Stranger Things takes place mainly in the fictional small town of Hawkins, Indiana , during the 1980s, along with the parallel dark dimension known as the Upside Down.

Quick Scoop: Core Setting

  • The story is set in the 1980s in Hawkins, Indiana, a quiet Midwestern town where ā€œnothing ever happensā€ on the surface.
  • Beneath that normal faƧade, thereā€™s a secret government lab (Hawkins National Laboratory) and a hidden gateway to the Upside Down.
  • Over later seasons, the show briefly expands to other places (like parts of California and Russia), but Hawkins remains the central location.

Fictional Town vs Real Filming Locations

  • Hawkins, Indiana, is entirely fictional, created for the seriesā€™ story.
  • Most Hawkins scenes are actually filmed in and around Atlanta and small towns in Georgia (including Jackson and other nearby areas), which ā€œstand inā€ for the real-life Hawkins.

In short: the story is in Hawkins, Indiana and the Upside Down, but the real streets are mostly in Georgia.

TL;DR: Stranger Things is set in the fictional town of Hawkins, Indiana, in the 1980s, with major events also happening in the Upside Down, and itā€™s filmed largely in Georgia.

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