The fictional Indiana town where Stranger Things is set is called Hawkins. It is the central setting for the series and the home of the Wheeler, Byers, Sinclair, Henderson, and other families caught up in its supernatural events.
Hawkins is presented as a small rural community in the 1980s, often described by its residents as the sort of place where nothing important happens. That ordinary reputation contrasts sharply with the presence of Hawkins National Laboratory, a secretive government facility conducting experiments connected to psychic abilities and alternate dimensions.
The story begins in November 1983, when Will Byers disappears and a mysterious girl known as Eleven enters the lives of his friends. The investigation reveals the Upside Down, a hostile parallel realm linked to Hawkins. The town’s name is sometimes confused with real Indiana cities such as Indianapolis or Bloomington, but Hawkins is entirely fictional. Many scenes were filmed around Atlanta, Georgia, with Jackson, Georgia, serving as a visual basis for the town.