Vice City

Vice City is a fictional city in the Grand Theft Auto series that is loosely based on Miami, Florida. It is the setting of Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, and a level in the original Grand Theft Auto.

Vice City is geographically similar to Miami; located in the shorelines of Southeastern United States, Vice City receives subtropical or near-tropical weather with year-long sunny weathers, occasional strong winds and rainfall. It is also suggested in Grand Theft Auto: Vice City that the city is exposed to hurricanes (early in the game, bridges were closed from the public as a hurricane was believed to be approaching the city), as is Miami.

Grand Theft Auto: Vice City rendition

Vice City, as depicted in Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, is set in 1986, a reference to 1980s Miami, which became a major transshipment point for cocaine from South America at the time. This is further reinforced with its theme of the drug business and crime, as well as the presence of new upper-class businesses and residents in the city, with some of them likely to be funded by the drug business. The city is also located on the same fictional earth as Liberty City and the state of San Andreas - the locations of Grand Theft Auto III and Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas.

Vice City consists of two main islands and five smaller islands; both main islands are separated by a large body of water similar to that of Biscayne Bay, which separates Miami Beach with mainland Miami in real-life. Each main island is divided into several districts. The population of Vice City is given at around 1.8 million.

Eastern island

The eastern island of Vice City is depicted as the more affluent and tourist-oriented side of the city, which is mostly dominated by upper-wealth businesses, as well as residential condominiums, apartments and construction sites. The eastern island is also known for its wide beach, dubbed Washington Beach, on its east side, which makes up an estimated half of the island's landmass. The island also has a canal on its west side, with neighboring Leaf Links forming additional waterways. The eastern island is clearly based on Miami Beach, Florida.

Ocean Beach

Ocean Beach is an upper-class tourist district consisting of a few skyscrapers and many low rises, directly based on South Beach and located in the southeastern most of Vice City. The area is primarily occupied by seaside and beachside apartments, hotels and upper-class businesses. A South Beach-like row of Art Deco and Modernist low rises affront a wide beach, dubbed Washington Beach, is also present; the road stretched along the row mimics that of Ocean Drive. Most of the buildings alongside this stretch of road are almost exactly like their real life counterparts in architecture and layout. The lighthouse located at the southeastern most point mimics the Cape Florida Lighthouse, the oldest structure in Miami, located in Key Biscayne, and a popular beachside tourist destination.

Vice Point

Vice Point is a more middle class and residential area of Vice Beach consisting of larger apartment buildings and hotels aligned along the shore as well as medium sized homes and smaller apartment complexes inland. This set-up resembles the rows of developments along Collins Avenue in Miami Beach, as well as the residential set-up of that city. The North Point Mall, located in Vice Point, is a parody of Miami's Aventura Mall. Its location in the northeastern most point of the East Island is similar to Aventura Mall's location in the extreme northeastern most point of the Miami Metro Area. The mall's layout, though much smaller, also resembles that of Aventura Mall.

Western island

Vice City's western island is depicted as a less glamorous area of the city, although the business district of Downtown is in fact located on the north end of the island. The western island houses much of the city's industrial population, as well as seaport and airport facilities at the south. Two sizable district housing immigrant populations are located in the middle, with one of these districts depicted in a dilapidated state. The western island contains a wide four-lane road at its east side that stretches from the south end, at the seaports, to the north end, at the southern tip of Downtown. The western island is possibly based on mainland Miami.

Downtown

Downtown is a play of downtown Miami, where the areas sees the highest concentration of skyscrapers, both residential and commercial. Like its real-life counterpart, Downtown is believed to be a more formal, financial district of Vice City, with a number of large office buildings, including the city's tallest building, possibly based on the Wachovia Financial Center and the Bank of America Tower.

