States of the New California Republic
[Fallout] Went back to my notes regarding my fanfic and thought it would be fun to share my personal take on the NCR's states. I've utilized canon information as the bedrock and built on top of it with my own nonsense. I've made some state flags, but I haven't done one for each one. If inspiration grips me once again I may update this post with new flags, so stay tuned.
The NCR was founded by five states: Dayglow (DG), Hub (HB), Los Angeles (LA), Maxson (MX), and Shady (SS). Since its founding that number has doubled with the addition of Arroyo (AR), Mendocino (MD), Sacramento (SC), San Fransisco (SF), and Tahoe (TH).
Arroyo
Arroyo is the northernmost state in the Republic and is entirely composed of rural communities under the oversight of New Arroyo City's the tribal council. The state government keeps a kind of hands-off approach to governance and rarely, if ever, directly imposes their will upon its citizens. The bulk of the population resides in the capital of New Arroyo City, but the communities of Den, Klamath, Modoc, Redding, and Valdez all fall within the state's borders. While technically, depending on the day, Valdez could either be found within the borders Arroyo or San Francisco the community officially lists themselves as being "Valdez, AR" for tax purposes. The state is popular with tourists from the far south for it's vast and beautiful forests and natural wonders. As well, anyone looking to follow in the footsteps of the Chosen One of myth could stop by the Arroyo state museum to see the famed "Chariot of the Chosen" with their own eyes. Arroyo's primary exports are lumber and gold, with the state acting as the supplier for the federal government's supply of precious metal used to back the NCR Dollar... Or at least it was until the Brotherhood War. Redding miners have been working around the clock trying to resupply the reserve, but it's a slow process. Exacerbating the problem is the high turnover rate for said miners. In a cruel twist of fate, the crashing of the NCR Dollar's value has made it so many of the Redding miners are walking off the job in search of higher paying work.
Dayglow
Moving from the far north to the far south, Dayglow is a founding state composed of small scattered rural settlements and homesteads eking out a humble existence in the desert. The state was largely founded by survivors of Necropolis, former members of the Children of the Cathedral, and the Followers of the Apocalypse. Because of this, its capital, Dayglow City, is considered the most diverse community in the NCR; its population being composed of about as many ghouls, if not more, as humans. Mutants make out a large chunk of the population as well, though they maintain minority status into the modern day. Dayglow state is actually famous for being the first state in the Republic to codify anti-discrimination laws for ghouls and mutants in 2190 and 2206 respectively. Beyond the capital, the only major point of interest in Dayglow state is one nearly everyone can't even visit. Not that you'd want to, of course. The Dayglow Exclusion Zone, commonly just referred to as "The Glow," was a pre-war military base and scientific facility said to be connected to F.E.V. experimentation. It is highly radioactive even to this day, and for the safety of the Republic's citizens the federal government has seized the area and erected a massive perimeter around it to prevent entry. These days, only members of the military and agents of the Office of Science and Industry can enter the zone.
Hub
A bit north of there we find another founding state: Hub. The financial heart of the NCR, Hub is where the bulk of the country's cash gets generated. The state, or more specifically it's capital Hub City, is home to many of the nation's big companies. Crimson Caravan Company, the New California Water Company, Far Go Traders, and Mojave Express are all based out of Hub City, and because of that local politics are often swayed by big business interests. Many speculate that President Kimball's political ascension from Hub senator to President was hurried along by funds from these businesses, but these claims haven't been confirmed. On the political site, Hub City is the home of the current majority party in the NCR government: the National Federalists, a center-right group focused on expansion and deregulation. President Kimball himself is a member of this party. Centered at the intersection of many major trade routes, Hub City is the place many New Californians begin their journeys to New Vegas on the Long 15, passing the small town of Baker on their way out of the country. Also present within Hub borders are the Necropolis ruins. Once the site of a prominent ghoul community built in the ruins of Bakersfield, the city was sacked by mutant forces during the Unity Crisis of 2162. Survivors from the attack fled south past Hub City and through Cajun Junction to find shelter in what came to be Dayglow City. These days, the Necropolis Ruins are like most other ruins out in the wasteland, though it's been picked thoroughly clean by prospectors. A small military force maintains a presence there strictly to guard the entrance of Vault 8, but otherwise the place is more of a ghost town than it ever was when it was populated.
