Denver Dog City or Dog Town is what is left of Denver , Colorado after the Great War . It was taken over by Caesar ' s Legion after they assimilated the Hangdogs tribe . There is no real civilization present , just a series of salvager camps set up high in the skyscraper ruins , away from the endless pack of feral dog s which roam the streets below . Overview . Denver is a location rich in resources that are difficult to obtain . With widespread looting , claims have been made on parts of the dangerously unstable city , with vicious dogs prowling the streets . The salvagers are a group of around twenty New California Republic former prisoners on a special work release program , salvaging items for the NCR in exchange for their eventual freedom . The dogs inhabiting the city are the now - feral descendants of local pets and specially - bred police dogs . Rats , giant cockroaches , mutant bats , and climbing lizards are common hazards . The salvagers were driven out of their original camp by these dogs and struggled to get by in their new , temporary camp . Tensions have peaked from the constant dog threat , lack of communication from the NCR , and the limited diversity of food that they are forced to eat . In addition , a rival group of salvagers and a mysterious group of military men occupy the city . The salvagers live in the partially - constructed buildings of Denver , several stories up from the reach of the dogs . Background . Before the War . In the middle of a building boom shortly before the war , many new jobs were opening up in the city . Most of the construction was housing for the growing population . When the war with China started , trade diminished and construction ground to a halt . Consequently , union riots and strikes occurred from the lack of work available and the federal government ' s inaction to the resolution of the crisis . While Mexico and the Great Midwest Commonwealth began to suffer from food shortages , Denver was hit especially hard because of its high population . Food rationing began and massive riots occurred . Buildings were set ablaze and the National Guard was called in to contain the rioting using InstaPens ( aka " bullpens " ) . Some deliberately attacked police and National Guard troops so they would be imprisoned and fed . National Guard personnel who refused to contain the riots were also imprisoned . In 2077 , Chinese Hei Gui agents obtained samples of the New Plague during an assault on the Hoover Dam testing labs . While attempting to escape Denver , the agents were killed , releasing an outbreak of the deadly plague . Rioters burnt down large parts of the city in fear of contamination . Many panicked and fled the city by car , clogging the freeways when they ran out of gas and trapping everyone behind them . ( Though this is debatable considering the restriction of use of fossil fuels and the war with China over the last of the oil . It is however possible that there were still a few people who were willing to pay large amounts for little fuel rather than the $ 200 , 000 needed to buy a nuclear generated vehicle . ) Their efforts proved futile when the Great War broke out , killing almost the entirety of the population . After the War . Post - War , civilization in Denver has collapsed and huge packs of wild dogs have taken over the city . Small groups of scavengers have tried to loot some of the buildings , but there had never been a coordinated effort until 2251 . In 2251 , a group of work - release NCR prisoners from Porter ' s gang arrived to salvage items to buy off the rest of their sentences . They were to scavenge as many building supplies as possible , establish a track outpost , and pave the way for the NCR occupation . In 2253 , glowing ghoul s started arriving from Boulder . Some slaver s from Caesar ' s Legion are waiting out the Midwest ' s radioactive duststorms keeping them from getting home , and a rival gang of salvagers have moved in and started raiding claims from the NCR salvagers . Economy . The salvagers have a great deal of supplies to trade . However , they desperately require some variety in their food and medical assistance . Scavengers also believe that there is gold to be found in the area . Relationships with other communities . The salvagers were treated poorly by the administration while in prison , and therefore didn ' t hold a strong opinion of the NCR . They don ' t care one way or the other about the tribals , though the Hangdogs and the salvagers would ' ve mutually benefited from trade . The salvagers were willing to make deals with the Brotherhood of Steel as long as the Brotherhood didn ' t try to claim any tech for themselves . Used to working , they would ' ve also likely gotten along with the people of New Canaan , provided they were treated well . Appearances . Dog Town did not appear in any of the published games , but was to appear in the canceled " Fallout 3 " project by Black Isle Studios codenamed " Van Buren " . Denver was mentioned by Antony and The King in " " as being overrun by dogs and home to cyber - dogs . Also ( in the ending fight against Legate Lanius in " New Vegas " ) if you have a 90 or higher barter skill the Legate will talk about how he led the Legion to claim Denver but lost many men due to the harsh city and dwindling supply lines . Also , Ulysses claims he has been there .