The cover image of the pod-cast 'Welcome to Night Vale'
| “ | We have nothing to fear except ourselves. We are unholy, awful people. Fear ourselves with silence. Look down, Night Vale. Look down and forget what you've done. | ” |
—Town motto[1]
Night Vale is a friendly desert town where the sun is hot, the moon is beautiful, and mysterious lights pass overhead while everyone pretends to sleep.[2]
Location
Night Vale is located somewhere in the southwest, surrounded by empty desert, near Desert Bluffs.
Hiram McDaniels and Carlos both describe Night Vale as hard to find. Hiram's violet head claims to have searched for the town based on "whispers" and "rumors" and "vague directions."[3] Carlos called Night Vale "a place that is difficult to leave, and difficult to enter." He also remarked, "I don't even remember how I got to Night Vale in the first place. I mean, where is Night Vale, even?"[4]
Cecil Palmer, however, says Night Vale is "perfectly located [...] between several vertices," which is why the town often receives visitors.[5]
Citizenship
It seems to be relatively easy to become a citizen of Night Vale. When Route 800 is shut down, Night Vale Community Radio announces to non-citizens, "Congratulations! You now live in Night Vale!" Newcomers receive a New Citizen Welcome Packet and mandatory orange poncho from City Hall.[6]
Despite the town's welcoming nature, citizens seem to be sensitive to the presence of outsiders; Carlos is repeatedly described as such.[7][4] Some visitors are regarded with suspicion,[5] while others are not.[8][9] Hiram McDaniels, who lived outside of Night Vale until he was thirty years old,[3] seems to escape scrutiny, as do the dreaded Glow Cloud[10] and you.[9]
History
See also: Timeline of Night Vale and Desert Bluffs
Night Vale was founded in 1745. Four groups of settlers had come to the site of Night Vale then left. The fifth group "looked at each other, shrugged, and plopped down their stuff," thus marking the beginning of Night Vale. Early settlers of Night Vale included peace-loving imperialist conquerors and religious leaders who wore "soft meats crowns" made of inverted organs strung around the head.
The Night Vale City Council, then known as the Town Elder Council, first met in 1824. Its composition was precisely the same as on the present day. All records of this meeting were destroyed.
While Night Vale has seen many minor disasters that killed most of its population, no single disaster has been mentioned that would have disestablished the continuity of Night Vale as a city, the City Council, or the mayor's office. However, one of the prophecies insists that the mayor's office will become vacant no later than 2022 and remain vacant until at least 2052.[11]
Culture
The citizens of Night Vale, the majority of whom are human, are very tolerant of all sorts of death, disaster, supernatural creatures and occurrences, and government intrusion. There are occasional exceptions, such as Steve Carlsberg, who gets very concerned about government conspiracies and often attempts to call out the logical absurdities taking place in the town. If Cecil Palmer is to be believed, though, it's perfectly normal for the government to produce everything up to and including sandstorms that cause doppelgangers. Night Vale has a seemingly one-sided rivalry with the nearby town of Desert Bluffs.
Events
- Biweekly Fireperson Appreciation Parade
- Bluegrass Festival[12]
- Citywide Fitness Fair[1]
- Fried Chicken and Cigarette Fair[1]
- History Week [11]
- Thanksgiving Day Dead Citizens Impersonation Contest[13]
- Parade of the Mysterious Hooded Figures
- Poetry Week
- Street Cleaning Day
- Sorrow Songs Singalong[14]
- Valentine's Day[15][16]
- Dot Day[10]
Organizations
- Animal Control[10][17]
- Boy Scouts of America
- City Council
- Freemasons
- Girl Scouts of the USA
- Greater Night Vale Medical Community[18]
- Greater Night Vale Realtor Association
- Highway Department[19]
- Illuminati
- Intelligence Group International[1]
- National Rifle Association[2]
- Night Vale Business Association[2]
- Night Vale Community Theater[20]
- Night Vale Council for Commerce[14]
- Night Vale Department of Transportation[21]
- Night Vale Fire Department (FDNV)[22][1]
- Night Vale Marine Biologist's Association
- Night Vale Medical Board[1]
- Night Vale Parks and Recreation Department[14]
- Night Vale Press Corps[23]
- Night Vale Public Library Board of Directors
- Night Vale Psychological Association (NVPA)[5][24][25]
- Night Vale PTA
- Night Vale SPCA[18]
- Night Vale Spiderwolves[23]
- Night Vale Transit Authority
- Night Vale Tourism Board
- The Sheriff's Secret Police
- Soundproof Old Town[15]
- A Vague, Yet Menacing, Government Agency
Notable locations and facilities in Night Vale
The communities and geography of Night Vale
Major districts:
Minor districts:
Housing developments:
Geographical zones:
Parks, museums, and landmarks
Parks and recreation:
- Beatrix Loman Memorial Meditation Zone
- The Dog Park
- Mission Grove Park
- Night Vale Harbor and Waterfront Recreation Area
- Night Vale Petting Zoo and Makeshift Carnival[27]
- Night Vale Recreation Center[28][24]