Los Angeles
Los Angeles aka The Boneyard aka Angel's Boneyard is a state composed entirely from the ruins of the Old Los Angeles metroplex. The capital city of Adytum consists of the region around the Los Angeles Public Library, and it is here that the educational center of the Republic lies. Adytum is the home of Angel's Boneyard Medical University - the greatest (and as far as anyone knows only) medical university in the world. Most if not all of the licensed doctors in the country got their education there. Adytum is a college town through and through, with many of the nation's educated spending a good chuck of their early years there. The Followers of the Apocalypse run the show in Adytum and in The Boneyard as a whole. Their headquarters of the LA Public Library is located there as is the headquarters of the Followers backed center-left Rational Party. Because of this, many things differ greatly to how they work in other states. For example: rather than a police force in Adytum, the streets are patrolled by members of a volunteer neighborhood watch. Watchmen are trained in first aid and deescalation techniques, and they aren't even armed with deadly weapons. Instead the watchmen are given compliance regulators strictly for use as a last resort option for when violent conflicts erupt. Perhaps ironically then, Adytum is also where the Gun Runners company is based. A household name throughout the Republic, Gun Runners are the biggest supplier of military hardware in the New West. There is major tension between Gun Runners and the Followers because of the company's involvement in facilitating in the NCR's expansionist practices, but outright hostility between the groups isn't seen. Perhaps due to a kind of hometown comradery, community spirit, or remembrance of Gun Runners' role in liberating Adytum from the Regulators in 2162, the seemingly ideologically opposed groups have maintained friendly relations for many years. Finally, Angel's Boneyard is also the location of the NCR Department of the Treasury and as such was the site of the outbreak of the Brotherhood War. The treasury was installed in Adytum as balancing measure by Shady in the Republic's founding years to keep the leadership of Hub from controlling the nation's currency. Of course with crashing of the NCR dollar, the Hub has already made their power grab in re-instituting the Bottle Cap as an alternative currency.
Mendocino
Back to the North, Mendocino was inducted into the Republic following the end of the Californian-American War; specifically the destruction of Control Station Enclave and the Battle of Navarro. There is little notable about the state besides its utility as a military asset. There are a scant few small communities and tribes found within the forests, and the state has a minuscule logging industry which is dwarfed by the likes of Arroyo or Sacramento. The only major place of note in Mendocino is Fort Elise, the headquarters of the NCR Air Force (lovingly referred to as the "Bear Force" by citizens). The capture of Camp Navarro brought with it a small fleet of vertibirds that, with the aid of the Shi, the NCR have retooled for its own use. The President's own personal vertibird, Bear Force One, roosts at Fort Elise when not in use.
Maxson
Originally a founding state of the Republic, Maxson has more or less become a mere battleground for the NCR and Brotherhood of Steel with the regular inhabitants caught in the crossfire. The borders have been closed in the wake of the Battle of Adytum and only military approved caravans are able to move through the region. Local militias have sprung up in support of either side of the conflict, with those loyal to the Brotherhood acting as the lowest level grunts of the faction. The state's future is uncertain, but many believe it will return to the fold of rest of the country once the Brotherhood of Steel surrenders or are wiped out. That said, military analysis and historians believe a Brotherhood surrender is the least likely outcome of the war.
Sacramento
Yet another mostly rural state composed of small time farming communities, Sacramento got the short end of the stick when it came to drawing borders. Arroyo won Redding; Tahoe won Lake Tahoe; Mendocino got the coast, and San Francisco got the bay area. With little going on there, many New Californians actually quite enjoy the place due to the relative peace most can find there. With New Reno a relatively short journey to the east, many New Californians looking for easy access to gambling without the pains of needing to live in a desert and without the risk of invasion from Caesar's Legion choose to settle down in the state of Sacramento. The capital of Sac-Town is a stop on the Little Loop and the base of operations for Happy Trails Caravan Company but beyond that there's little else of note.
