Megaton

Megaton is a sprawling settlement set in and around a crater with an unexploded C-23 Megaton nuclear bomb at its center, hence the location's name. It is protected by large metal walls made of various scavenged materials, primarily the scraps of old pre-War airplanes, which were scavenged several decades ago by the founders of Megaton wishing to make the town more safe. It is one of the two largest settlements in the Capital Wasteland, with 28 named inhabitants and several unnamed Megaton settlers, it is rivaled only by Rivet City in population.

Beginnings
Megaton's crater was first settled by a large group of people who sought shelter in Vault 101, but they were denied access because the residents of the Vault were not allowed to leave or let anyone in as part of their subterranean installation's policy. Locked out of the Vault, these settlers, led by Manya Vargas' father, constructed their homes using aircraft debris from a nearby air station. The air station is no longer visible since all of its parts were used up as building materials for the town. Because Megaton's construction was aided by the Children of the Atom, who worship the undetonated atomic bomb at its center, the settlers had no choice but to leave it unmoved in exchange for their much needed help.

First contact with Vault 101 and raider attack
In February 2241, an expeditionary party of Vault 101, led by Anne Palmer and sent by the Overseer of the Vault, made contact with the residents of Megaton. Initially, the locals were cautious of the strangers before eventually accepting and welcoming them into their settlement. Palmer appointed two vault residents, Agnes Taylor and Lewis, as vault ambassadors to Megaton. A record of this expedition was archived in the Overseer's terminal in his office.

That same year, a group of raiders attacked the town, resulting in the death of the 14 year old Colin Moriarty's father. After the raid Moriarty inherited his father's wealth and his bar, Moriarty's Saloon.

Boppo's raid
In 2277, a gang of raiders occupied the nearby Springvale elementary school, intending to mine their way into Vault 101. Some of these gang members, led by Boppo, attempted a raid on Megaton. The attack was foiled when Boppo was shot in the head and killed by the town's sheriff, Lucas Simms, who suffered a gunshot wound himself in the process. The raiders did not leave the area, however, and still remain at the Springvale School, though there is no evidence of either side preparing for an attack on the other, and the mining operation of the raiders still located in Springvale School is stopped when the miners discover an Ant chamber.

Layout
The city of Megaton has been built in a steep-walled crater around an undetonated atomic bomb which rests in a puddle of radioactive water at the bottom of the depression. This gives the city two roughly circular levels centered on the bomb. The main gate consists of two old aircraft wings and a jet engine which can be opened and closed to protect the only entrance/exit to the town.

If you follow the entry path to the bottom of the depression the Megaton Clinic will be on your right and The Brass Lantern on your left. Just past the bomb to the right is the Church of the Children of Atom and past it to the left lies Mister Burke's house. Confessor Cromwell can usually be found here sermonizing from the puddle to random settlers.

If you turn right when you first enter so that you are still on the lip of the crater, the "path" will take you past Lucas Simms' house, around the Water processing plant, down to Craterside Supply, then back up to the Men's restroom, Moriarty's saloon and Billy Creel's house. Going down the ramp from there will take you around Nathan and Manya's house (a bus) to the Women's restroom. Craterside Supply can also be easily reached by taking the ramp directly to the right of the Megaton Clinic.

If you instead turn left at the upper lip, you'll find a locked house (which can be yours if you deactivate the central atomic bomb), followed by Jericho's house. From there, going down will take you to Lucy West's house while going around to the left will hook you up to the end of the right hand path.

The Megaton armory (lockpick skill of 100 required) can be reached by going up the ramp and around the Church of the Children of Atom to the right or by going down the hill starting from the back door of Moriarty's saloon.

The common house can be reached by going around the Women's restroom to the right or by passing behind Moriarty's saloon rather than going around the front past the entrance to the Men's restroom.

In front of the city, outside the walls, you'll find a caravan stop, Micky one of the Water Beggars, and Deputy Weld. Behind the city, near the south west corner is the hollowed-out rock.

Megaton ruins
If you revisit Megaton if the Lone Wanderer decided to blow it up in The Power of the Atom quest, Deputy Weld's head with an orange (or purple) eye will be nearby sticking out of a pile of dirt/debris. He ironically says, "Welcome to Megaton. The bomb is perfectly safe. We promise. Please hold," in a garbled voice that sounds broken. The sky will be green, which is strange if you go there immediately after blowing it up, as it should be red first. If you started the Wasteland Survival Guide quest, Moira Brown will survive as a ghoul and appear to tell you that she is relocating to Rivet City. If you have not started the quest, Moira can still be found in Underworld.

Notable loot

 * Bobblehead - Strength inside Lucas Simms' house, on a desk in a bedroom on the second floor. To avoid bad Karma from picking the lock, wait until Lucas or his son are in his home or by entering the house through a hatch on the roof, or take the key from his dead body.
 * Grognak the Barbarian and a Chinese officer's sword in Jericho's house, on the floor, between a teddy bear and a red pylon along the right wall.
 * Nikola Tesla and You in your Megaton home after buying the Science Theme from Moira Brown.
 * Lying, Congressional Style in your Megaton home when you buy the Love Machine Theme from Moira Brown.
 * 4 pre-War books in Billy Creel's house, must be stolen.
 * Sniper rifle, Stealth Boy, .308 caliber rounds, 2 stimpaks and the As Requested note in the hollowed-out rock located outside Megaton along its southern wall. Look for the rock with three small trees in a triangular pattern around it.
 * 300-700 bottle caps in The Brass Lantern. A terminal (very easy) unlocks a floor safe which is otherwise locked (average).
 * Chinese Army: Special Ops Training Manual and a couple of ammunition boxes can be found in a ruined farmhouse to the east, between Megaton and Super-Duper Mart.
 * A rolling pin, a rather hard-to-find and mostly cosmetic weapon(low-damage) can be found in the water processing plant.

Appearances
Megaton appears only in Fallout 3.

Bugs

 * Right after leaving Vault 101 the sky and surrounding area may look as if the bomb has already exploded.
 * After Broken Steel is installed, if you pick-up the note from your door, after completing quest Holy Water, the note will respawn every day. This can be very annoying, and it is recommended to achieve the note from a settler.
 * Upon leaving Vault 101 Megaton may not spawn to fix this restart your console.

Behind the scenes

 * The bomb in the center of the town and the people worshiping it are likely a reference to Beneath The Planet of the Apes, which features a cult worshiping an undetonated nuclear weapon after the modern world has been destroyed. Within the Fallout series, this previously served as inspiration for the town of Gravestone in Fallout Tactics.
 * A Megaton is used to measure an explosion equivalent to the force of a million tonnes of TNT- A fitting name to a town with a nuke in the town center.
 * In the Japanese version of Fallout 3, the quest to blow up Megaton has been completely removed due to its "parallels to real historic events". Referring to the atomic bombs that were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945.