New California (also known as the Core Region) is a portion of the Fallout world that corresponds to the twentieth century’s American Northwest Commonwealth and Southwest Commonwealth. More or less, the west coast. New California is the setting of Fallout and Fallout 2 and makes a brief cameo appearance in Fallout: New Vegas.
Places
New California stretches from Baja in the south to Klamath in the north. It covers most of California, as well as parts of Oregon, Nevada and northern Mexico. It was a largely inhospitable region, which is why most people chose to seek refuge in the remains of old cities, where they found (relative) safety in numbers. However, as resources grew more and more scarce, people and creatures came to consolidate into groups of their own kind, so locations are far more homogeneous than one might expect from a world ravaged by mutation. By the mid 2200's, relative peace and order existed in New California, imposed by the rule of the New California Republic.
The ghoul population of New California was mostly clustered around the pre-War city of Bakersfield, California (now known as Necropolis), but were scattered after an attack by the Master's army. Most of the surviving ghouls eventually found a home in Gecko or Broken Hills along with humans and super mutants, both far to the north-east of their former home.
Super mutants were plentiful in the Mariposa area from 2102 to 2162, with patrols sent as far as Los Angeles. After the Master's defeat, however, most of them retreated to the east.
Humans are the dominant species of the Wasteland, and their main cities in New California are The Hub, Los Angeles Boneyard, NCR, Vault City, New Reno and San Francisco.
The below interactive map covers every single location in New California where its location is truly known. [1]
Background
Pre NCR
Prior to the formation of the NCR the individual townships within New California had limited interest in the affairs of other settlements.
Shady Sands, later to become the capital of the NCR was a backwater village constantly beset by raiders. The Hub served as the center of commerce being home to the three most powerful trading companies in the wastes (the Crimson Caravans, The Far Go Traders, and the Water Merchants) with a plutocratic city council and a heavily armed police force. Traders from the Hub could be found conducting commerce with the new settlement of Junktown, the ghouls living in the ruins of Bakersfield (rechristened "Necropolis" {the city of the dead} after their undead like appearance), farmers in the Adytum settlement in the ruins of Los Angeles (also known as the Boneyard), and the Lost Hills Bunker that housed the Brotherhood of Steel.
New California was also home to a movement called "The Unity" or "Children of the Cathedral" which sought to bring to life the twisted vision of peace invisioned by Richard Grey (aka "The Master") which involved turning all of humanity into mutants either through conversion or prevention of further non-mutant breeding. This threat to humankind, along with many other deeds was resolved by the Vault Dweller who later founded the tribal village of Arroyo.
Tandi's Presidency
After the removal of the mutant threat, New California started to organize beyond the township level; By 2186, these efforts had bloomed into the New California Republic, with Aradesh as its first president, succeeded by his daughter Tandi ten years later. 80 years after its founding it comprised of five states: Shady Sands, Los Angeles, Maxson, the Hub, and Dayglow.[2] Although efforts were made to contact the supposed home of the Vault Dweller, Vault 13, these efforts proved hopeless with the existence of Vault 13, and to some even the vault dweller reaching mythical status within the fledgling republic. Vault 15's racial diversity experiment served the republic well in accepting super mutants and ghouls in to the regular population, although most "mutants" facing racism from other groups generally drifted to communities of their own kind.
Throughout this time traders also spread north, to the former gambling mecca of Reno, now christened New Reno, the former (and again) Gold mining town of Redding, the slave-trading town of Den, Klamath Falls (now rechristened just Klamath), and the farming town of Modoc. New Towns also sprung up including Vault City, Gecko and Broken Hills.
This period also saw the rise of the Enclave; hoping to return to the land of their forefathers the Enclave were shocked and appalled to see the mutations that had effected the people of the Californian wastes and established an outpost at Navarro. In response to what they considered the "mutant threat" they formulated a plan to destroy anyone and everyone that did not meet their standard of human (i.e.- anyone but them). Thankfully this plot would be stopped by the Chosen One of Arroyo, as fate would put it a descendant of the one who saved the wastes from the Mutant threat.
Over time, many of the Northern towns joined the NCR, some more willingly than others.
Expansion
Searching for new sources of food and new trading partners, the NCR began to move south into Baja California and east into Nevada, merging Nevada's own Desert Rangers into the NCR military. Railways would begin to be established in the region built on the backs of prison labor as NCR began to place more value on the Hoover Dam and New Vegas area.
