Washington, D.C. (Comic Series)

Comic Series
Washington D.C. was once the capital of the United States of America and the seat of its government. The only major appearances of the city are seen during one of Glenn's scavenging runs, and during "the Group's" trek to a nearby safe zone in Virginia. Rick Grimes and his group make the fateful decision to go to D.C. following a devastating battle with walkers at a prison in Atlanta. Several members of the group perish on the trek; their sacrifice seems to be in vain, as D.C. is found to be as desolated and walker-ridden as any other. While surveying the destroyed capital, Rick is told by Eugene that D.C. is doomed and has no hope of resettlement. A while after, the group is approached by an Envoy from the Alexandria Safe Zone. The Safe Zone is based in the ruins of Alexandria, Virginia, now under the control of the General. The Envoy accompanies the group to the Safe Zone, but while en route, the group spots a single flare in the sky. He calms the group, saying the flare was probably fired by one of their Runners within the city. Any ease they might have taken evaporates upon entering Alexandria, as they find the streets clogged with abandoned cars and its survivors besieged by a herd of walkers. Rick and his comrades dispose the marauding walkers, locate the surviving Runners, and they all evacuate the now decidely un-safe zone with no major casualties. Compared to other settings in The Walking Dead like the prison and the Greene family farm, Washington D.C. holds much less relevance to the central story-line.

TV Series
Washington, DC is mentioned by Dave in the episode Nebraska as being the site of a refugee camp similar to that in Atlanta, where he and Tony stopped on their way south from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The city was apparently overrun much like Atlanta, but this is not elaborated on. Whether this is true and whether Rick's group will head for the city as in the comic remains to be seen.