Before the war, Outer Houston was a microcosm of america. It was home to factories, homes, commercial outlets, recreation centers, everything anyone could ever want. This was the result of an urban revitalization program with the goal of creating “All the city you could ever need!” According to a few ghouls, it succeeded.
When the bombs dropped, much of Outer Houston survived. In part. The area is dotted with crumbling ruins of homes and workplaces, felled not by atomic fire but by abandonment and rot. Without the support of neighboring farmland and other communities, the region simply couldn’t provide for everyone. A slow exodus began mere years after the Great War until in time only the grand civic structures remained inhabited.
These enduring citadels were designed to be “Forever buildings” self-maintaining megastructures devoted to civic purposes. Town halls, hospitals, malls, schools, and multipurpose buildings, fitted with advanced technology and designed to be self-repairing. Some of these grant structures were even designed to serve as fallout shelters by those who feared the coming apocalypse.
Some of those people live on as ghouls, and are happy with the fruits of their labor. These ancient structures still stand, serving the wasters as arcologies in much the same way as vaults. Each of them is largely isolated, with its own unique culture and traditions. Few of them see many people ever leaving their ancient halls.
As such, the majority of the pre-war infrastructure was left to rot. No one left could invest the time or resources into maintaining anything from the early era. The sole exception being the many expansive parks, most of which were converted into farms.
The ruins have been largely picked over and scavenged over the last two centuries. Leading to there being next to no reason for people to travel to Outer Houston other than to use it to get anywhere else. Or to lay claim to one of the Civic Buildings.
While highly protected, these structures do change hands from time to time. Raiders, gangs, rival Civics, the odd roving Vault Dweller, and even the occasional task force from the Texas chapter of the Brotherhood of Steel have all occupied one of the Civic Buildings. For a time.
By hook or crook they wind up back in the hands of the average waster, typically under the leadership of a ghoul mayor who worked there back in the day.
At the heart of Outer Houston lies Vault 67, a mysterious pre-war facility buried deep beneath the George Bush Intercontinental Airport. The vault's contents and purpose are unknown, with only rumors and speculation to fuel the imagination of wastelanders. However, one group has made it their mission to guard the entrance to Vault 67 at all costs. This survivalist compound has fortified the area around the entrance, using traps and a well-trained militia to deter any would-be raiders or treasure seekers. Their hope is that their loyalty and service will be rewarded when the vault finally opens its doors.