In addition to new enemies encountered through eastward and southern expansion, the NCR faced perhaps its most dangerous threat yet from a former friend and trading partner; the Brotherhood of Steel. Following the defeat of the Enclave in 2242, the Brotherhood began to view the NCR not as an ally, but as a rival for power. Concerned with NCR's rapid expansion and use and supplies of advanced technology, the Brotherhood attacked NCR, seeking to challenge their status as a dominant power in New California. Although the Brotherhood possessed superior training, advanced energy weaponry and large stocks of pre-War power armor, NCR ultimately proved victorious due to its vastly superior numbers and willingness to absorb high casualties in order to ensure victory. Before being forced into retreat, however, the Brotherhood dealt NCR a crippling blow by destroying the vast majority of its gold reserves. As of 2281 open hostilities still exist between the Brotherhood and the NCR, though most Brotherhood chapters appear to be in hiding or in retreat.
The future of New California faces some challenges. Although New California currently appears to be the most prosperous, peaceful and advanced region of post-War America so far, it is not without its difficulties. Population growth may place strain on NCR's ability to keep its citizens fed largely hinted by Chief Hanlon that the NCR has sucked up almost all of the west coasts fresh water, while the rise of Caesar's Legion in the East promises to place NCR into conflict with an organized nation-state of similar size for the first time in its existence. Only time will tell if NCR will adapt to and overcome these new hardships.
Factions
There are very few factions throughout New California's existence that weren't limited to one or two towns. However, several prominent recurring Fallout factions are located, or have their roots in New California
New California Republic
After the Master's defeat, the New California Republic became the most influential government in New California, quickly expanding into a governing body that united the disparate human settlements. Prominent NCR towns include Shady Sands (its capital, now known simply as NCR), the Hub, Junktown, Maxson and Dayglow. As of the events of Fallout: New Vegas, or 2281 in the Fallout universe, NCR holds undisputed military and political sway over all of New California from Baja California all the way up to Klamath in Oregon. The NCR, however, has turned its eye eastward with an aim at further expansion.
The Brotherhood of Steel
The Brotherhood of Steel was founded in New California, with its first members operating out of the Lost Hills military complex in Southern California. The Brotherhood was considered to be the most powerful and advanced faction of New California for many years, due to their advanced weaponry and technological expertise. Despite their military strength, the Brotherhood remained largely isolationist, holding themselves apart from the other human settlements of New California. However, with the rise of NCR and the appearance of the Enclave, their status as a major technological and military power was challenged. Although the Brotherhood still maintains a presence in New California, the losing war with NCR has effectively eliminated them as a major player in New California politics by the events of Fallout: New Vegas.
The Enclave
The Enclave located their headquarters, the Enclave Oil Rig, an indeterminate amount of miles off the coast of New California. When they first emerged in 2236, the Enclave established an outpost at Navarro and slowly began to consolidate power over New California. Enclave soldiers raided villages such as Arroyo, and Enclave patrols could be encountered near the areas surrounding Navarro. The destruction of the Oil Rig in 2242 signaled the beginning of the end of Enclave influence over New California. Soon after the fall of the Oil Rig, NCR forces stormed the Navarro base, with both sides taking horrendous casualties. All surviving Enclave forces fled mostly east seeking refuge, unsuccessfully attempted to integrate into the NCR, or followed Autumn Senior's contingency to the East Coast. As of the events of New Vegas, the Enclave is nothing more than a faded, bad memory to the inhabitants of New California.
Unity
Prior to the rise of NCR, the Unity was among the largest and most well-organized factions populating California. Comprised of the Master's mutant and human followers, the Unity spread across New California, establishing churches and missions in many prominent human settlements. Following the destruction of Mariposa Military Base and the Master himself by the Vault Dweller in 2162, the Unity lost most of its power and collapsed in upon itself without the dynamic vision of the Master to guide it. Surviving mutants fled east, while the Children of the Cathedral ceased to exist as an organized religion.
The Mojave Outpost
A small portion of New California appears in Fallout: New Vegas, from the California-Nevada state line to the edge of the map, encompassing the region near Nipton and covers the Mojave Outpost. The Mojave Outpost, however, is not part of New California or the Mojave Wasteland, but rather a boundary or border between the two wastes.
Appearances
New California appears in Fallout, Fallout 2 and Fallout: New Vegas.