Chapter 1: The Founding (1984)
Night City was founded in 1984, when Los Santos was taken over by the Moretti family and branched off to become a city of its own.
Ask how it happened and you will get a different answer from everyone you ask. No one knows the exact start of the city. What people do have are stories, and most of them begin on the first day of that year, when a new mayor was shot.
At a Glance
- Founded: 1984
- State: San Andreas
- Branched off from: Los Santos
- Taken over by: The Moretti family
- Exact start: Unknown
- Most common theory: The assassination of Mayor Lorenzo Romano
January 1, 1984: The Death of a Mayor
On January 1, 1984, Lorenzo Romano was shot and killed as he was being sworn in as mayor.
The police quickly identified the shooter as a sniper named Winston Wilcox and hunted him down. Before they could arrest him, Wilcox disappeared. He was later found dead in a sewer. He turned out to be nothing more than a hired hitman, and no evidence was ever found connecting anyone else to the killing. See Winston Wilcox.
Many people speculate that the founding of Night City had something to do with the assassination. But very few have ever suggested that the Moretti family was behind it.
Friends or Enemies?
There is a conspiracy theory that Mayor Romano and the Moretti family had been feuding for years. It has never been proven.
Some people believe they witnessed tension between the mayor and Matteo Moretti, though no one knows exactly why things between them were strained. Others remember it very differently. For a time, many believed the mayor and Matteo shared an unbreakable friendship.
That friendship is the reason most people never believed the Moretti family had any connection to the killing. Those who believe the theory say the Morettis disapproved of the Romano family and wanted the city free of its Los Santos connections.
April 1, 1984: The Vinewood Sign Falls
On April 1, 1984, the Moretti family destroyed the old Vinewood sign in the hills.
June 1, 1984: A New Sign over the City
On June 1, 1984, the Night City sign was built in its place, to mark the start of the city.
The sign was up. Running the city was another matter. See Chapter 2: The Years Without a Mayor (1984-2026).
What People Say
Some citizens who were around when the city was still called Los Santos call it Los Santos to this day.
"Night City? I was born in Los Santos and I'll die in Los Santos. Same streets, same city."
Others will tell you, quietly, that the Morettis are behind far more than a new sign on the hill. Many believe the family has more power and influence than people realise, but nobody has ever been able to prove it. See The Moretti Family.
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