Raccoon City was a small town that went through a rapid growth. Home of the Umbrella Corporation and the S.T.A.R.S. team, it was a city on its way to becoming a huge, modern metropolis, but it was interrupted by the outbreaks that took place within it.

Raccoon City is also home to Jill Valentine. It is in this city where players were introduced to some of the most iconic characters of the Resident Evil franchise, like Jill, Wesker, Leon, Claire, and Chris. Although most Resident Evil fans have spent several hours in Raccoon City, there are many things that most people do not know about its history.

9 Raccoon City’s Growth Coincides With Umbrella’s Arrival

The city saw a rapid burst in its urbanization decades ago. Back in the 1960s, it became obvious that the city was becoming something else. it weirdly coincides with when Umbrella Pharmaceuticals moved to the areal. It was during this era that the city had a tram-like and a subway system constructed.

Umbrella heavily invested in the city throughout the years. All that money only helped the city. Raccoon City expanded considerably, becoming a place that even tourists would visit.

8 Umbrella Pharmaceuticals Made The City Grow

Raccoon City was going through a recession during the early 1990s. It was then that Umbrella decided to heavily invest in the city. Under Mayor Michael Warren’s mandate, the city went through the Bright Raccoon 21 Plan. It was a city revival project that was mostly funded by Umbrella.

This resulted in the construction of the Raccoon General Hospital in 1992. It also resulted in the creation of the Special Tactics and Rescue Services, mostly known as S.T.A.R.S., an elite law-enforcement agency. The members of this agency were military veterans and scientific experts who were in charge of solving crimes and situations that the Raccoon Police Department could not.

7 The Outbreak In Raccoon City Was Never Forgotten

Although it is pretty clear in the game’s lore, it is brought back to us in the most recent games. Leon went on to be an important government agent, while the Redfields never really stopped fighting bioterrorism.

But there is an interesting surprise for those who paid attention to Resident Evil VII. There is a magazine article specifically about Raccoon City that one can find within the Annabelle ship. By going to the table that is on floor 2F, players can find the magazine with information about the Outbreak. It mentions how it has been 16 years, and survivors still suffer.

6 Several Games Take Place In Raccoon City

Everybody knows that the first Resident Evil games take place in Raccoon City. The first game takes place at the Spencer Mansion, a hotel near the borders of Raccoon City. The second game mostly happens within the Police Station. The third game goes through many different locations throughout the city.

Resident Evil Zero makes you revisit the mansion from the first game, and you get to see the city again in Resident Evil: Umbrella Chronicles. Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City also takes place there, but it is a “what if” scenario. There is also Resident Evil Outbreak, a game some fans believe to be pivotal for one to understand what the series is about.

5 The City Was Completely Destroyed

It is clear that at some point, Umbrella realized the obvious. The T-Virus Outbreak could not be controlled. There were lickers, hunters, and other mutations killing all on their path. Not a single place in Raccoon City was zombie-free or Bioorganic Weapons free. The viruses even got to the local animals, and even the local water supply was contaminated.

The decision of blowing up Raccoon City came from the United States Military. And it was done with a thermobaric bomb that wiped out everyone and everything that was still alive, or undead, in the city. Although it seems that some people do not think it makes a lot of sense to make a virus that needs such a bomb to be contained, this is a staple moment in the franchise.

4 Many People Did Not Believe The Outbreak Was Real

People would come up with explanations and rationalizations, but the events that had taken place in Raccoon City were not believed by everyone. It is conceivable that people would not easily believe that a mega-corporation was making a virus that turns people into zombies.

It can be seen in the first animated movie of the franchise, Resident Evil Degeneration, that there are those who believe that the incident is real, but there are soldiers in the movie who do not take the whole story seriously.

3 There Was A Massive Cover-Up

The destruction of Raccoon City, the T-Virus Outbreak Incident, the Bioterrorism that took place in the city, and many other things were covered up. This was all done by the United States Government. It was published that Umbrella Corporation was connected to everything that happened there. The details, the monsters, and the zombies were kept out of considered classified, though.

The then President of the United States had people in his office that were tied to Umbrella. Most likely, the president actively participating in the hiding of everything that went on there. However, the death of one hundred thousand people was not something that he could recover from politically. This lead to the President’s inevitable resignation.

2 The Government Used Raccoon City Even After Destroying It

After the incident and the thermobaric bomb that killed all the zombies, mutations, and people, the government went back to Raccoon City. A fence was made around it, and government agents were being sent in to get a sample of the T-Virus.

Although their motivation was never made clear, and the United States of America kept officially denying the bioterrorism that took place in Raccoon City, they were actively looking for the very weapon that caused the incident. The Government kept denying the existence of the T-Virus and the Bioorganic Weapons.

1 The World Got To Know The Truth About The City Eventually

Even though the United States Government kept denying everything, there was this general feeling that they were hiding a lot of information from the public. Also, Raccoon City had many survivors. Leon S. Kennedy, Jill Valentine, Chris Redfield, Claire Redfield, and many others.

It was only after the Terragrigia Panic that the world got to really confirm the existence of the Bioorganic Weapons originally made by Umbrella. It also put the viruses in the spotlight, increasing the demand for the B.O.W.s in the Black Market.

NEXT: Resident Evil: Every Protagonist, Ranked According To Skill