Central City (DC Comics)

Central City is a fictional city appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. It is the former home of Barry Allen, the second Flash. Its location has been variously stated to be in Ohio, Illinois, and Florida. During the Wally West era, it was shown to be in Missouri, across a river from Keystone City.

History

Central City, located across the Missouri River from Keystone City, Kansas, was founded in the 19th century and became an important stop for cattle drives. It began to see tremendous growth after the completion of the Transcontinental Railroad, becoming the first major hub west of Chicago. A second period of growth occurred after World War I, and it has burgeoned to the present day.

In the 25th Century, the city became known as the Central Cityplex.

Points of Interest

Brookfield Heights - trendy residential area

Chubbuck - residential area and home to Central City Hospital

City Center - downtown area and home to the Flash Museum

Danville - middle class residential area and home to Barry and Iris Allen

Englewood - residential area with scenic views of nearby Granite Peak National Park

Lawrence Hills - industrial area

Leawood - blue-collar residential area and home to Central City Stadium

Mounds View - home to Hardwell Fields, the city's airport, and named after many Native American burial mounds in the area

New Brighton - residential and commercial area, home to the Central City Rail Station

Petersburg - home to many of Central City's excellent restaurants

University Town - home to Central City University

Utopia Towers - apartment complex in Central City

Westminster - formerly home to stockyards, now the location of S.T.A.R. Labs

Windsor Heights - very exclusive residential area

Ivo Laboratories - research organization founded by a scientist named Anthony Ivo

Residents

Heroes

Flash (Barry Allen)

Villains

Captain Cold

Heat Wave

Mirror Master (Sam Scudder)

Trickster (James Jesse)

Others

Iris Allen

Sports Teams

Central City Stars (baseball)

Central City Diamonds (baseball)

Central City Cougars (football)

Central City Miners (basketball)

Notes

Before the Crisis on Infinite Earths, Central and Keystone, collectively known as the "Gem Cities" were not twin cities. Rather, Central City only existed on Earth-One and Keystone City only existed on Earth-Two.

Some sources have shown Central City to be in Ohio instead of Missouri. The Flash #228 places it at roughly the same spot as Athens, Ohio.

The map in the Atlas of the DC Universe claims that Keystone and Central are across the Mississippi River from each other. The Mississippi does not border Kansas; the Missouri does.

The DCU version of Central City is not to be confused with the city by the same name seen in Will Eisner's The Spirit.

Central City in other media

The city has also appeared in movies, television series, and video games as well.