Commonwealths



Commonwealths refer to a variety of geographic entities, separated by name within the United States of America and in Europe.

Background
Several different varieties of commonwealths are mentioned throughout the games. The states of Massachusetts and Virginia are referred to as the "Commonwealth of Massachusetts" and "Commonwealth of Virginia" respectively. After the war, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts was shorted to the Commonwealth. A contingent known as the Thirteen Commonwealths was established in 1969. Internationally, a group of nation-states operated as the European Commonwealth until its dissolution in 2052.

The city of Watoga is mentioned as being part of an unnamed commonwealth. In the Mojave Desert, the Southwest Commonwealth Conservation Area is visible on the Red Rock Canyon entryway stone marker. The Southwest Commonwealth is also printed on a Nevada state flag flying in Goodsprings.

Appearances
Commonwealths are mentioned in Fallout, Fallout 3, Fallout: New Vegas, Fallout 4, and Fallout 76.

Behind the scenes

 * A commonwealth labeled as the "Columbia Commonwealth" is mentioned on a promotional item in the Official Bethesda Gear Store.
 * A commonwealth known as "New England Commonwealth" is mentioned in the Fallout: The Roleplaying Game Core Rulebook.
 * In the tech demo for the canceled Van Buren project, a soldier from a "Great Midwest Commonwealth" can be interacted with.
 * Fallout: New Vegas project director Joshua Sawyer wrote his own role playing game that included commonwealths.