In which state does "Napoleon Dynamite" take place?

Napoleon Dynamite takes place in Idaho, chiefly in the small southeastern town of Preston. The film follows awkward teenager Napoleon as he navigates high school, family tensions, friendship and a class-president campaign.

Preston is more than a background location: its rural setting shapes the film’s deliberately offbeat atmosphere. Napoleon attends Preston High School, and recognizable local spaces—including the school, streets and surrounding countryside—appear throughout the story. The town lies near Idaho’s border with Utah.

The 2004 comedy was written and directed by Jared Hess, who grew up in Preston and attended Preston High School. Hess filmed the movie on location there in 2003, helping give the fictional story a strong connection to the real community. A common mix-up is confusing the setting with Utah, since Preston is close to the state line and some cast and production connections were regional; the film’s fictional town is nevertheless in Idaho.