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Walking Dead Wiki
Walking Dead Wiki

The United States of America is a country in North America. It is the primary setting for all of The Walking Dead (with the exception of The Alien and Typhoon), and a major part of Fear the Walking Dead. It was bordered to the south and the north by territories formerly known as the countries of Mexico and Canada and stretches from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean on the west.

The United States of America collapsed in September of 2010, after Operation Cobalt, an attempt by the Federal Government to contain the pandemic, failed only within several days after the global societal collapse on August 27th. As of the current timeline, the territory is claimed by survivor settlements, major safe-zones, civilizations, federations and communities such as the Civic Republic, the Commonwealth, Portland, the New Babylon Federation, & the Alexandria Safe-Zone. However, the attempt to handle the outbreak in the Comic Universe is unclear other than to inform the population to head to major cities though the outcome is generally the same with the country collapsing by August 2003, in that universe, the former United States (and presumably Canada and Mexico) are claimed by groups such as The Commonwealth and The Western Alliance.

Pre-Apocalypse[]

Considered to be the only world superpower left after the end of the Cold War, the United States was the most powerful country in the world, being an economic powerhouse and a world leader in technology and entertainment, among many other areas. The in-universe President of the United States at the time of the outbreak is unknown, either having been serving their first term since 2008 or serving a continuous second term since being elected in 2004 (it possibly may have been Barack H. Obama who was elected in November 2008 and sworn in on January 20, 2009). Whoever the President was/is at this time, they were the last de-facto President. A union of 50 states, it was established in 1776 following its independence from Great Britain and conquered westward, alongside purchasing Alaska from Russia in 1867 and annexing Hawaii in 1898 with them being added to the union in 1959. The Center for Disease Control (CDC) and the United Nations (UN) were headquartered in Atlanta and New York City. It was also a founding member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and the aforementioned United Nations.

Post-Apocalypse[]

There are numerous, unconfirmed reports on how the outbreak began. It appears that the outbreak in the U.S. began west of the continental divide and spread eastwards across the continental United States, as well as northwards into Canada and southwards into Mexico. (It should be noted that a portion of a newspaper which was released in promotional material for Fear the Walking Dead seems to indicate minor infections nationwide with one or two individuals involved. This would fit with what Shane said about it appearing in isolated locations). France was the origin for the virus - while a modified version of the virus, made as an attempt to cure, or at least contain, the original strain - somehow also arrived in the United States through unknown means.

The initial responders to the crises were local law enforcement agencies such as the California Highway Patrol and the LAPD, as well as field offices of the CDC. Once it became apparent that local law enforcement was unable to handle the situation, National Guard Units were deployed (this would change to regular army units as the epidemic moved eastward). However, lack of information about the infection itself and those it affected led to these organizations gradually being overrun.

The leadership of the U.S. Military, ordered by the U.S. Government, devised Operation Cobalt in order to try and control the outbreaks. First was the establishment of "Safe Zones" within major population centers with a view to use them as springboards to reclaim infected territory. The establishment of safe zones was followed by quarantine of suspected infected individuals (and their termination if infected, with their bodies being burned). If these measures were to fail, then the final step was the large scale bombing of major urban areas to kill the infected. The bombing of Los Angeles was seen in the first episode of Season 2 of Fear the Walking Dead. The bombing of other areas was confirmed by George Geary or witnessed by other survivors (such as Shane and Lori witnessing Atlanta being bombed). Air Force Major Donald Okafor participated in the bombings of Atlanta and Los Angeles, before defecting from the federal forces while en-route to bomb Philadelphia.

By the beginning of Season 2 of Fear the Walking Dead, it is unknown how many states have been infected, with some reports at this point claiming between eleven and thirteen states have declared emergencies.

US Outbreak map as of S2 of Fear

Outbreaks at the beginning of Season 2 of Fear (grey are known outbreaks, red are suspected).

According to the last broadcast from the Park Ranger at Shuteye Peak, the bombing of major cities has had major ecological consequences (at least in the California area. By his estimation, the fires caused by the bombing of Los Angeles and other California cities will wipe out the forests of Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada mountains within a week.[1]

By Season 3 of Fear the Walking Dead (roughly about the time Rick Grimes awakes from his coma), it has been confirmed through independent sources that all of mainland America (and the rest of the world) has been overrun by the walker epidemic. At this stage, it would appear that all local law enforcement agencies and the U.S. Military (apart from scattered outposts) have ceased to function. It is implied that the Continuity of Government plan was put in place, owing to a broadcast by a citizen, however the Federal Government was somehow unable to communicate with elements of the military, and it is assumed it was disbanded in the later years of the post-apocalyptic world. However, it is possible they continue to operate albeit in a severely isolated and reduced capacity. Ultimately, the United States collapsed following the outbreak, and the fate of the US president and his cabinet remains unclear.

As seen by several characters, particularly Lydia, the Federal Emergency Broadcast System was activated. It ran for roughly twenty-four days on a loop, before being discontinued and being replaced with a repeating message to "Please stand by." It is unknown who, or by what means, this change was made.

The only known members of the U.S. Congress to have survived the outbreak are Representative Deanna Monroe, and Oklahoma Junior Senator Elias Vazquez.

Civic Republic US Map

Map of the United States, utilized by the Civic Republic of Philadelphia. Locations of Portland, Omaha, and Philadelphia are shown, as well as indications of radioactive fallout resulting from the Nuking of Texas, throughout the south.

Several years after the outbreak, the infrastructure in some parts of the country (roads, bridges etc.) is in such poor shape as to be on the verge of uselessness to the survivors. In other areas, the infrastructure is showing only mild dilapidation. Other than damaged caused by Operation Cobalt and vegetation growth, many roads in the Lincoln, Nebraska area seem to be in relatively good condition ten years after the outbreak- even in areas outside the control of the Campus Colony.

By the end of Season 6 of Fear the Walking Dead, the state of Texas was currently devastated by a nuclear warhead launched from the USS Pennsylvania. Victor Strand and Morgan Jones tried to stop the Doomsday Cult from launching nuclear warheads but Theodore Maddox and Jason Riley managed to fire one missile right before they were stopped by the two of them. It is unknown how far the nuclear fallout reached. It is possible that the blast wasn't very large due to the fact that there wasn't any mentions of any nuclear fallout in the other shows.

Locations[]

Alabama[]

Alaska[]

Arizona[]

Arkansas[]

California[]

Connecticut[]

Delaware[]

Florida[]

Georgia[]

Idaho[]

Illinois[]

Iowa[]

Kentucky[]

Louisiana[]

Maine[]

Maryland[]

Massachusetts[]

Michigan[]

Minnesota[]

Mississippi[]

Missouri[]

Montana[]

Nebraska[]

New Hampshire[]

New Jersey[]

New York[]

North Carolina[]

Ohio[]

Oklahoma[]

Oregon[]

Pennsylvania[]

Rhode Island[]

South Carolina[]

Tennessee[]

Texas[]

Vermont[]

Virginia[]

Washington[]

Washington, D.C.[]

West Virginia[]

Wisconsin[]

Wyoming[]

Unknown Areas[]

References[]