San Francisco

San Francisco is a city in New California. After the Great War, its population consists mostly of the Shi, who are the descendants of the crew of a Chinese submarine that crashed there, and of the members of a religious cult known as the Hubologists.

Background
Even pre-War, San Fransisco was considered a "weird" city. It was also evidently hit hard during the Great War, as much of the city is a ruin. The city was re-founded after the war by Chinese submariners that drifted into the San Francisco harbor after their submarine, the Shi-huang-ti, suffered system failure from the atomic war. The Shi climbed out and began rebuilding the city with what few survivors they had, scrapping their beached submarine to create their Steel Palace.

Over the next 150 years, San Francisco rose into a hub of technology. The Shi descendants are currently working on a project that will change the world, while the local cult, the Hubologists, are also working on a project, though their's is more centered on leaving this world rather than changing it. In addition to these opposing factions, it is said that two opposing fighters in San Francisco, the Dragon, who loves others, and Lo Pan, who loves himself, will determine the future of martial arts. Another useful Shi is Lao Chou who seems to know everything that's happening in San Francisco.

The PMV Valdez can be found here, an aged oil tanker left sitting at the docks. Tanker vagrants have since come to call it home, but the tanker has a darker past. Some say the creatures within it, (wanamingos, floaters, and centaurs), were placed there by the Enclave to prevent the tanker from being used to get to their oil rig headquarters. This is supported by the fact that essential components needed to make use of the ship have been relocated to Navarro and Vault 13. However, it is apparent that these steps were not enough, as the Chosen One later collects the parts and uses the tanker to get to Control station Enclave.

The Shi eventually went into an uneasy trading relationship with the tanker vagrants after the destruction of the Hubologists, and the two groups went on to make San Francisco a major fishing and trading center.

However, shortly after the destruction of Control station Enclave, Enclave survivors from the Navarro base and elsewhere turned the majority of their remaining nuclear arsenal against the port city, wiping it off the map under the assumption that the inhabitants had been the ones who nuked the oil rig and assassinated the President of the Enclave.

Layout
San Francisco can be found seven squares east and twenty-four squares south of Arroyo.

Chinatown


Also called Shi-town, Chinatown was once a suburb of the great city and has been adopted by the descendants of the Shi-huang-ti crew, who have lived in the red brick houses ever since. In 2241, it's the heart of the city and a focal point for Shi internal struggles.

Notable establishments in the district include Red 888 Guns weapons shop, Lao Chou's Flying Dragon 8 general store, Dr Fung's clinic and the gyms of Dragon and Lo Pan as well as passages to the Golden Gate, Shi-town docks and the Steel Palace. Off the radar is a pre-War military station, currently controlled by the Brotherhood of Steel, manned by a single soldier - Matthew.

Steel Palace


The Steel Palace is the main base of the Shi, Chinese inhabitants of San Francisco. It is a small, reinforced structure allegedly constructed out of metal salvaged from the Shi-huang-ti submarine they arrived in during the nuclear firestorm of 2077. Inside, protected by heavily armed guards (H&K G11s and M72 Gauss rifles are common), lies the Emperor mainframe (also a relic from the submarine) that records and analyzes the factions history, advising Ken Lee. In addition, biological, chemical and physical research labs are present in the complex, giving the Shi a substantial edge in the technological race in the wasteland.

Shi Town Docks


The docks support a population of slags as well as Shi children. It is not a terribly healthy place to live, judging by the rust-brown color of the water surrounding the ancient and corroding PMV Valdez.

Golden Gate


A pre-War cult, the Hubologists, have built their headquarters on the south end of the ruins of the Golden Gate Bridge, but have had trouble maintaining the bridge because of their technological ineptitude. Despite this, they have procured a space shuttle from a nearby launch base and set it up on the tarmac in front of the bridge.

The Shi
The Shi are the descendants of Chinese submarine crewmen that were beached in San Francisco shortly after the Great War. By 2242, the Shi became a major research and development house, one that stayed out of wasteland politics. They are ruled over by an emperor, but his head adviser actually handles Shi affairs.

Hubologists
The Hubologists are a cult from before the war that promotes the idea that humans are plagued by the spirits, or 'neurodynes', of the dead. Through a 'cleansing' process offered at Hubology centers called 'alignment', members can remove these negative influences and gain greater powers.

PMV Valdez vagrants
These vagrants are a diverse collective of solitary wanderers, social outcasts and survivalists from across the wasteland that immigrated to San Francisco for the tolerance and respect for secrecy there. They eventually occupied the deck of the abandoned tanker, forcing the creatures that inhabited it to remain in the holds.

Brotherhood of Steel
The Brotherhood of Steel has a large outpost in San Francisco, although it is outwardly indiscernible from other Brotherhood outposts. Its distinguishing feature is an extensive basement stocked with Brotherhood technology and armaments. The Brotherhood maintains a low profile in San Francisco, though whether it is intentional or a byproduct of waning influence is not known.

Relationships with other settlements
It is well known city in the south, which trades fish to other cities in the wasteland.

During 2241, the New California Republic had no influence in San Francisco, and the Shi are quite happy to keep it that way and the Hubologists don’t concern themselves with such things. Little information exists on what has happened to San Francisco since the events of Fallout 2, and there is no mention of it in Fallout: New Vegas.

There are few foreigners in San Francisco and newcomers are easily noticed. Due to its location in between the military base, Navarro, and a desolate expanse of wasteland, it is logical to assume that few (but well-armed) caravans traverse these paths. Remnants of the Master's army, Enclave patrols, press gangs, Hubologists, and mutated animals plague the surrounding area making it inaccessible to weak or crudely armed travelers.

Appearances
San Francisco appears only in Fallout 2 and is mentioned in Fallout 4 briefly with the Golden Gate Bridge being seen in a memory of Conrad Kellogg and also mentioned in Fallout 76.

Behind the scenes

 * San Francisco was going to have been completely destroyed in Fallout: New Vegas with a line of dialogue mentioning its destruction. However, Bethesda asked Obsidian to remove this line of dialogue from Fallout: New Vegas as it would've conflicted with the backstory of Conrad Kellog and to keep the area as an option for future games.