Which real Connecticut town inspired Stars Hollow in Gilmore Girls?

Washington Depot inspired the fictional Stars Hollow in Gilmore Girls.

Amy Sherman-Palladino has described visiting Washington Depot, Connecticut, as an inspiration for the atmosphere and community feeling of Stars Hollow. The town's compact setting, local businesses, and social life helped shape the fictional Connecticut town where Lorelai and Rory live.

Stars Hollow itself is not Washington Depot and is not a real town. It is a fictional setting created for the series, with recurring locations such as Luke's Diner, Doose's Market, the town square, and the gazebo. The show's production used Warner Bros. studio locations in California to represent the town.

Washington Depot is sometimes confused with New Haven or Hartford because those are real Connecticut cities associated with Yale and the Gilmore family. The inspiration fact concerns Washington Depot's small-town atmosphere, not the filming location or the show's fictional geography.