"Gilmore Girls" was filmed in California. But creator Amy Sherman-Palladino was inspired to create the fictional Stars Hollow after a visit to the small town of Washington, Connecticut.
Michelle Gorra, the Economic and Community Development Coordinator for Washington, says that the town “doesn’t exactly look like the ‘Gilmore Girls’, but the people, the characters, the way we operate… is the part [Sherman-Palladino] captured real well.”
Today, fans from around the world visit Washington looking for the real Stars Hollow. While in the area, they usually visit the neighboring town of New Milford, which residents like bookstore owner Lockey Coughlin argue “is Stars Hollow.”
We heard the same idea from fans around the state, who think their town looks just like the fictional one on the show. Clearly, something about Stars Hollow captured the essence of some of Connecticut’s small towns.
But that doesn’t mean that "Gilmore Girls" gets everything right about the state. The biggest issue fans raise is the show’s depiction of Hartford, our state’s capital. Rory Gale, who owns the gift shop Hartford Prints and organizes Stars Hollow Saturday, told us that “people don’t know that Connecticut has both worlds, that in ‘Gilmore Girls’ we do only really see one.”
This episode, we go on a road trip to see if we can find Stars Hollow. We’ll also explore how the cities featured in the show — like Hartford and New Haven — compare to what we see on our screens.
"Generation Gilmore Girls" is hosted by Chloe Wynne. This episode was reported, written, and produced by Lily Tyson and Chloe Wynne. It was edited and produced by Cassandra Basler. Sound design and mixing by Jay Cowit. Megan Fitzgerald is our project manager. Ayannah Brown and Tyler Russell are our visuals producers. Our show art was created by Sam Hockaday.
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