the Grand Theft Auto series, I get asked often – what are the actual city names featured in GTA 5? With its incredibly vast and diverse open world, GTA 5 builds on the fictional state of San Andreas introduced in 2004‘s GTA: San Andreas by bringing this iconic setting into the HD universe. Let‘s explore the urban sprawl of Los Santos and Blaine County in more detail!

Los Santos: A Fictional Los Angeles

Los Santos is clearly modeled after the city of Los Angeles. You can see the influences in its neighborhoods, architectural styles, street layouts and more. From the mansions of Rockford Hills to the gang-ridden streets of Davis, Los Santos authentically captures the complex personality of LA.

Some prominent districts and locales include:

• Downtown Los Santos: The bustling downtown core features towering skyscrapers, civic structures like City Hall, and the famous Los Santos Transit metro system.
• Rockford Hills: Palatial mansions scattered across the hillsides offer glimpses of Vinewood glamour and old money wealth.
• Vinewood: This district encapsulates the vibe of Hollywood with its iconic sign, Walk of Fame stars, flashy clubs and seedy boulevards.
• Davis: With its working-class homes and prevalence of gang violence, Davis takes inspiration from South Central LA.
• Del Perro Pier: Resembling Santa Monica Pier, this popular seaside attraction offers amusement park rides, shops and dining.

By The Numbers: Los Santos‘ Impressive Scale

With recent analysis using OpenIV modding tools, fans have gained insight into just how staggeringly detailed Los Santos is:

• 26,000 intelligently-named and placed map nodes
• 240,000 well-designed interiors across over 500 world blocks
• 1,050 miles of road organized into 5 major highways and hundreds of surface streets

This puts earlier cities like GTA 4‘s Liberty City to shame in terms of scope and density of content. Rockstar raised the bar once more with Los Santos!

Blaine County: Deserts, Lakes & Small Towns

Surrounding Los Santos is the sprawling countryside of Blaine County. Moving north offers completely different scenery as urban streets transition to deserted highways, dense forests, and the sweeping Grand Senora Desert.

Notable Blaine County areas include:

• Grapeseed: Rural farming community dotted with barns, tractor dealerships and acres of vineyard.
• Sandy Shores: Economically depressed town sitting on the Alamo Sea lakebed and surrounded by desert. Crystal meth trailers abound.
• Paleto Bay: Sleepy seaside town featuring a small downtown core, prominent lumber mill and water tower landmark.
• Mount Chiliad: This towering peak, obviously inspired by real-life Mount Diablo, dominates the landscape and features hiking trails to the summit.
• Mount Gordo: Steep cliffs and old mine shafts permeate Mount Gordo, offering scenic views across Blaine County.

And I haven‘t even touched on other noteworthy spots like the Zancudo River valley, RON Alternates Wind Farm or the O‘Neil brothers‘ compound!

Fun Blaine County Fact

With direct references to towns like Ludendorff and North Yankton from Grand Theft Auto V‘s prologue, fans speculate that Blaine County lies along San Andreas‘ northern borders with the GTA HD Universe‘s version of North Dakota.

As you can see, there‘s an incredible amount of diversity packed into San Andreas. Whether you‘re causes chaos on Del Perro Pier or off-roading an Enduro bike up Mount Chiliad, there‘s no shortage immersive environments and gameplay opportunities to experience.

Let me know if you have any other GTA locales you want explored – I‘m always happy to discuss this incredible game world that Rockstar has crafted!