Highlights
- Metropolis: Low crime rate thanks to Superman, but serious threats can level the city.
- Central City: Stable location with The Flash keeping petty crime in control, but rogues’ gallery can still cause trouble.
- Opal City: Safest city with virtually no petty crime and low super-criminal activity, but expensive to live in.
World-building in DC Comics helps give the readers an idea of what life is like in their medium’s setting. Even if they use real places, different events, characters, or other tweaks can make them different and more interesting. A caped hero or villain usually makes living in a DC Comics city more complicated.
The fictional cities of the DC Universe sit alongside real ones, often contrasting with them in many ways. Gotham City is based on New York City at its worst, and Blüdhaven makes New Jersey look like Disneyland. But where are the best places to live in the DC Universe? Here are a few suggestions.
7 Metropolis
New York, USA
- First Appearance: Action Comics #16 (1939).
- Universes: Earth-One, Earth-Two, New Earth, Prime Earth.
- Key Residents: Superman, Lex Luthor, Lois Lane, Booster Gold, Black Lightning.
Metropolis is a borderline case. On the one hand, its average crime rate is quite low thanks to its main superhero, Superman, being more than enough to handle any petty criminal. Muggers, robbers, and more don’t really have the firepower to make a dent in the Man of Steel. That’s without mentioning the likes of Booster Gold, Black Lightning and more hanging around too.
However, Superman does attract more serious threats. A nefarious plot by Lex Luthor, the arrival of Brainiac or Darkseid could see most of the city get leveled before they’re detained or sent packing. These events are fairly few and far between, depending on the comic. But as peaceful as the city can be, it’s still an uneasy peace.
6 Central City
Missouri, USA
- First Appearance: Showcase #4 (1956).
- Universes: Earth-One, New Earth, Prime Earth, Arrowverse.
- Key Residents: The Flash (Barry Allen), Captain Cold, Mirror Master.
By contrast, Central City is a more stable location. Like Metropolis, its resident hero, The Flash, keeps petty crime in control as he can neutralize any street-level threat in short order. They can’t shoot anyone if there’s someone fast enough to grab the bullets in midair, let alone snatch the gun from their hands. He still has his rogues’ gallery, and they’re not exactly pleasant to be on the wrong side of.
Yet the likes of Captain Cold and the Mirror Master rarely try to destroy chunks of the town like Superman’s foes. Most of Flash’s villains are invested in keeping Central City intact. That way, places can still get loot worth stealing for one of their plans or another. So, outside the occasional worry, it’s a comfy city to live in.
5 Smallville
Kansas, USA
- First Appearance: More Fun Comics #101 (1945).
- Universes: Earth-One, Earth-Two, New Earth, Prime Earth, Smallville (TV Show), Arrowverse, DC Animated Universe, Superman & Lois (TV Show).
- Key Residents: Superboy, Superman, Lex Luthor, Matrix.
One of the best ways to avoid super-criminal shenanigans is to move to a much smaller town (or one not mentioned in the comics). Places like Smallville offer less to do, and have fewer luxuries than the big cities. But they also offer less crime and fewer chances of Doomsday or other high-level threats turning up and destroying whole blocks.
Its more exciting days were back when Superman was a Superboy, where he was thwarting evil scientists and the occasional cosmic foe. Though for the most part they were much tamer than the ones he’d face in Metropolis. Nowadays, aside from the occasional event, Smallville is a pretty good place to live in for small-town living.
4 Amnesty Bay
Maine, USA
- First Appearance: Adventure Comics #260 (1959).
- Universes: Earth-3, New Earth, Prime Earth, DC Extended Universe, Future State.
- Key Residents: Aquaman (Arthur Curry), Aqualad (Jackson Hyde).
Everything that was said about Smallville could also apply to Amnesty Bay. Arthur Curry’s home before his Aquaman days is a small town with a few nice sights and luxuries, but ultimately lacks the creature comforts of the big cities. Its big advantage over Smallville is that it’s situated on the coast. It’s a haven for people who love the sights and sounds of the beach and the sea.
That is so long as they didn’t go too far out into the ocean. Having Aquaman as the local hero means it holds deadlier threats than sharks and jellyfish. Luckily, most of his villains are more interested in his other home in Atlantis than his town of landlubbers. So, it’s better to admire the ocean from a distance in Amnesty Bay than to go diving.
3 Fawcett City
Midwest USA
- First Appearance: Whiz Comics #2 (1940).
- Universes: Earth-S, Earth-5, New Earth, Prime Earth.
- Key Residents: Shazam/Captain Marvel, Mary Marvel, Dr Sivana.
For people who really want a big city to live in, Fawcett City is a pretty good spot. Its resident heroes, Shazam (the original Captain Marvel) and his counterparts Captain Marvel Jr and Mary Marvel give it the same level of protection as Superman and The Flash do in their homes, while their supervillains share the same care for the city as the ones in Central City.
After all, the nefarious Dr Sivana has his own vested interests in the town that keep him wealthy. Black Adam is more of a threat, but he’s also keener on keeping his own home of Kahndaq safe than idling about Fawcett City. The place has gotten riskier as DC’s taken the Shazam series in more mature directions. But the classic run saw Fawcett’s citizens more humorously inconvenienced than outright threatened. Either way, it’s friendlier than Batman’s Gotham City.
2 San Francisco
California, USA
- First Appearance: More Fun Comics #9 (1936).
- Universes: Earth-One, Earth-Two, New Earth, Prime Earth, Real World.
- Key Residents: Teen Titans, Zatanna, Power Company.
The DC Universe’s San Francisco is essentially the same as the real deal. Except it has the Teen Titans around to thwart crime in the area. Zatanna also resides in the city, while Supergirl called the place home back in the Silver Age. The post-Crisis on Infinite Earths world saw the Power Company take up residence there instead. The place may have more heroes living in it than villains. Even Batman has his own Batcave there.
That doesn’t mean it doesn’t have any threats though. It’s the home city of STAR Labs, which tends to be a prime target for villains to break into or break out of. The city is also a potent place for magic, hence why Zatanna is around to take care of any magical threat, like the dragon in the Transamerica Pyramid. But on the whole, it may be safer than the real San Fran.
1 Opal City
Turk County, Maryland, USA
- First Appearance: Starman Vol 2 #0 (1994).
- Universes: New Earth, Prime Earth, Arrowverse.
- Key Residents: Starman, Elongated Man, Midnighter.
The safest city in the DC Universe is arguably Opal City, the hometown of Starman and the Elongated Man. It has all the advantages of Metropolis, Fawcett City, etc., with practically none of the disadvantages. Petty crime is essentially zero, and super-criminal activity got so low that Starman was able to retire. His sons David and Jack Knight took up the mantle afterward, so the city is still being watched over.
As such, its citizens can pretty much go about their day there with little fuss. It’s a flashy town with a neat art deco look, and it offers plenty to see and do. The only drawback is that it’s a pretty expensive place to live in. Opal City may have escaped The Mist, but not even Starman can bring the land or house prices down.
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