District 12

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

- Katniss Everdeen

District 12 was one of the poorest, most ridiculed districts in the nation of Panem. The Appalachian Mountains district specialized in coal mining. They 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 three different areas: the merchant section, the Victors' Village, and The Seam.

The Seam


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 memebers 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.

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.

The 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.



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 seven, but Katniss knows from the hum of the electricity that this is not so. In Catching Fire, the district is given a new Head Peacekeeper named Thread who keeps the fence constantly electrified. 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 tells 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 returns to District 12. 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 epilouge, 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 growing food for the country instead of mining coal for the Capitol.