Does your favorite daily comic strip take place in your hometown?

Did you know Garfield is a Hoosier and Hobbes is a Buckeye?

Images (1, 3, 5): The Everett Collection, (2,4) AP Photo

We've been talking a lot about Garfield lately. In reading up on the comic strip, something struck us that we had never realized before. Garfield lives in Indiana.

That got us thinking about where other classic daily comic strips take place. A couple settings were fairly well known, while others surprised. In many cases, the location is never explicitly stated. So we apologize if you are a diehard FoxTrot or Marmaduke fan, as those funnies never declared an official setting. 

Here are 11 hometowns for popular, long-running daily comic strips. Were you aware of these settings?

1. Garfield

Muncie, Indiana

Thirty years ago, as Garfield was celebrating its tenth anniversary, the TV special Happy Birthday, Garfield explained that Jon Arbuckle and his cat reside in Muncie, Indiana. No wonder — it's the hometown of creator Jim Davis, who is pictured here in his Muncie studio.

Image: AP Photo / Michael Conroy

2. Peanuts

Minneapolis, Minnesota

In a 1954 Peanuts strip, Charlie Brown reads the engraving on a trophy that Lucy has just received: "Awarded to Lucille Van Pelt. 1954. Outstanding Fussbudget of Hennepin County." Hennepin County included Minneapolis and its surrounding burbs. It also happens to be the hometown of creator Charles Schulz. No wonder it was always snowing in those comics.

Image: The Everett Collection

3. Dennis the Menace

Wichita, Kansas

Hank Ketcham may have been from Seattle, but his most famous creation dwelled in Kansas, like Dorothy and Mary Ann.

Image: The Everett Collection

4. Family Circus

Scottsdale, Arizona

In this wholesome comic strip, the family often visits an ice cream parlor called The Sugar Bowl. It's a real restaurant in Arizona, near the home of Family Circus creator Bil Keane. Funny, then, that the animated television Christmas special from 1979 showed piles of pillowy snow on the ground.

Image: The Everett Collection

5. Blondie

Joplin, Missouri

A 1946 issue of The Joplin Globe cited creator Chic Young as declaring Joplin the hometown of the Bumsteads.

Image: Harvey Comics

6. Brenda Starr, Reporter

Chicago, Illinois

Dick Tracy, created by a Northwestern grad, took place in a very Chicago-like city. Brenda Starr, on the other hand, was explicitly set in the Windy City. 

Image: Chicago Tribune Syndicate

7. Beetle Bailey

Parris Island, South Carolina

Campy Swampy was inspired by Camp Crowder, where Mort Walker had once been stationed in the Army. Though Camp Swampy is fictional, its location is not. As you can see in a panel from Hi and Lois (a Beetle Bailey spin-off), Bailey's address is listed as "Parris Is, SC," which lies just up the coast from Savannah.

Images: Gold Key Comics / King Features Syndicate

8. Calvin and Hobbes

Chagrin Falls, Ohio

Okay, to be honest, Calvin and Hobbes never outright declares its setting. However, ample evidence is there to suggest it takes place in Chagrin Falls, east of Cleveland. For starters, it is the hometown of creator Bill Waterson. Secondly, there is often snow on the ground. (Remember all those sledding scenes?) Thirdly, Calvin has buckeye trees growing in his neighborhood. If it's not specifically in Chagrin Falls, this masterpiece at least takes place in Ohio.

Image: AP Photo / Tony Dejak

9. For Better or For Worse

Toronto, Canada

And now we get to some international settings. The Patterson family saga takes place in Milborough, a made-up suburb of Toronto, Canada.

Image: Andrews McMeel Publishing

10. Andy Capp

Hartlepool, England

That would explain that "U" in "neighbour." When you read Andy Capp, do you imagine a thick accent in your head? Perhaps you should. Though, doesn't that mean those bags of "Andy Capp's Hot Fries" sold in vending machines should be called "Andy Capp's Hot Chips"?

Image: Creators Syndicate

11. Mutts

New Jersey

In 2002, New Jersey Gov. Jim McGreevey announced a new Animal Friendly license plate for his state, featuring Earl and Mooch from Mutts. It was a nice way to honor a comic strip set in the Garden State.

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5 Comments

Dave 17 months ago
The comic strip WALLACE THE BRAVE takes place in my home state of Rhode Island. "Snug Harbor" represents the town of Wakefield RI.
BobKennedy 31 months ago
DOONESBURY takes place all over, but the title character still lives in Seattle, WA. LIBERTY MEADOWS takes place in Beltsville, MD, close to Washington DC. AMAZING SPIDER-MAN is in New York City, of course. DICK TRACY is also in Chicago. And while they are never specific, I strongly suspect that ARCHIE's Riverdale is a suburb of Salt Lake City (They are close to beaches and skiing, most of Archie's pals are white, there appear to be more malt shops than bars, fashions are about 20 years out of date, and Archie is definitely pointed in the direction of polygamy).
PatrickRsGhost 32 months ago
Pogo by Walt Kelly was set in the Okefenokee Swamp, which straddles the Georgia-Florida state line in southeast Georgia.
idkwut2use 43 months ago
Oh, that explains the change in those license plates. I preferred the original design and had considered getting one...unfortunately the special ones have an annual fee and I just didn't feel like it. >
Amalthea 59 months ago
PreTeena takes place in my home state, New Hampshire!
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