El Burro Heights was almost entirely an oil field — and its houses belonged somewhere else
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El Burro Heights was almost entirely an oil field — and its houses belonged somewhere else

According to December 2023 source code leaks, El Burro Heights was originally designed to be almost completely occupied by the Murrieta Oil Field, while its residential neighborhoods were meant to be part of Murrieta Heights instead. Rockstar swapped them late in development, which is why El Burro Heights' houses oddly resemble real-world Montecito Heights — the original inspiration for Murrieta Heights.

Source: El Burro Heights — CC BY-SA

The full story

El Burro Heights on the Los Santos map — supposed to be an oil field, now a weirdly misplaced residential zone.
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El Burro Heights on the Los Santos map — supposed to be an oil field, now a weirdly misplaced residential zone.

Closer map view showing the swapped layout that never got properly fixed.
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Closer map view showing the swapped layout that never got properly fixed.

Wide shot of El Burro Heights, houses sitting where oil derricks should've been.
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Wide shot of El Burro Heights, houses sitting where oil derricks should've been.

These houses belong in Murrieta Heights — that's why they look like real Montecito Heights instead.
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These houses belong in Murrieta Heights — that's why they look like real Montecito Heights instead.

Fudge Lane: residential streets crammed into what was planned as oil field terrain.
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Fudge Lane: residential streets crammed into what was planned as oil field terrain.

Amarillo Vista — final proof Rockstar swapped these neighborhoods last-minute and never looked back.
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Amarillo Vista — final proof Rockstar swapped these neighborhoods last-minute and never looked back.

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