- Night Vale Zoo
Museums:
- Children's Science Museum[5]
- Museum of Forbidden Technologies
Natural landmarks:
- Hidden Gorge, site of the machinery used to run mayoral elections
- Radon Canyon
- Red Mesa[10]
- Skeleton Gorge
Man-made landmarks:
- Night Vale Clock Tower
- Old Town Drawbridge
- Train tracks[29]
- An abandoned warehouse near the train tracks[29]
Mysteriously unexplainable landmarks:
- THE BROWN STONE SPIRE
- The Hole in the Vacant Lot Out Back of the Ralphs
- The House That Doesn't Exist
- The Lights Above the Arby's
- The Pyramid
Education, infrastructure, and government facilities
Schools, colleges, and libraries:
- Night Vale Community College
- Night Vale Elementary School
- Night Vale High School
- Night Vale Public Library
- Night Vale Private Library[12]
Research facilities:
- Carlos' laboratory and monitoring station[2]
- Pulsar Development Facility
Transportation services:
- Night Vale Subway System[30]
- Randy Newman Memorial Night Vale Airport
Health care services:
Stadiums and convention centers:
- Abandoned Missile Silo[15]
- Downtown Convention Center[31]
- Night Vale Stadium
Legislative, clerical, and postal facilities:
- City Hall[20]
- Night Vale Department of Motor Vehicles[30]
- Night Vale Post Office
Law enforcement and penal facilities:
- Abandoned Mine Shaft
- The Dark Box
- Sheriff of Night Vale's hover office in the clouds[26]
Military facilities:
See also:
- Category:Government
Businesses
When the City Council was the preeminent political power in Night Vale, they tightly controlled all local commerce. However, now that StrexCorp is the supreme power in Night Vale, the corporation simply owns the vast majority of the following businesses outright.
Media outlets:
- Night Vale Community Radio
- WZZZ
- Night Vale Daily Journal
- Night Vale Weekly Gazette[30]
Restaurants:
- Arby's
- Big Rico's Pizza
- Gino's Italian Dining Experience and Grill and Bar
- Jerry's Tacos
- Moonlite All-Nite Diner
- National Guard Station and KFC Combo Store
- Pinkberry
- Shame
- Tourniquet
Entertainment:
Grocery stores:
Food manufacturers:
- Flaky-Os
- J.P.'s OJ, Ltd.
Barber shops and beauty salons:
Contracting firms:
See also:
- List of Minor Businesses
- Category:Business
Roads
- 5th Street,[13] intersects with Shay Street and Old Musk Road
- Earl Road,[15] intersects with Somerset[2]
- Eastern Expressway,[22] has a downtown off-ramp and a northbound on-ramp (see also Route 800)
- Flint Drive[13]
- Main Street[28][1][29]
- Oak Trail, near Larry Leroy's house out on the edge of town[31]
- The old dirt road to the small wooden shack[7]
- Old Musk Road, intersects with 5th Street[13]
- Ouroboros Road[5]
- Oxford Street[22]
- Route 800
- Shay Street, intersects with 5th Street[8]
- Somerset, intersects with Earl Road[2]
Parallel universe Night Vale
- A vast empty desert, not to be confused with the empty desert that surrounds regular Night Vale[32]
- The Old House / The Empty House
- A single, distant mountain with a tiny, intermittently blinking red light atop it[33]
- The Spiral[34]
Residents
- Main article: List of Night Vale residents
See also
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 Episode 10 Feral Dogs
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 Episode 1 Pilot
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Live Episode Condos
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Episode 49B Old Oak Doors Part B
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 Episode 18 The Traveler
- ↑ Live Episode The Debate
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Episode 16 The Phone Call
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Episode 39 The Woman from Italy
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Episode 13 A Story About You.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 Episode 2 Glow Cloud (episode)
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 Episode 7 History Week
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 Episode 27 First Date
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 13.3 Episode 3 Station Management (episode)
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 Episode 11 Wheat & Wheat By-Products
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 15.2 15.3 Episode 12 The Candidate
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 16.2 16.3 16.4 Episode 17 Valentine
- ↑ Episode 43 Visitor
- ↑ 18.0 18.1 Episode 9 PYRAMID (episode)
- ↑ Episode 20 Poetry Week
- ↑ 20.0 20.1 Episode 5 The Shape in Grove Park (episode)
- ↑ Episode 21 A Memory of Europe
- ↑ 22.0 22.1 22.2 22.3 Episode 6 The Drawbridge (episode)
- ↑ 23.0 23.1 Episode 19A The Sandstorm (Part A)
- ↑ 24.0 24.1 Episode 22 The Whispering Forest
- ↑ Episode 46 Parade Day
- ↑ 26.0 26.1 26.2 Episode 15 Street Cleaning Day
- ↑ Episode 8 The Lights in Radon Canyon
- ↑ 28.0 28.1 Episode 4 PTA Meeting
- ↑ 29.0 29.1 29.2 Episode 50 Capital Campaign'
- ↑ 30.0 30.1 30.2 Episode 29 Subway (episode)
- ↑ 31.0 31.1 Episode 14 The Man in the Tan Jacket (episode)
- ↑ Episode 45 A Story About Them
- ↑ Episode 31 A Blinking Light up on the Mountain
- ↑ Episode 23 Eternal Scouts (episode)