Dick Tracy lives in a major metropolitan area in the Midwestern/Great Lakes region of the United States of America. Like many communities, it has its own police department.
The City has several waterfront areas as well as a thriving theatrical and nightclub district. There are also several casinos that operate legally.
Like many large cities in America, the City has at least one major newspaper - The Daily.
The City has both a subway system and an elevated train system.
The City is prone to harsh winters with heavy snowfall.
The City is within driving distance to rural areas that include farmland.
Suburban communities around the City have been identified by names including Homewood, Buffalo Grove, Woodale and McHenry County (see "The Chicago Connection" below).
The City is part of the mainland rather than an island or archipelago of islands.
The City's local government is overseen by a Mayor, of which there have been several shown in the strip.
The City is part of a larger County, rather than encompassing several different counties.
The City is said to be located at approximately "Mid-Continent."
The North Woods, the large stretch of forest land extending from the Upper Peninsula of Michigan to the northern parts of Wisconsin and Minnesota, and across the Canadian border into Ontario, is a favorite vacation spot for residents of the City, and Tracy and his family have taken trips there on several occasions.
The City has a professional baseball team called the Knights. They play at Weegham Field.
The Chicago Connection[]
The City's suburban communities have names (Woodstock, Homewood, Buffalo Grove, McHenry County, etc.) that correspond to the names of suburbs in the Chicago area.
Numerous buildings that are readily identifiable as Chicago landmarks, such as the Tribune Tower, the Wrigley Building, the Hancock Building, and corn-cob shaped twin towers of the Marina City, are all shown to be located in the City.
In his first appearance, Sam Catchem said he had worked in the Detective Bureau in Chicago, implying that he was now in a different city, though the inference could be drawn that he was returning to the same city.
Tracy has stated that he gets his hats from a shop in Naperville, which is a Chicago suburb. Themesong also acquired her yellow hats in Naperville.
During the case of Open-Mind Monty, Dick Tracy received a telegram in his office from Chicago, implying that he was not in that city.
The City is said to be a distance from the Pacific Coast of Northern California (specifically the island prison of "Alcoretz") that is approximately equal to the distance from Chicago to San Francisco (where the real-life island prison, Alcatraz, is located).
When Sparkle Plenty and Vera Alldid eloped, they sent a telegram to Sparkle's parents informing them of the event. The telegram traveled through O'Hare Chicago Airport.
In a 2009 storyline, B.O. Plenty was abducted, driven an unspecified distance, and deposited outside Peosta, Iowa. Peosta is a small town on the border of Iowa and Illinois, approximately three-and-a-half hours driving distance from Chicago.
Flattop Jones Sr mentioned to Vitamin Flintheart that he bought some cigars at a store under the ELL. The El is short for "elevated train", which is a well-known part of the Chicago mass-transit system (though elevated trains are not exclusive to Chicago). The El was also depicted during the Sleet storyline.
During the Breathless Mahoney storyline, Wetwash Wally claims to have driven over 25 miles from the City to Tinyville, Ohio (where B.O. Plenty resided). Illinois is west of Ohio.
In the Diamond Tooth Rinkles case, a map of the city and the bay appears, the shape of which closely resembles Chicago and Lake Michigan.
In the Pucker Puss case, the baseball stadium where the contract killing takes place resembles Chicago's Wrigley Field.
The badges carried by Dick Tracy and the other police officers in the 1990 film strongly resemble the “Pie plate” badges used by the Chicago police between 1907 and 1955. The movie badges and the vintage badges use a 6-pointed star for the main badge shape with the officers badge numbers embossed on the lower portion of the badge in a gold/ bronze. The movie badges also include a version of the corporate seal of Chicago which matches the design of the “Pie plate” Chicago PD badges.
...Or Is It New York City?[]
The City has shown to be east of Kansas City, Missouri and west of New York City. However, when Morin Plenty planned his cross-country walking trip (with Dick Tracy firing the starting pistol), he stated that he was departing from New York City. He and Tracy were not shown traveling to New York for the start of the journey.
During the case of Scorpio, Limey Doll is shown flying from London to New York City. She then takes a taxi to Scorpio's headquarters in the Tower Building, during which she is observed by Lizz in an Air Car. It is implied that the Tower Building is within Dick Tracy's jurisdiction. For context, a car trip from New York City to the Chicago area would take approximately 12 hours. If the City is in the midwest, Limey Doll could have flown into Chicago or Cleveland, both of which have/had international airports.
Sal Monella's "food" factory (which was also apparently in Dick Tracy's jurisdiction) was explicitly stated to be in or near New York City, as the case involved Vitamin Flintheart who was appearing in a play on Broadway at the time.
During Tracy's investigation of the disappearance of Nero Wolfe, he is shown making a long-distance phone call to New York City.
Notes[]
- The creators have generally been ambiguous about naming the location, or making specific reference to real-life landmarks.
- Among fans of the strip, the City is sometimes referred to as "Tracyville", though this is also used to describe the entire fictional world that Dick Tracy inhabits.
- In the 1990 film, the deed to the Club Ritz that Big Boy shows Dick Tracy states the city's name as "Homeville," but does not specify a state or zip code.