Specifically skeletons are a big deal. Lots of games edit them out, WoW had alternate models for the Undead players, who generally have exposed bone joints and other bits of bone protrusions, to cover them all in flesh. I think it is sometimes OK to use skeletons as enemies, but never for player characters, IIRC.

The city is, but the state is Washington. There’s an episode they were out of state and it ends with them returning home with a Welcome to Washington sign visible.

Yeah, I get the appeal in fiction. But raiders are either going to filter themselves out through combat losses, or wind up establishing themselves as governments. Having some personal defense is probably a good idea, but it will probably be more valuable for hunting than anything else. At the most, a good shotgun, and some gear to press shells would probably be a good idea, but finding powder after the initial looting might be a pain. But I suppose if someone is going to stockpile a literal ton of food they could probably also store a pile of modern smokeless powder and a bunch of saltpeter and sulfur for making black powder afterward.