The area also boasts of the Hyman Memorial Stadium, west of Downtown, which serves as an staging area for events such as stock car races, demolition derbies and dirt bike stunt shows; it is not known, however, if the stadium is used for any other sporting activities, although Vice City does feature at least one sports team (The Vice City Mambas professional American football team, which featured former tight-end BJ Smith). In addition, Downtown serves as the location for the local heavy metal radio station V-Rock and an enclosed recording studio, where lead singer for rock band Love Fist, Jezz Torrent, was seen recording a song.

Other places of interest include the Electronics District, the Vice City News (VCN) headquarters, the Greasy Chopper bikers' bar, and a venue for a Love Fist concert, just south of the V-Rock radio station. An unnamed beach is also located west of Downtown, but it receives no visitors or attention, a stark contrast to Washington Beach in the Ocean Beach area.

Little Havana

Drawing from the real-life Little Havana in Miami, Vice City's "Little Havana" consists of a predominantly Spanish-speaking Cuban population. The area is controlled by the Cuban gang, led by Umberto Robina from his father's cafe, located in the southwest end of Little Havana. Due to Little Havana's proximity with Little Haiti, occasional fights and gun battles between Cuban and Haitian gangs erupt in areas bordering the two districts.

A Vice City police department is located at the southeastern tip of Little Havana. The Cherry Poppers ice cream distribution center, an asset open for purchase by Tommy Vercetti is also located within the vicinity.

Little Haiti

Also inspired by a real-life district in Miami, "Little Haiti" is believed to be predominantly inhabited by Haitians and is home to the Haitian gang, led by Auntie Poulet, from her shack in the center of Little Haiti. The gang's solvent, located at the west side of Little Haiti, was destroyed in a Cuban ambush, aided by Tommy Vercetti. Little Haiti is noted to be more run-down than Little Havana, with the presence of poorly maintained buildings, and low wealth businesses and smaller homes.

A large printing press, which would be purchased by Tommy Vercetti later in the storyline for a money counterfeiting business, is located at the border between Little Haiti and Little Havana. Phil Cassidy's home and weapons armory is located on the northwest end of Little Haiti. Kaufman Cabs, a local taxi cab company, is also based in Little Haiti.

Airport and seaport

Vice City's airport is known as the Escobar International Airport (EIA), or Escobar International in short, a possible pun on Pablo Escobar, an infamous Colombian drug lord. Although mildly similar in location as Miami's international airport (neighboring Little Havana), the airport structures and layout of the compound do not appear to be based on any airports seen in Miami. Also, all airports in Miami are located inland, but the EIA is located on a peninsula.

The EIA consists of two terminals, one at the north which is basically a standard blocky terminal (with the addition of below ground entrances), while the other in the south is more distinctive, with its weaved roof and roof-high windows facing the airport's southern airside. Both structures are separated by lawns and a car park, and it is unknown if the terminals are connected in any other way aside roads. Further north in the airport peninsular is the Fort Baxter Air Base, a military installation that houses military equipment and personnel.

Southeast of the EIA compound is VicePort (short for Vice City Port Authority), the city's seaport, and a possible play of the Dante B. Fascell Port of Miami-Dade (Port of Miami), located on the southern edge of the bay, similar to the Port of Miami's in Biscayne Bay. However, Vice Port is located in the mainland, while the Port of Miami is located on an island, covering much of the southern entrance of Biscayne Bay. In addition, Vice Port does not cater for cruise ships, unlike Miami Port (which has operated a cruise ship terminal since 1968), focusing instead on solely cargo shipping.

Starfish Island

Starfish Island is the third largest island in Vice City and is based on Miami's exclusive Star Island; or perhaps other island communities such as North Bay Village, low-density residential islands along the Venetian Causeway, and residential islands ajoining the MacAuthur Causeway.

Starfish Island is a community of upper-wealth residents, most of whom live in large houses and mansions, some with their own jetty. The area is also supplied with their own security guards, who patrol the island and open fire upon any troublemakers; this gives the residents of the area a feeling of safety, and not at least because of the island's proximity to the gang-riddled townships of Little Havana and Little Haiti.

