Westbrook
As NIght City expanded in the 2010s, its outskirts to the west became a home for those who couldn't afford the city proper (what is now City Center and Heywood). This got worse by orders of magnitude after the nuclear device was detonated in Arasaka Tower. Many refugees from the destroyed areas sought shelter in Westbrook, making it a mix of highly defended building for whose who could afford security and a seemingly endless supply of homeless willing to do anything to survive.
The situation didn't get better until the late 2030s with the extensive construction of Watson. This removed some of the homelessness problem. Those rich enough expected to move into city center before long as it was being cleared of radioactive debris. During the 2050s, Westbrook became safer and an option for living. Since the new city center became more corporate offices than living space and Heywood was barely out of being a warzone, Westbrook increasingly became an option. New and better buildings were constructed and security forces cleared out any dangers. By the late 2060s, Westbrook is what the rest of the city aspires to.
Japantown
The worst part of Westbrook is still a delightful place to be. You might even find fresh fruit at Sakura Market and the upscale Dark Matter nightclub hosts exclusive meetups with major celebrities. Even Jig-Jig Street, Night City's most infamous red-light district, has more glamor and sense of excitement about it than it does sleezy exploitation. The area lives up to its name, with nearly 80% of the population being ethnically Japanese and another 10% originating from other Asian cultures. This means that most signage is in both Japanese and English and, except those regulated from somewhere else, it's more likely for the English to be dropped. Architecture here is usually very Asian or neo-kitch, with the occasional more futuristic brutalism in more corporate areas. It's worth nothing that the Tyger Claws are almost in complete control of the illicit side of Japantown. In fact, they are behind several legitimate businesses as well. Other gangs, including others with Yakusa connections, exist, but they all operate because the Claws allow it.Charter Hill
Any corpo middle-manager will do their best to live here. Ever since the reconstruction in the 2040s, Charter Hill has only continued to be safer and more extravagant. Some parts carry a cold futuristic brutalist architecture, while some others lean towards a more colorful neo-kitch. Only at the very south end, where it meets up with Santo Domingo, are there some more industrial complexes. Of course, the glitz and glamor on the surface is often an excellent facade for something darker. For every few upscale restaurants or specialist ripperdoc, there's a hidden casino or seller of black market cyberware. Everything is more expensive here, including the underground stuff. But with more money comes the potential for much better experiences... And for much worse consequences of you cross the wrong person. Overt gang activity is relatively low, and while Charter Hill has a higher than average police presence, those officers are often friendly rather than confrontational. The Tyger Claws have a firm presence, but they try to keep a low profile to be as profitable as possible. Other gangs rarely manage anything beyond the occasional raid. The biggest threat on the streets is accidentally getting involved with corporate security. Any mega-corp whose NC HQ isn't near Corpo Plaza is likely to have their offices in Charter Hill. This means a lot of buildings patrolled by heavily armed and chromed soldiers with a right to kill.North Oak
What was once a brutal part of the Badlands has become Night City's home to the ultra-wealthy. The mountain slope is dotted with villas worth millions of Eurodollars. Each of them is gated and with both automated and human security. Most will use air vehicles for travel to and from the city, but they likely have a couple of luxury cars on hand for land travel. The NCPD does patrol North Oak, but they know better than to question any private security and will coordinate rather than handle any crime. And they certainly wouldn't interfere with the lives of anyone who lives here — that would cost you your career if you're lucky. There are gangs who do business out here, of course. But they do that only if they have connections with a resident of North Oaks, they can do it very much in secret, or they're stupid and about to be short-lived. The only remotely poor people living in North Oak are the still well-paid live-in staff of the ultra-wealthy.
Type
District
Location under