San Francisco
The second newest state inducted into the Republic, San Francisco is the high technology center of the New West. Major exports include robots, terminals, and energy weapons, most of which are directly produced by The Shi. The small state is overseen by The Shi in the capital city of Jīnmén* (金門) - or as it's known by most citizens: Chinatown - who, like their northern neighbors in Arroyo, keep a mostly hands off approach to the management of individual communities within their borders. One such community is Sunnyvale, a place of interest to the mysterious "Mister House" who has spent thousands on prospector teams to comb the region. What many in the NCR government find concerning about the state, especially those among the National Federalist (who hold the majority in the senate), is the far left Communist Party which is based out of Chinatown. All of the SF senators are members of said party, and while it has next to no meaningful presence outside of the state borders, its mere existence is the source of friction within the Hall of Congress. *this was an attempt to have "Golden Gate" (as in the strait which connects the San Francisco bay to the Pacific Ocean over which the Golden Gate Bridge spans) in Mandarin. If I screwed it up please tell me because I have zero knowledge of the language as I am a stupid American
Shady
Birthplace of the NCR, Shady is the seat of the federal government and the site of the national capital city: Shady Sands. Despite a recently propagated conspiracy theory that Shady Sands was destroyed in a nuclear strike carried out by the United States' "Enclave" agency, the city stands tall as the epitome of post-war civilization. Here one could believe the bombs never dropped as paved roads, electricity, and public transportation are the norm. Additionally, the city of Shady Sands alone has more cars in the entire rest of the nation combined. Many important places in the nation can be found in Shady Sands from the Hall of Congress to the Presidential Residence. That said, many lesser known by no less important places reside here too from the head offices of the Department of Roads & Commerce and the Department of Service Personnel & Veterans. Aside from the capital city, the state of Shady is also home to the city of Junktown. Though in modern times it has replaced it's scrap metal defenses and homes with the traditional New Californian adobe brick architecture, the citizens of the city have kept the original name around as a reminder of their roots. The small time Darkwater Trading Company got its start here and continues to operate out of the city. Another community found within the state is Vault 13. Despite its significance to the nation's history, it hasn't been seized by the federal government and turned into a historic site as was done to Vault 15. Likely, this is due to the town's residents: a tribe of peaceful and intelligent deathclaws. While of course when the town petitioned to be admitted into the republic there were cries to wipe them out, thanks to the efforts of the Rational Party and the many anti-discrimination laws already on the books, the deathclaws were given citizenship and formally let into the Republic. Unlike Vault 13, Vault 15's residents were relocated to Shady Sands shortly after the death of President Tandi in 2248. The vault then was stripped clean of advanced technology then established as the first National Historic Site. There, tourists can step inside the vault and see the birthplace of the nation with their own eyes. Finally, Shady is also the site of the Mariposa Exclusion Zone. Once the base of operations for The Unity, Mariposa came under the control of the United States during the Enclave Crisis but was then captured by NCR forces following the short lived Californian-American War. Due to the remaining stockpile of F.E.V. present within the facility, a fortified perimeter was constructed which is patrolled by a detachment of the NCR Ranger Corps who maintain an indefinite presence there. All attempts by the remaining members of the Children of the Cathedral to seek federal approval to use the remaining F.E.V. for religious rituals have been denied.
Tahoe
The newest state in the NCR, Tahoe was established to minimize the amount of power New Reno or Vault City could wield in congress. Rather than turn either community into their own state, the NCR government opted to wrap them both up in the border of a single state, forcing the two to share political representation. To placate them both however, neither was named the capital of the state. Instead, a new community was founded in the ruins of Carson City specifically to be the capital of Tahoe. New Reno was the gambling capital of the New West prior to the opening of New Vegas, but even with the new competition New Reno is thriving in the vice industry. Thanks to the political maneuvering of the Bishop family, New Reno was given a special exception to nearly all of the anti-vice laws of the NCR, allowing them to run casinos and freely engage in prostitution with impunity. New Reno is where people go if they don't wanna deal with the nonsense imposed by Mister House. It's where they go if they can't pass the credit check at the New Vegas checkpoint or don't wanna bother going through the paperwork necessary to get a passport. But with that freedom comes some risk. As one former resident put it, "Imagine New Vegas if there was no Mr. House-type fella keeping the peace, then give everybody a gun and a Jet addiction." Gun violence and chem related deaths happen at a higher rate in New Reno than anywhere else in the country, and that's not even mentioning the prevalence of organized crime. And yet, everyone still wants to pay the place a visit. Northeast of New Reno lies Vault City, a prosperous city on par with the likes of Shady Sands or Hub City. Despite the glamor and technological advancement seen there, most New Californians deride the place as a den of snakes. A hell which stands in the guise of an oasis. VC is the seat of the Human Supremacist movement, an expressly anti-ghoul and anti-mutant political faction that believes in the inherent superiority of the human species over all other intelligent life. While, technically, this is an underground movement, the senators from VC have its members in their ears. And that isn't to say that this is some fringe ideology either. Anti-ghoul and anti-mutant sentiments are higher on average in Vault City than anywhere else in the nation. Likely because of this, VC often comes into conflict with the nearby settlement of Gecko, a ghoul community. Ironically, it is partially because of Gecko that Vault City citizens are able to live the lifestyles they do. The town was constructed around Poseidon Energy Atomic Powerplant No. 5, a nuclear facility which provides electricity for most of the North East, Vault City included. Some speculate that it is this very reliance, however partial, on ghouls that is the source of the harassment campaigns carried out on the settlement by the Protectors (Vault City's police/military force).
