Washington, D.C.

Washington, D.C. was the pre-War capital city of the U.S. It became part of the Columbia Commonwealth, along with Virginia and Maryland. After the Great War, the city's radioactive ruins and surrounding areas were named the Capital Wasteland.

History
When English people first came to the area, there was a Native American village on the spot called Nakochtank. This name survives in the name of the Anacostia River. This river was known for the healing properties of its pure water, and it is recorded that the Emperor Powhatan, who lived in what is now Richmond, Virginia, made the trip all the way to Nakochtank once for this reason. Today this river is one of the most polluted in the world.

The 1789 United States Constitution said that a capital city would be created in a district, but did not say where it should be. James Madison and others thought it should be far away from other states and cities. This way, it would be independent and not controlled by any state. In 1790, a compromise was reached and capital was placed between Virginia and Maryland. It was a square, ten miles (16 km) long on each side, and split by the Potomac River, which separated the two states. Half of the district was in Maryland and the other half was in Virginia, and the two states gave this land to the government. In 1791, it was named Washington, the District of Columbia to honor George Washington. Columbia was another name for North America.

City Design
City Design L'Enfant's plan for Washington, D.C., as revised by Andrew Ellicott (1792)

Washington, D.C. was planned before it was built. Pierre L'Enfant drew a plan for the city that said where all the streets, parks, and important buildings would be. Unlike most U.S. cities, D.C. has many roundabouts or traffic circles. The city was supposed to have long and wide avenues, and many open spaces for monuments and parks. The National Mall, a large park that connected the The Capitol Building to the Washington Monument, was one of the most important parts of L'Enfant's plan.

The Mall
The Mall is the location between the Museum of Technology, Museum of History, Washington Monument, Lincoln Memorial, and Capitol Building. The Capitol Building and Lincoln Memorial are on the far ends, the Washington Monument near the center, and the Museums are on the sides. If you go straight down the middle of the Mall, expect to be attacked by dozens of super mutants, and by the Capitol Building, super mutants, Talon Company mercs, and an Enclave camp if you are far enough into the game.

Washington Monument
The obelisk that is the Washington Monument now has a wall made of concrete surrounding it, and is occupied by the Brotherhood of Steel. The monument's sandstone and marble has fallen off at many places and reveal its internal metal structure. The bronze statue of George Washington has disappeared from the lobby, nowhere to be found. It also houses the Galaxy News Radio dish at the building's top.

The Capitol Building
Before the Great War, the United States Capitol Building housed the legislative branch of the government of the United States. It is located in Washington, D.C., on top of Capitol Hill at the east end of the the Mall. The other side of the Capitol opens onto Seward Square. When discovered by the Lone Wanderer, it is a battle site between super mutants, Talon Company and later, the Enclave.

Lincoln Memorial
The Lincoln Memorial stands in ruins at the heart of D.C.; the seated statue of Lincoln is missing its head (it is located in the Temple of the Union). Sand bags are scattered around the memorial, which are used as cover by slavers and possibly runaway slaves if a quest is completed. The head may be restored after following a quest given by Hannibal Hamlin who leads a small unit of escaped slaves that are trying to create a haven for other runaway slaves.

National Archives
The National Archives is a pre-War building that housed an agency that was charged with preserving and documenting government and historical records. The building is relatively undamaged, but the documents and records have mostly been destroyed or ruined. It has also become home to super mutants, centaurs, and robots; one of which has a personality. The super mutants have placed many traps around to keep out unwanted visitors.

Museum of History
The Museum of History seems to have largely escaped most pillaging other than the structural damage of general decay and trash can fires. Old posters for the space exhibit at the Museum of Technology still hang. A woolly mammoth statue sits in the center untouched by time or the Great War. Due to the decaying ruins, three of the four exhibits entryways are blocked, including the WWII, the Anchorage Reclamation and the Resource Wars, leaving only the Abraham Lincoln exhibit fully intact. Further inside the museum, the player can find the Underworld museum exhibit, which has been converted into a city of non-feral ghouls. However, if you explore any other parts of the Museum, you will find Lincoln's artifacts, such as the Lincoln Memorial poster, Lincoln's repeater and dozens of feral ghouls.

Museum of Technology
A dilapidated shell of it's former glory, the Museum of Technology lies in ruin. The Wright brothers' Flier has fallen, it's wings broken, and a faded old Vault-Tec banner hangs nearby. A monument to man's pride and achievement, set amid the result that is currently occupied by super mutants. The Virgo II Lander remains, containing the needed communications relay dish, several Stealth Boys, and plaques about several missing artifacts. There is also an exhibit, recreation, of a Vault-Tec vault, labeled vault 100.

Citadel
The Pentagon, as feared, was largely destroyed. However, its sub-levels remained intact and contained enough pre-War technology and weaponry to keep Brotherhood of Steel forces going indefinitely. But there was something else as well, Liberty Prime - a technological marvel that if restored could help the Brotherhood rebuild a strength and reputation that had been declining steadily for years.

Jefferson Memorial
The Jefferson Memorial was converted to a water filtering facility with very large water pipes obstructing the main entrance. A smaller side entrance to the gift shop is open toward the west. This is used as a base for Project Purity, which seeks to provide clean water to the entire Capital Wasteland. It is the focal point of many of the main quests, particularly Take it Back!.

White House
The White House is also a location on the map, though it is nothing more than a massive irradiated crater at this point. It appears to have been hit directly by a nuclear bomb. A Fat Man and three mini nukes are located in it, and there are several level-dependent ghouls that inhabit the crater.

Arlington Cemetery
Arlington Cemetery is most of what remains of the Arlington district, including Arlington National Cemetery. To the south is Mama Dolce's food industry and in the center there is the Arlington House. Before the bombs fell, many of the country's war heroes were buried beneath this soil. Now, it is an empty spot on the map, mostly devoid of life. The Arlington/Wasteland Metro, located south of Wilhelm's Wharf, opens to Arlington Cemetery.

Districts

 * Note: Unmarked locations are denoted in italics.

Metro in Washington, D.C.
The Metro stations found in Washington, D.C. are as follows:


 * ''Note: These locations are found only in Washington, D.C. and its immediate environs. See Fallout 3 locations for a full list of metro stations.

Appearances

 * Washington, D.C. is one of the major locations in Fallout 3.
 * Washington, D.C. is mentioned in Fallout: New Vegas by the ghoul companion Raul Tejada and by the title of the D.C. Journal of Internal Medicine.

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