The largest residence Starfish Island is the Diaz Mansion, previously owned by drug baron Ricardo Diaz and acquired by the player part-way through the game (and renamed Vercetti Estate), which comes complete with a rooftop helipad. The main interior of the mansion strongly resembles the home of fictional drug lord Tony Montana in the 1983 film Scarface, only missing the "The World Is Yours" globe and the lavish master bedroom.

Prawn Island

Prawn Island is a small northern island linking Downtown Vice City in the west and Vice Point in the east. Like Starfish Island, Prawn Island consists of several mansions, in addition to several adjoining businesses and a film studio. Most of these premises and homes, however, have long been abandoned, and the mansions are now occupied by the Streetwannabes', a street gang.

Interglobal Studios, the sole film studio in the island and in Vice City, presently serves as a pornography film studio for pornography film director Steve Scott and was bought off by Tommy Vercetti later in the storyline (the name "Prawn" may be a play on pr0n). Whether or not the studio was previously used for filming of more decent movies remains unknown (although several movie sets that seem relatively unrelated to pornography were seen in the studio, including a movie set for a moon landing).

Leaf Links

Leaf Links is a collection of three islands located just west of Vice Point encompassing the Leaf Links Country Club, each island connected to another island with bridges. A road cuts through the middle of the island cluster, where the clubhouse-cum-entrance is located, requiring a pedestrian bridge to connect both half of the clusters. Much of the eastern island's narrow waterways are formed from the partitions between Leaf Links and Vice Point.

The Leaf Links country club consists primarily of golf courses, as well as tennis courts and the clubhouse. Indeed, golf carts are constantly seen in and around the club as a form of transportation, including on the open road surrounded by the club compound.

The logic of a country club in Vice City may be attributed by the presence of wealthy residents and ideally sunny weather in the city. Leaf Links may also be inspired by the number of country clubs scattered along the eastern coast of Miami, including the Bayshore Country Club and La Gorce Golf Course in Miami Beach, Normandy Shores Golf Course, Indian Creek and Haulover Park.

The name "Leaf Links" is possibly inspired by "Leith Links", a park in Leith near Rockstar North's HQ in Edinburgh, Scotland. Leith Links is where the earliest record of golf is found in the world, and Leith bolster's its claim to be "the home of golf" because the first official rules were formulated there.

Grand Theft Auto rendition

From the official website:

"A former Spanish slaving colony, Vice City, or City of the Fallen Angel, holy mother of all and yet of nothing, to give it it's Spanish name, is a city that revolves around just one thing; money. From the retired doctors and lawyers of Vice Beach to the cocaine dealers of Little Bogota, everyone is desperate to show off just how much they can spend in this subtropical paradise. The down town area of Felicity is so-called to reflect the fortune early settlers felt at arriving at such a beautiful place. Modern-day visitors might feel slighlty-less fortunate if they take a wrong turning and stumble into the nastier corners of Little Dominica. More than anywhere else in America, Vice City is the archetypal 'melting pot', with large Caribbean, Colombian and European communities, always feuding with another, often with very violent consequences. The once-peaceful Rastafarian community has become a haven for Yardie criminals who found the going a little too hot in Kingston, and their clashes with the Colombian drug lords have given western Vice City an unenviable reputation. Initial attempts to control the troubles by the Police Department failed following revelations of wide spread corruption and drug trafficking within the force, and the problems have escalated in the last five years. Vice City now boasts the highest murder rates, the highest amounts of drug-related crime and the least respected police department of anywhere in the USA. Still, it's not all bad. As Mrs. Mary Clam, President of the Tourist Board, told us 'Vice City has a deservedly bad reputation as a very dangerous city, but as long as visitors stay out of the downtown area, only go out in daylight hours and never leave their car, they stand a very good chance of survival. Besides, we serve the best tacos in the south-east, and there's no denying the Vice City orange juice is the finest in the USA. As we say in these parts, our welcome may not always be friendly, but it's always warm."