Uptown New Chicago in 2125. Downtown New Chicago can only be seen in total from orbit.
New Chicago is the second-largest city on the planet of Avalon, and the largest suburb of Avalon City itself. With a population of 300 million in 2240, it was also the second-largest city in human space, period. It stretches over 700 miles on its longest axis, and has several suburbs of its own that are over 10 million people. Many of its streets are named for streets in Old Chicago back on Earth, but they are in nothing like the same pattern of layout.
Much of the city was destroyed by Damien Richter (or the Federation military's ham-handed attempts to kill him) in the last months of the Third Civil War, and its population has declined to "only" 250 million or so 20 years later. Rebuilding has been slow, but the existence of large areas near the urban center with previous buildings gone but not yet replaced has led many to suggest that Vin Dane will build his new Palace Complex here rather than in the more crowded and populous Avalon City, transferring the capital of the Holy Terran Empire to a new city but on the same planet.
Behind the Scenes[]
New Chicago is named for Chicago, the hometown of one of the Season One original players, and several other later players have lived there at various times in their lives as well. And of course New Chicago was also the city in theBuck Rogers TV show, and Old Chicago on Earth is the capital city of the Solarian League in the Honor Harrington books. Additonally, the city in The Matrix has several street names from Chicago, home town of the writer-director-producer Wachowski brothers, but not all the intersections listed in the film are actual ones in Chicago.