Where is Gilmore Girls set?
Quick answer
Gilmore Girls is set in Stars Hollow, a fictional, quirky small town in Connecticut. The show follows single mother Lorelai Gilmore and her daughter Rory, and ran from 2000 to 2007, with a Netflix revival in 2016. Creator Amy Sherman-Palladino was inspired by a visit to Washington Depot, Connecticut.
Key facts
- Town
- Stars Hollow, Connecticut (fictional)
- Years
- 2000–2007 (7 seasons); revival 2016
- Creator
- Amy Sherman-Palladino
- Filmed at
- Warner Bros. Studios, Burbank, California
Is Stars Hollow real?
No, but it was inspired by a real place. Amy Sherman-Palladino stayed at an inn in Washington Depot, Connecticut, and was charmed by its close-knit community. Fans visit nearby towns to recreate the feeling, and some hold Gilmore Girls fan festivals.
The town itself was filmed on the Warner Bros. backlot in Burbank, California. The same streets and gazebo have appeared in many other films and shows.
Stars Hollow landmarks
| Place | What it is |
|---|---|
| Luke’s Diner | Where Lorelai and Rory drink endless cups of coffee |
| The Gazebo | Center of town events |
| Independence Inn / Dragonfly Inn | Inns that Lorelai manages and later owns |
| Doose’s Market | Grocery store run by Taylor Doose |
| Miss Patty’s | Dance studio and meeting hall |
The Gilmores
| Character | Actor |
|---|---|
| Lorelai Gilmore | Lauren Graham |
| Rory Gilmore | Alexis Bledel |
| Luke Danes | Scott Patterson |
| Emily and Richard Gilmore | Kelly Bishop and Edward Herrmann |
Famous for fast talk
Scripts were much longer than those of typical hour-long shows, because characters speak at lightning speed, packed with pop-culture references. Rory’s dream of attending Harvard turns into a journey to Yale.
A Year in the Life
In 2016, Netflix released Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life, four feature-length episodes named after the seasons. Its final four words had been planned by Sherman-Palladino years earlier.
Luke’s Diner pop-ups appeared in hundreds of real coffee shops on the revival’s anniversary. For a different famous TV coffee spot, see the coffee shop in Friends.
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