I was talking to a friend of mine the other day, about the exact location of the City Of Domes. My friend, who is also a fan of both the book and film, suggested that it might be located near Chesapeake Bay. Mostly because of the undersea inlets that Logan and Jessica entered to get back inside near the end of the film. Since it is not far from the vine and moss covered ruins of Washington D.C., that would make sense. I was always under the impression that it was located somewhere along the Virginia coast, or at the very least, somewhere on the shores of Maryland. I tend to think that it is the former. Somewhere on the Virginia coast.

Francis, a friend and I were also talking about the location. I don't think it's on the Chesapeake, because they talk about the power coming from the ocean and when Logan, Jess and Old Man are returning to the City, you see them walking on the beach, looking up the ocean to the City.

I'm glad you caught that, Mary. I'd forgotten about that little detail. I must really be getting old. LOL! Since Chesapeake Bay would not be the right location, it would have to be somewhere along the Virginia or Maryland coast. I still think the city of domes is located along the Virginia coast. What do you think? Could it be located there or somewhere else along the Eastern coastline?

This has always been a good topic for discussion, so here's my two-cents.

When trying to determine the location of the City of Domes (the movie version, anyway), it's important to also know the timeline of the film's events.

At the beginning of the movie, the computer announces that Capricorn 15s are participating in that evening's Carrousel. The year of the city is 2274 (just for reference).

We can then assume that the film starts on a 15th 'Dome' day in the year 2274.

Later, when the film ends and Logan and Jessica go back to the Domes and try to get everyone's attention to escape the city, Computer announces that that evenings Carrousel participants are Capricorn 29s.

Hence, it can be assumed that a total of 14 days (2 weeks) have elapsed from the time Logan first meets Jessica until their return trip back to the Domes after visiting the ruins of DC. Logan and Jessica's only mode of traveling this distance would be walking.

The Chesapeake Bay is roughly about 30 miles from the center of DC. The Atlantic Ocean is around 90+ miles from DC's center. I always thought that the Domes were along the Delaware/Maryland coastline - probably near Rehoboth Beach, Delaware or Ocean City, Maryland.



However, Logan and Jessica must travel from the Domes to DC - AND THEN ALSO - from DC back to the Domes, all within 14 days - and still must meet this time requirement while traveling back to the Domes later with an Old Man who's carrying a walking stick!

Now, can Logan, Jessica and then later this Old Man all walk 90 miles to the Atlantic Ocean - and mostly barefoot - in less than 7 days (half the round trip)? Maybe....

But how about this scenerio (if we are trying to take the movie as being an accurate portrayal) - who's to say that the Eastern shore would be the same in 2274 as it is today. What if in the year 2274, thanks to the Global warming and the melting of the Polar Ice Caps, the Atlantic Ocean rose and the Eastern US shoreline we know today was altered due to the rising sea. Could it be that by the year 2274, the ocean moved inwards, towards DC - maybe even merging with the Bay - creating a new Eastern shoreline that's closer to DC? It's a possbililty and may help explain the time/walking distance issue a little more....

Thoughts?

That's an interesting theory you have there, Logan. Especially when you take into account both the Carousel events at the beginning and the end of the film. Judging by the certain geological events and the round trip time for Logan, Jessica, and the Old Man, it would seem most likely. However, the trip in the film seemed to have taken a day to reach D.C. and a day to return to the Dome City. Realistic speaking, it's hard to say. Having given the matter some thought, either theory would work in this particular part of the movie. The problem in solving this mystery is that Washington D.C. is uniquely built on both the Virginia and Maryland borders. I'm trying to remember which side the Washington Monument, the Lincoln Memorial, and the Capitol Building are located on. If the locations of those historical landmarks could be identified, that would give us an idea as to which direction Logan and Jessica came from. Pending if the land masses had been altered by those aforementioned geological events.

Anybody have any thoughts or theories on this subject? :)

Here's a map of the DC Mall. The direction North is up.



This brings up a very interesting point which I always thought was a BLOOPER in the film, as I had always believed the filmmakers choose Maryland as the City of Domes site.....

Using the movie as a guide, Logan and Jessica enter the city from the WEST - designated on the map by my BLUE arrow under Route 66. From their vantage point in the movie, this would be Arlington, VA (Rosslyn) - near Arlington Cemetery. However, the Atlantic Ocean (where they started) is to the EAST of DC! So how can Logan and Jessica end up in Arlington, VA. If they were walking from Delaware or Maryland as I had always thought, the would arrive in DC from the EAST side - NOT the West.

Also, there is another REAL BLOOPER during this part of the film. The first shot of Logan and Jessica walking in DC is of them walking in the Reflecting Pool of water towards The Washington Monument (or what we locals like to call 'The Pencil'). You would think that would be their first destination - but it's not! In the next shot they are walking up the steps of the Lincoln Memorial (which would have been behind them). The Reflecting Pool (as you can see on the map above) is between the Lincoln Memorial and the Washington Monument. If they are heading towards the 'Pencil', how can they suddenly end up at the Lincoln Memorial???

Back on subject --

So, if the shot of Logan and Jessica entering the city from the WEST (Arlington) is NOT a Blooper in the film, then I think that the location of the City of Domes would then lay along the Virginia Coastline somewhere and they were traveling in a North-Westerly direction.

But as you can see from the Virginia state map below, the coastline of Virginia today is mostly made up of the Chesapeake Bay again and NOT the Atlantic Ocean - unless your at the VERY BOTTOM of the state (the Tidewater area - Norfolk and/or Virginia Beach). There is NO WAY that you could walk that distance up and back in less than 14 days in Logan, Jessica and particularly the Old Man's situation!

You make a valid point there, Logan, about that impossibility. Realistic speaking there is no way they could have traveled that far, if the city were located furthur south along the Virginia coastline. The Old Man would have died form a heart attack if he traveled that far. Even Logan and Jessica would have been physically exhausted after such a journey. After studying that map you posted, I watched the movie again and studied that scene where Logan and Jessica first arrived and were walking in that area of water in front of the Washington Monument. I also remembered when I first visited the District Of Columbia, where the Lincoln Memorial was in proximity to the Washington Monument, and collated the pieces of this puzzle together. Unless there were a major land shift like the one you described before, and if that one blooper was intentional, then realistically speaking, the dome city would have to be located along the Virginia coastline.

However, that brings up another interesting point. Remember when the three of them are walking along the beach and the dome city is to their left? Unless the three of them took a huge detour around the city, past the entrance that led into Box's domain, walked through some wooded areas, and headed north up the coast, then maybe the city would be located furthur north near the Maryland/Delaware line like you suggested before.

One thing is for certain about this confusing puzzle. David Zelag Goodman did not do his geographical research and homework when writing that portion of the screenplay. This is one puzzle I've been wanting to solve for some years, and it's beginning to seem insoluble like the value of pi. LOL!

Well Logan and Francis, I'm glad I wasn't the only one who noticed the Reflecting Pool blooper. LOL Anyway, I haven't gone by maps or such. I just always felt that the Domed City was in Delaware. BUT, I am now leaning more towards Maryland.