What is the name of the town where most of the first Cars movie takes place?

Most of the first Cars movie takes place in Radiator Springs, the fictional town where Lightning McQueen is stranded after accidentally leaving the highway.

Radiator Springs is presented as a once-thriving Route 66 community in the American Southwest. The opening of Interstate 40 diverts traffic away from the old road, leaving the town economically isolated. That setting connects the film’s fictional world to the real history of Route 66 towns that declined after newer, faster highways bypassed them.

Lightning’s stay changes the town and changes him. After damaging the road, he is ordered to repair it, bringing him into contact with Doc Hudson, Sally Carrera, Mater, and the other residents. The town’s history and its residents teach him to value friendship and community over fame and speed.

Radiator Springs is not the same place as Ornament Valley or Carburetor County. Those names belong to the broader Cars setting, while Radiator Springs is the specific town that serves as the movie’s principal location. Disney California Adventure later recreated it as Cars Land, which opened in 2012.