Algonquin
BOROUGH Algonquin | |
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From top left: The Exchange, The Hearst Tower, Rotterdam Tower, Statue of Happiness and Happiness Island. | |
Appearance(s): |
Grand Theft Auto: IV The Lost and Damned The Ballad of Gay Tony Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars |
City: | Liberty City |
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"Algonquin - Self-proclaimed center of everything."
"Cultural center of the world, commercial center of the world, financial center of the world. If Algonquin residents could have it their way, the region would also be considered the epicenter of everything in the known universe. A word of warning to the inquisitive traveler: questioning the integrity of Algonquin's self-righteous and artificially-sweetened natives will likely get you shot."
Overview
Algonquin is the largest borough in Liberty City possessing 29 of the metropolitan area's 65 neighborhoods, with an estimated population of 3,331,205 (may lower by hundreds every day). It serves as the core of the Liberty metropolitan area, and contains the two central business districts of the city. Downtown Algonquin and Midtown Algonquin hold the city's skyscrapers, some world famous. Algonquin is the most densely populated area in Liberty City, and is known to be the center of finance and economy. Recently, it is suggested that Algonquin has surpassed London as the "Financial Capital of the World".
Algonquin is a major commercial, financial, and cultural center of the United States of America and the world. Most major radio, television, and telecommunications companies in the United States are based here, as well as many news, magazine, book, and other media publishers. Algonquin has many famous landmarks, sightseer attractions, museums and theater shows . It is also home to the headquarters of the Civilization Committee. Algonquin is the largest central business district in the United States, and is the site of both The Exchange financial district and a Midtown based stock exchange, BAWSAQ. Algonquin is the home to the largest number of corporate headquarters in the nation. It is indisputably the center of Liberty City and the Liberty metropolitan region, holding the seat of city government, and the largest fraction of employment, business, and recreational activities.
The borough is spread across 3 separate islands. 27 of its 29 districts are located on the main Algonquin Isle, whilst the Happiness Island neighborhood is located on the island of the same name and the Colony Island district is positioned on its eponymous island.
The name comes from a Native American tribe that lived in the Great Lakes region of the United States of America, but now live in Quebec, Canada. History states that Algonquin is a Native American word for "place to build condo skyscrapers".
In Grand Theft Auto: IV, Algonquin is legally inaccessible to the player until the terrorist threat is lifted on the bridges across the Humboldt River during the mission Blow Your Cover for Elizabeta Torres.
In The Ballad of Gay Tony however, Algonquin is the first borough visited in the game, as protagonist Luis Lopez lives in an apartment located in the vicinity of North Holland, Algonquin.
Algonquin is based on the borough of Manhattan, New York City.
- Downtown Algonquin is rich, has big buildings, big companies, and many expensive fancy cars are in the south.
- Uptown Algonquin is well known for upscales expensive homes along Middle Park and poor people and gangs, and is also well known as the ghetto of Algonquin, with a high crime rate as this is a dangerous place at night.
- Midtown Algonquin is well known with Star Junction (Time Square), Middle Park (Central Park), and The Rotterdam Tower (Empire State Building).
Transportation
Avenues
Algonquin is divided into 7 Avenues, which extend from north to south across Algonquin. Almost all of them carry north/south bound traffic.
The Avenues are labelled alphabetically, from East to West. Albany Ave and Bismarck Ave are useful for travelling across the Eastern sides of Algonquin, whereas the Columbus Avenue is the busier, primary route through Algonquin's Eastern side. Denver Ave allows travel through the inner-eastern side of Algonquin whilst Exeter Ave provides travel through the inner-western side. Frankfort Ave is the longest avenue in Algonquin, and provides the main primary route of travel through western Algonquin. Travelling through the outer west side is achieved using Galveston Ave. The smaller sub-major avenues, Denver-Exeter and Burlesque (Algonquin's equivalent of Manhattan's Broadway) comprise the Star Junction intersection. Both are the only avenues on the island to carry south-bound traffic only.
Every avenue on Algonquin is named for US state capitals, with the exception of Burlesque, Exeter and Galveston. Albany is the capital of New York, Bismarck is the capital of North Dakota, Columbus is the capital of Ohio, Denver is the capital of Colorado and Frankfort is the state capital of Kentucky. Galveston and Exter are both names for towns and cities in multiple states. Galveston is the name of a city in Texas, and Exeter is the name of towns in California, Maine, Illinois, Michigan, New Hampshire, Nebraska, Missouri, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Wisconsin.
Streets
The borough is known for its extensive street grid. There are 24 streets going east-west and they are named alphabetically for various minerals and elements, from Amethyst Street in the south to Xenotime Street in the north. The 6 North-South avenues are also named alphabetically for various US state capitals, from Albany Avenue, Bismarck Avenue, Columbus Avenue, Denver-Exeter Avenue, Frankfort Avenue and Galveston Avenue. Minor streets that are not part of the Algonquin grid system are named differently, for example: Grummer Road. The city is surrounded by Union Drive (West and East) traveling along the Algonquin waterfront.
When taking Algonquin's 25 streets and 6 avenues into account, it can be calculated that there are 144 blocks in Algonquin's grid system; this does not include the minor roads that are located in and around the grid.
