What is the name of the fictional town where The Music Man is set?

The Music Man is set in the fictional Iowa town of River City.

The town provides the setting for Meredith Willson’s story about Harold Hill, a traveling salesman who poses as a boys’ band organizer. He claims that forming a marching band will protect local children from the dangers of pool halls, even though he initially intends to sell instruments and uniforms without delivering lessons.

River City is not a real Iowa municipality. Willson drew on memories of Mason City, Iowa, where he grew up, and the fictional community reflects the close social networks of an early twentieth-century Midwestern town. The townspeople’s shared opinions, rivalries, and civic pride drive much of the plot.

The town’s name appears prominently in “Ya Got Trouble,” Harold Hill’s rapid patter song. The musical’s setting is sometimes generalized as “Iowa,” which is correct geographically but less specific than River City. The fictional name is the canonical answer for the place where the story unfolds.