What state does "Stranger Things" take place?

"Stranger Things" takes place in Indiana. More specifically, the series is set in the fictional small town of Hawkins, Indiana, during the 1980s.

Hawkins appears to be an ordinary Midwestern community, but its connection to Hawkins National Laboratory makes it the center of supernatural events. In 1983, Will Byers disappears, Eleven escapes from the laboratory, and the town’s residents discover the existence of the Upside Down, a dangerous alternate dimension.

Hawkins is not a real Indiana town, although the show treats it as part of the state’s fictional geography. The setting helps create the series’ atmosphere: suburban neighborhoods, a local school, a police department, forests, and a secret government facility all exist within a familiar small-town environment.

A common mix-up concerns filming locations. Much of the series was filmed in Georgia, including locations around Atlanta and Jackson, but the story itself takes place in Indiana. The show’s 1980s setting is also why references to Cold War fears, arcade culture, and classic science-fiction and horror films are so prominent.