Subways
All of the subways in Liberty City converge on two lines looping through Algonquin: The A/J Outer Algonquin Line connects over the Algonquin Bridge to Broker, where it becomes the 3/8 Broker Line. The K/C Inner Algonquin Line connects to the B/E Bohan Line north of the Frankfort High/Low Stations. The two lines connect to one another at Easton Station.
In addition, there is also a Skycar over the western portion of the Humboldt River south of the Algonquin Bridge, connecting Algonquin with Colony Island. This is based on the Roosevelt Island Tramway.
Places of Interest in Algonquin
- Civic Citadel (The Exchange)
- Civilization Committee (Albany Ave and Manganese St, Lancet)
- Rotterdam Tower (The Triangle)
- Star Junction (Denver-Exeter Avenue and Burlesque, Star Junction)
- Statue of Happiness (Happiness Island)
- Middle Park (Columbus Ave, Frankfort Ave, Nickel St, and Topaz St, Middle Park)
- Grand Easton Terminal (Bismarck Ave and Hematite St, Easton)
- Liberty Catholic Church (Suffolk)
- Rubin Swinger Basketball Courts (Exeter Ave, between Wardite St and Xenotime St, Northwood)
- Zirconium Building (Lancet)
- Randolf Art Center (Galveston Ave and Obsidian St, Middle Park West)
- Live Central Music Venue (Star Junction)
- The Libertonian (Middle Park East)
- GetaLife Building (Easton)
Notable Residents
- Marnie Allen (formerly)
- Yusuf Amir
- Niko Bellic
- Roman Bellic
- Ray Boccino (formerly)
- Marlon Bridges (formerly)
- Alexandra Chilton
- Lyle Cleethorpes
- Bernie Crane
- Bryce Dawkins
- Dwayne Forge
- Frank Garone (formerly)
- Cherise Glover
- Alonso Gomez
- Oscar Gomez
- John Hunter
- Chan Jaoming (formerly)
- Clarence Little (formerly)
- Luis Fernando Lopez
- Francis McReary
- Anthony Prince
- Hossan Ramzy
- Jayvon Simson (formerly)
- Anthony Spoleto (formerly)
- Playboy X (Trey Stewart)
- Alfonso Vasquez
- January Natasha Vasquez
- Jill Von Crastenburg (formerly)
- Jeff (formerly)
- Sara
Businesses in Algonquin
- Grotti (Middle Park East)
- Memory Lanes (The Meat Quarter)
- Modo (Vauxite Street/Exeter Avenue, North Holland)
- Perseus (Bismarck Street/Pyrite Street, Middle Park East)
- RS Haul
- Split Sides
- Maisonette 9 (BOGT only, Galveston Ave, Westminster)
- Hercules (BOGT only, Galveston Ave, Westminster)
- Bahama Mamas (BOGT only, Purgatory)
Neighborhoods
- Castle Garden City (Battery Park City)
- Castle Gardens (Battery Park)
- Chinatown (Chinatown)
- City Hall (City Hall)
- Colony Island (Roosevelt Island)
- East Holland (East Harlem)
- Easton (East Village)
- The Exchange (Financial District)
- Fishmarket North (The Bowery)
- Fishmarket South (South Street Seaport)
- Happiness Island (Liberty Island)
- Hatton Gardens (Tudor City)
- Lancaster (Yorkville)
- Lancet (Kips Bay)
- Little Italy (Little Italy)
- Lower Easton (Lower East Side)
- The Meat Quarter (Meatpacking District)
- Middle Park (Central Park)
- Middle Park East (Upper East Side)
- Middle Park West (Upper West Side)
- North Holland (Harlem)
- Northwood (Inwood, Washington Heights)
- Presidents City (Alphabet City)
- Purgatory (Hell's Kitchen)
- Star Junction (Times Square)
- Suffolk (SoHo)
- The Triangle (Midtown/The Flatiron District)
- Varsity Heights (Morningside Heights)
- Westminster (Greenwich Village)
Possible Ownership
The Von Crastenburg Family is said to have previously owned half of the island of Algonquin (as stated in a segment of I'm Rich). Jill Von Crastenburg is an Algonquin party girl and an heiress to the dynasty's vast fortune.
Trivia
- In the game's Television show History of Liberty City it is said that the Native American name 'Algonquin' meant 'Place to build many skyscrapers'.
- The Algonquin name is derived from the Algonquin native Americans, similar to the origins of Manhattan's name. "Manhattan" is actually a Lenapean phrase used by the Lenape Tribe of Indians, referring to "island of many hills".
- Before the completion of the mission Blow Your Cover for Elizabeta Torres, Algonquin is a good place to gain the "One Man Army" Achievement. To do this, the player has to somehow enter the borough, gaining a six-star wanted level (Algonquin can be accessed by swimming, or by walking/riding across the pedestrian pathways on the bridges). Once the player has gained the wanted level, they must somehow stay alive in the borough for five real-world minute to gain the achievement. Going to the top of the Rotterdam Tower is one way to do this as only the helicopters will follow.
- An alternate method of gaining the "One-Man Army" achievement in Algonquin before the completion of Blow Your Cover is to spawn a vehicle using cheats (this will not block any achievements, unless it is the Annihilator) and drive it around Algonquin's subway network for five real-wrold minutes until they gain the achievement.
Gallery
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A southern panoramic view of Algonquin and Happiness Island at night.]]
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Algonquin Skyline]]
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