Founded: 1994
Pop: 5,100,000
Night City is a moderately sized city located in Northern California (NorCal) along the west coast of the United States. It has a population of about five million in the greater Night City a area, with the majority living in sprawling suburbs to the southwest. The city itself lies on a large, man-made bay, surrounded by several small subcities and suburban communities. Its businesses include technical, light industry, trade, and electronics.
Once a corporate center struggling with corruption, violence and decay, Night City has been chosen as a prime subject for the “New America Project” instituted by the ISA government. As a result it is the focus of several federal and corporate organizations which hope to turn the metropolis into a model city for the newly incorporated state. —Rand MacNally Travel Guide, May, 2027
Greater Night City Area and Map
Foundation: Before 1994, Night City was merely a clutter of unincorporated suburban sprawl between San Francisco and Los Angeles. During the Collapse, an enterprising land developer named Richard Night bought up the majority of what was later to become the Corporate Center and City Center areas. He proposed to start a new, safe, clean corporate city, free of crime and urban blight. By offering lucrative tax packages to several major corporations (PetroChem, for example, had established drilling rights off the coast), he was able to establish a strong economic base as well as an instant population of corporate employees.
Mob Rule As planned, Night City was a clean, open community with rapid transit and safe streets. Unfortunately, Night’s plan went awry. Four years after initial construction, a coalition of powerful gang bosses murdered Night and took over the Night City project. Between selling contracts to their cronies, setting up drug and extortion rackets, and generally inviting the scum of the Collapse into the area, the gangs managed to turn a relatively clean, modem city into an embattled war zone. Crime, drugs, prostitution, random violence and cybernetic terrorism soon became the rule of law. By 2005, the name Night City had taken on a grim and deadly new meaning.
Corporate Takeover: By 2009, the Corps decided they’d had enough. In lightning strikes, covert Solo squads eliminated most of the gang leaders and established a Corporation-controlled City Council. The newly elected Council, faced with chaos in the city, deputized Corporate security forces and allowed them full authority within the city limits. The Corporate and City Centers were cleaned out and restored to their pristine state. In many ways, this was the prototypical corporate action that would be repeated many times in cities across the nation during the ’teens and ’twenties.
Cyberpunk: While violence and corruption were still prevalent in Night City, they were now corporate-sponsored and controlled. As a result Night City also became the center for the Cyberpunk Movement, as many independent operators set up shop in the shadow of the mega-corps, some to feed off of them, others to fight them. It was also the site of one of the most famous riots of that era, when Johnny Silverhand led a mob against the Ararsaka complex in 2012. Many of these activists were slowly driven underground with the coming of the ISA in 2024.
The Coming of the Plague: The first cases of the Carbon Plague erupted in Night City in 2026. As the breadth of the epidemic became apparent, chaos ruled (supposedly engendered by inadequate quarantines). This gave the new federal government the perfect excuse to pull the Free State of NorCal back into the fold. As the Incorporated States reasserted their authority during the time of crisis, many local officials and politicians found themselves either ousted or overruled by new federal operatives. Local corporations supported these activities with resources, security troops and money, quickly replacing any displaced official with their own representatives. By the time the crisis stabilized, Night City—and NorCal—were fully under ISA jurisdiction.
Night City today is a city in transition. With the coming of the ISA, the corporations’ 2009 take-over bid finally looks to be reaching its ultimate realization. As part of the “New America Project”, the city has become the model for the reshaping of the state, and new construction and urban renewal projects have sprung up like weeds, often displacing the current residents. Which means that BuReloc and CorpSec are both making their presence felt throughout the area as well. Mallplexes are spreading over the old “Combat Zones” of the city, and the old street culture is being crushed under the bulldozers of progress. As the supposed origin point of the Carbon Plague, it has also drawn the attention of the Center for Disease Control and the Domestic Security Agency, who hunt the CyberEvolved here with vigor.
Night City is also a focal point for the ISA’s efforts to reintegrate California, so its a key site for the CyberRevolution. If the feds can be defeated here, their efforts throughout the state will be compromised. Edgrunner are resurfacing as Guerrillas at the behest of the Eden Cabal to help the growing number of Cy’oerEvolved children who are seeking shelter in the city. It all adds up to a powder keg as the factions of the new era gather here for a face off.
Night City is currently run jointly by the Mayor, Mbole Ebunike, and an ISA Supervisor, Leonard Wills. Ebunike has been a long-time corporate puppet and aided the ISA takeover in 2026 (thus guaranteeing himself a third term as mayor), Wills is new, sent in to oversee the implementation of the New America Project. While Wills is supposedly only an advisor, Mayor Ebunike has no illusions about Wills’ real position and will follow any of his “suggestions” to the letter.
Hospitals: There are two public hospitals (City Medical Center, Crisis Medical Center) in the Central Night City area, as well as another seven in the Greater Night City Area. There are at least four other private medical centers in the City as well, mostly catering to bodybanking and biosculpture work.
Information: City information is provided for a nominal fee (50c/min) via V- or Dataterm (about 50% of the terminals have converted to Virtuality). ’Terms are located on the corners of most (60%) city streets, and can be used to access information, computer services, fax-mail and Net input.
Law Enforcement: Although most of Night City has been brought under Corporate control (these areas are known as the CorpZones), pockets of urban blight still infest the Northside, Little Italy and Lake Park districts. Crime in these Outside Zones is kept in check by brutal security sweeps and constant surveillance. The South City is still a seedy ruin of cheap tract housing, spreading into an area so blighted it was once known as the Combat Zone before the Gun Bounty removed automatic weapons from the streets. This area is scheduled for corporate “revitalization” following a systemtic set of BuReloc swwps.
There are actually two police forces in Night City. The NC Police are well trained but ill-equipped (and many are on the corporate take). Most of the few incorruptible officers are in C-SWAT, whose original task was to takedown psychotic cy’oorgs. C-SWATS main job is now supporting BuReloc on "hot’ operations.
The CorpZones that now make up 45% of the downtown area are heavily patrolled by CorpSec, whose officers have full authority on corporate property—and often off of it as well. CorpSec Spinners and AVs are constantly seen on patrol sweeps over Outside sectors as well, and NCPD has strict orders from the Mayor’s office to cooperate with them on any investigations.
Public Transportation: The Night City Transit Corporation (NCTC) provides for bus service on most major city thoroughfares. Light lev-rail transport is provided by NCART (Night City Area Rapid Transit Corporation), a wholly-owned subsidiary of PetroChem.
Night City Airport: handling both domestic and international (primarily Pac Rim) flights. Night City is on the San Francisco to L.A. commuter run, as well as daily flights to New York, Chicago, Atlanta and Washington. Passengers are advised to allow at least two hours for DSA security clearance procedures for any interstate or international flights. Suborbital flights to Japan and Korea are available by taking the LA commuter flight, then transferring via United Air maglev train to the Mojave Spaceport. Airship services travel to most major US cities.
Freeways: Night City is on State Highway 828, which runs east to connect to I-5. Ground transit to San Francisco is about 2 hours, LA is about 6 hours.