District 12

"One of the outer districts, this is nonetheless a crucial one. These brave and hardy workers descend deep into the earth each day to mine the coal that keeps our nation running."

- Description from The Hunger Games: Tribute Guide

District 12 was one of the poorest, most ridiculed districts in the nation of Panem. Located in the Appalachian Mountains, and with a population of around 8,000 people, District 12 specialized in coal mining. District 12 had not won the Games for many years prior to The Hunger Games, when Haymitch Abernathy, an alcoholic and an embarrassment to the district, won the 50th Annual Games, or the second Quarter Quell.

Areas and places
District 12 consisted of four different areas: The Seam, the merchant section, the Victors' Village, and The Hob.

The Seam
"District Twelve. Where you can starve to death in safety."

- Katniss Everdeen

The Seam was the poorest part of District 12, and where Katniss Everdeen and Gale Hawthorne reside. The Seam was located on the border of District 12, next to the wild forests. It was extremely hard to find food in there, and many families lived in poverty. Because of this, an adult who lives to be very old is respected and thought of as wise. Many who live there are missing members of their family, due to mining accidents.

Early in the mornings, the streets of the Seam were crowded with tired and worn down coal miners heading to work. Everything in that part of the district was covered in a layer of coal dust due to the coal mining of the region.

Typically, residents of the Seam have black hair, grey eyes, and an olive complexion.

Merchant section
This area of the District was definitely a step-up from the Seam. The mayor and his daughter, Madge, along with other families such as Peeta Mellark's, live in the merchant area and are well-off for District 12. It is mentioned by Katniss that the merchants "live(d) above their businesses," suggesting that the merchants homes doubled as their shops as well.

The merchant section did exactly what its name implied- trading and buying goods. With the district's coal mines, they made some trades to the Capitol, and very occasionally other districts.

Residents of the merchant area's appearances set them apart from residents of the Seam, as most of them have blonde hair and blue eyes.

Katniss's mother originally lived in the merchant section, but moved to the Seam to live with her husband after she got married.

The Hob
The Hob was District 12's black market. This was where Katniss and Gale went to sell or trade their excess game. Many things were available for purchase or trade at the Hob, varying from some of Greasy Sae's soup, a goat, or white liquor made by Ripper. It was burned down by Peacekeepers in Catching Fire.

Victors' Village
The Victors' Village was the small village where past victors of previous Hunger Games dwelled in. The houses were grand and luxurious compared to other houses in District 12. The only inhabitants of District 12's village are Katniss Everdeen, Peeta Mellark, and Haymitch Abernathy.

Weddings
"Back home everything is so much simpler. A woman usually rents a white dress that's been worn hundreds of times. The man wears something clean that's not mining clothes. They fill out some forms at the Justice Building and are assigned a house. Family and friends gather for a meal or bit of cake, if it can be afforded. Even if it can't, there's always a traditional song we sing as the new couple crosses the threshold of their home. And we have our own little ceremony, where they make their first fire, toast a bit of bread, and share it. Maybe it's old-fashioned, but no one really feels married in District 12 until after the toasting."

- Catching Fire



Boundaries
A twenty-foot high electric fence surrounded the district. According to the officials and Peacekeepers from the district, it was supposedly electrified twenty-four hours a day, but Katniss could tell if it was currently electrified or not if the fence was silent. In Catching Fire, the district is given a new Head Peacekeeper named Thread but when Katniss goes out into the woods and comes back the charge is on. The fence was electrified twenty-four hours a day from then on. In theory, the gate was said to be there to keep out the wild animals that roam the woods. Although, it is likely that it was actually meant to keep the people in.

Past tributes
District 12 is not known for its winning tributes. In fact, in the first 73 years of Hunger Games, only two tributes had won the brutal Games, and only one is still alive, Haymitch Abernathy. The other victor is unknown.


 * Unknown winner of the Hunger Games mentioned in the first book.
 * Maysilee Donner — 50th Hunger Games tribute.


 * Haymitch Abernathy — Winner of the 50th Hunger Games.


 * Katniss Everdeen — Co-winner of the 74th Hunger Games, participant in the 75th Hunger Games.


 * Peeta Mellark — Co-winner of the 74th Hunger Games, participant in the 75th Hunger Games.

Escorts
The only known escort for District 12 was Effie Trinket, a bubbly, pink-haired, air-headed lady from the Capitol. However it is shown in the recap of Haymitch's Games, there was another escort before Effie. Effie was reluctant and slightly unwelcoming to the tributes as she felt as though she was bound for greater things.

Destruction
At the end of Catching Fire, Gale sees Katniss on their way to District 13 and informs her that there is no District 12. It was destroyed with fire bombs by the Capitol. The only thing that wasn't destroyed was the Victor's Village. In Mockingjay, District 12 slowly rebuilds after the war.

Reconstruction
After Panem's second war, Katniss and Haymitch return to District 12. Peeta eventually returns as well. Most of the remains of District 12's slaughtered citizens are buried in a mass grave. A medicine factory is constructed and District 12 rebuilds. The filled-in mass grave is now the meadow. In the epilogue, this is where Katniss and Peeta's children play. Later, they agree to one day tell them about who they were, and what they died for. Katniss and Peeta live in Katniss's house in the Victor's Village. They also start making medicine for the country instead of producing coal due to the mines being closed.