The Upper City served as one of the primary urban centers that blanketed the cityscape of Taris around 4000 BBY. This sector was the domain of Taris's elite, characterized by the planet's signature towering, shimmering, spire-like skyscrapers. In 3964 BBY, after Zayne Carrick made his second escape from the Jedi Tower, the Upper City stood as the final stronghold against the escalating riots that surged from the lower districts. However, in 3956 BBY, the Upper City, along with the remainder of Taris, faced complete annihilation. The timeline of its reconstruction remains unclear, yet it had undergone at least partial restoration by 3 ABY.
Due to the Upper City's exclusive nature and elevated social standing, access was generally limited to non-Humans, although numerous exceptions existed. One such exception was the crime boss Ajuur, a Hutt who presided over the Upper City Dueling Ring. Similarly, a Rodian gladiator named Twitch could be found within the Upper City. Conversely, many non-Humans encountered hostility and resentment, frequently voicing grievances about their treatment. The Upper City was home to a cantina, which contained the renowned dueling ring. Zelka Forn's medical facility, which ultimately succeeded in developing a serum to combat the rakghoul infection, was also located within the Upper City.
A century prior to the planet's rise as a significant hub, the Taris Civil Authority initiated the construction of the Tarisian Upper City, situated above the Middle City, Lower City, and Undercity. Various species started to populate the world. With the Upper City's completion, the Galactic Republic took notice of the world, and Taris began to flourish, especially the Upper City, earning the title of a Coruscant of the Outer Rim following its discovery by the Republic. Taris's prosperous era eventually ended in 4156 BBY, when the discovery of new, shorter trade routes led to a decline in Taris's economic success. In 4086 BBY, the Upper City's droids pilfered the luggage of visiting travel critics, resulting in an extremely negative review in Trampeta's Star Guide, the worst rating in the navigational charts.
Having been abandoned by the Galactic Republic, Taris's food supply became entirely self-reliant. The expansive city of Taris covered over half the planet's surface, leaving no space for agriculture; consequently, kelp harvesting and marine life became their primary food sources. Tarisian industrialists transitioned to a more economical but polluting power source, which generated hazardous waste. A century after the Republic's abandonment, the pollution poisoned and killed most of the marine flora and fauna, leading to widespread famine.
The Tarisian elite hoarded the remaining food and resources for their exclusive use, exceeding their needs, while the impoverished were left to starve and perish. Disgusted and desperate, the lower classes revolted, sparking the Tarisian Civil War. Millions of innocent lives were lost, and substantial portions of Taris were either destroyed or deserted.
Ultimately, the Tarisian nobles emerged victorious, suppressing the rebellion. Thousands of disarmed rebels were imprisoned, but the jail cells were insufficient to contain them all. The remaining rebels were exiled to the Undercity, prohibited from returning to the Upper City and Middle City under threat of death. As decades passed, exile to the lower levels became the primary punishment, rendering the Upper City prisons obsolete. The Tarisian Nobles consumed the remaining kelp and oceanic fauna to extinction, forcing them to rely on imported food. With banishment fully replacing imprisonment, the increasingly corrupt government made no provisions for the descendants of those exiled.
Around 4056 BBY, non-Humans were expelled from the Upper City and Middle City to the Lower City of Taris. Since then, the Upper City became a symbol of strict socioeconomic divisions in the galaxy, occupied by the Tarisian Human elite, although a small number of non-Humans remained.
Occasionally, a Tarisian noble would descend to the Lower City with his or her droid to mock the oppressed aliens deliberately and cruelly, but because law enforcement rarely ventured into that area, they were often killed in retaliation, a fate that many from both the Upper City and the Lower City did not condemn.
Around 4000 BBY, the Exchange began to occupy the planet, establishing an estate in the Upper City and placing bounties on anyone who opposed them or owed them debts. Once again, the corrupt government did little to address the threat, instead accepting bribes from the Exchange to remain silent or cooperate with their operations. Food and raw materials became the planet's primary imports, while Tarisian ale, made from the gland of a Tach, became a major export. The Lower City rivaled the Upper City's offworld economics due to its swoop racing, despite opposition from Hutts and the Exchange.
In 3966 BBY, Taris briefly held a seat in the Galactic Senate for two years. During this year, the Mandalorians launched their initial attack on Taris during the Mandalorian Wars. Consequently, the Galactic Republic and the Jedi's presence on the urban world had begun. The Republic even dismantled the government that had terrorized its residents for 190 years, abolishing rules such as banishing criminals to the Undercity. However, this had little impact on reducing socioeconomic divisions, primarily due to the disruption caused by the Mandalorian attacks. Thus, Taris remained a difficult place for another decade.
In 3964 BBY, following Zayne Carrick's second escape from the Taris Academy, the Upper City resisted the marauding rioters from the lower levels longer than other parts of the planet. During the Mandalorian Wars, Saul Karath was forced to abandon the planet to the Mandalorians. Simultaneously, the Exchange was temporarily driven off the planet by Revan.
With the conclusion of the Mandalorian Wars and the Mandalorian defeat at the Battle of Malachor V in 3960 BBY, the Mandalorians presumably either abandoned the planet or were expelled by Revan and Malak after the war. The Exchange reclaimed its presence on the planet, filling the power vacuum left by the Mandalorians' departure. As a result, the dystopian society that had existed before the invasion resumed and persisted for another four years.
Shortly before the Sith occupied the planet during the Jedi Civil War, the Republic operated a medical center in the Upper City. The Republic scientists there developed the rakghoul serum that cured the Outcasts. The Republic intended to address the socioeconomic divisions, but their plans were interrupted by the Sith armada's invasion. The Republic was driven out, and the Sith imposed a planetwide quarantine and martial law, restricting entry and exit except for official Sith business. During the Sith occupation, a Sith military base was established in the Upper City. Public walkways in the city were heavily patrolled by Sith troopers, and travel between different levels of the city was restricted.
After the Endar Spire was attacked by the Sith over Taris, Republic soldiers Revan and Carth Onasi crash-landed in the Upper City in a damaged escape pod in 3956 BBY. They sought refuge in an empty apartment, where they began planning their search for Bastila Shan. The Upper City was destroyed, along with the entire surface of Taris, when the Sith fleet, under the command of Saul Karath's powerful Leviathan, bombarded the planet from orbit. After being forced to kill Davik Kang and severely injuring Calo Nord, the amnesiac Revan and his companions escaped the bombardment aboard the Ebon Hawk. Calo Nord also managed to escape, despite his injuries.
By 3 ABY, much of the Upper City had been rebuilt by Human colonists, though it never regained its status as a symbol of socioeconomic divisions. The Taris Dueling Ring had been reconstructed prior to the Rebellion era. The Upper City, like the rest of Taris, emerged from the Yuuzhan Vong War relatively unharmed. As of 40 ABY, Boba Fett owned a private residence on the planet during his search for Taun We. He also encountered his granddaughter Mirta Gev but was unaware of their relationship at the time.
Residents of the Lower City referred to Upper City residents as "uptowns."