Stars Hollow
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Stars Hollow is a fictional town in
Connecticut Connecticut ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York (state), New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. ...
featured on the television show ''
Gilmore Girls ''Gilmore Girls'' is an American comedy drama television series created by Amy Sherman-Palladino, starring Lauren Graham and Alexis Bledel. The show debuted October 5, 2000, on The WB and became a flagship series for the network. The show ran fo ...
'' and the
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miniseries In the United States, a miniseries or mini-series is a television show or series that tells a story in a predetermined, limited number of episodes. Many miniseries can also be referred to, and shown, as a television film. " Limited series" is ...
'' Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life''. It is the town in which the
protagonist A protagonist () is the main character of a story. The protagonist makes key decisions that affect the plot, primarily influencing the story and propelling it forward, and is often the character who faces the most significant obstacles. If a ...
s
Lorelai Gilmore Lorelai Victoria Gilmore is a fictional character in The WB series ''Gilmore Girls''. Created by Amy Sherman-Palladino and portrayed by actress Lauren Graham, she appeared in every episode of the show from 2000 to 2007. Lorelai is introduced as a ...
and her daughter
Rory Gilmore Lorelai Leigh "Rory" Gilmore is a fictional character from the WB/ CW television series '' Gilmore Girls'' portrayed by Alexis Bledel. She first appeared in the pilot episode of the series in 2000 and appeared in every episode until the seri ...
reside. Stars Hollow is depicted as a close-knit community located roughly thirty minutes from the state capital of
Hartford Hartford is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The city, located in Hartford County, Connecticut, Hartford County, had a population of 121,054 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 ce ...
. The original town square set was located on the
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backlot, just around the corner from the exterior set for the hospital in '' ER''.


History of Stars Hollow


Founding

The town of Stars Hollow was founded in 1779, but there are conflicting legends regarding how it got its name. The traditionally accepted story involves two
star-crossed The terms "star-crossed" and "star-crossed lovers" refer to two people who are not able to be together for some reason. These terms also have other meanings, but originally mean that the pairing is being "thwarted by a malign star" or that th ...
lovers who seemed destined never to be together, until separate cosmological phenomena involving stars led them to each other at the spot where the town now exists. This is celebrated annually at the Firelight Festival, shown in the season one episode " Star-Crossed Lovers and Other Strangers" and the season four episode " Nag Hamadi is Where They Found the Gnostic Gospels." Some residents of the town have been shown to doubt this story, like
Luke Danes This is an extensive list of all the characters in the comedy-drama television series ''Gilmore Girls''. Cast Starring Recurring characters Notable guest appearances Main characters Lorelai Gilmore Lorelai Gilmore, portrayed ...
, who remarks it's just as likely the town is named after a hypothetical
sex worker A sex worker is a person who provides sex work, either on a regular or occasional basis. The term is used in reference to those who work in all areas of the sex industry.Oxford English Dictionary, "sex worker" According to one view, sex work is ...
named Star. Another story of Stars Hollow's founding was presented in the season five episode "To Die and Let Diorama." A talking display built in the new Stars Hollow Museum explained that a Puritan family first discovered the area while looking for a place to settle. The town therefore gained its name from their observation of "the stars, so bright; this forest, so hollow!"


The Revolutionary War

During the
American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was the armed conflict that comprised the final eight years of the broader American Revolution, in which Am ...
, a "battle" was fought in Stars Hollow involving 12 men who stood and waited for a group of incoming Redcoats who never arrived. This battle is re-enacted annually in the town square, as seen in season one, episode eight, " Love and War and Snow" and in season five, episode 11, " Women of Questionable Morals." This second occurrence marked the first addition of the town prostitute story, who is said to have slept with the British general to delay the troops. A statue of
Casimir Pulaski Kazimierz Michał Władysław Wiktor Pułaski (; March 4 or 6, 1745 October 11, 1779), anglicised as Casimir Pulaski ( ), was a Polish nobleman, soldier, and military commander who has been called "The Father of American cavalry" or "The So ...
, Polish nobleman, soldier, and military commander who has been called, together with his counterpart
Michael Kovats de Fabriczy Michael Kovats de Fabriczy (often simply Michael Kovats; ; 1724 – May 11, 1779) was a Hungarian nobleman and cavalry officer who served in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War, in which he was killed in action. General Cas ...
, "the father of the American cavalry," sits across from the town square, next to Luke's Diner. On the
town square A town square (or public square, urban square, city square or simply square), also called a plaza or piazza, is an open public space commonly found in the heart of a traditional town or city, and which is used for community gatherings. Relat ...
's gazebo is the town's
Liberty Bell The Liberty Bell, previously called the State House Bell or Old State House Bell, is an iconic symbol of American Revolution, American independence located in Philadelphia. Originally placed in the steeple of Pennsylvania State House, now know ...
sign, which reads:


Town Square

The center of town consists primarily of businesses surrounding a park with a gazebo. The town square is the location of Luke's Diner, Doose's Market, Miss Patty's dance studio (which hosts
town meeting Town meeting, also known as an "open town meeting", is a form of local government in which eligible town residents can directly participate in an assembly which determines the governance of their town. Unlike representative town meeting where ...
s), the town's house of worship (which functions as both a Protestant church and synagogue), and the
public high school A state school, public school, or government school is a primary school, primary or secondary school that educates all students without charge. They are funded in whole or in part by taxation and operated by the government of the state. State-f ...
. In the ''Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life'' episode "
Summer Summer or summertime is the hottest and brightest of the four temperate seasons, occurring after spring and before autumn. At or centred on the summer solstice, daylight hours are the longest and darkness hours are the shortest, with day ...
," the office of ''The Stars Hollow
Gazette A gazette is an official journal, a newspaper of record, or simply a newspaper. In English and French speaking countries, newspaper publishers have applied the name ''Gazette'' since the 17th century; today, numerous weekly and daily newspapers ...
'' is shown to be located here as well. The town square serves as a primary setting throughout ''Gilmore Girls'' and ''Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life''. Many town functions and private events are held in this area, including the Firelight Festival and the Battle of Stars Hollow. In the ''Gilmore Girls''
series finale A series finale is the final installment of an episodic entertainment series, most often a television series. It may also refer to a final theatrical sequel, the last part of a television miniseries, the last installment of a literary series, ...
" Bon Voyage," Rory's farewell party is held in a rainstorm under a tent in the park. The wedding of Lorelai and Luke takes place in the gazebo in "
Fall Autumn, also known as fall (especially in US & Canada), is one of the four temperate seasons on Earth. Outside the tropics, autumn marks the transition from summer to winter, in September (Northern Hemisphere) or March ( Southern Hemispher ...
," the fourth episode of ''Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life''.


Third Street

Third Street is the location of the Dragonfly Inn, which Lorelai and
Sookie St. James This is an extensive list of all the characters in the comedy-drama television series ''Gilmore Girls''. Cast Starring Recurring characters Notable guest appearances Main characters Lorelai Gilmore Lorelai Gilmore, portrayed ...
purchase in
season three A season is a division of the year based on changes in weather, ecology, and the number of daylight hours in a given region. On Earth, seasons are the result of the axial parallelism of Earth's tilted orbit around the Sun. In temperate and polar ...
after its previous owner, Fran Weston, dies in episode 20, " Say Goodnight, Gracie." The
inn Inns are generally establishments or buildings where travelers can seek lodging, and usually, food and drink. Inns are typically located in the country or along a highway. Before the advent of motorized transportation, they also provided accomm ...
undergoes renovations throughout season four until its test-run opening in the
season finale A season finale (British English: series finale; Australian English: season final) is the final episode of a season of a television program. This is often the final episode to be produced for a few months or longer, and, as such, will attempt to ...
, episode 22, " Raincoats and Recipes." It remains Lorelai and Sookie's primary business for the rest of the show. According to the Stars Hollow
Historical Society A historical society is non-profit organization dedicated to collecting, preserving, interpreting, and promoting the history of a particular place, group of people, or topic. They play a crucial role in promoting historical awareness and understan ...
, Third Street is among the town's worst historical landmarks to take your children. In the 18th century, it was known as "Sores and Boils Alley," where sick and suffering people throughout the region came to have sores and boils lanced. A small
leper colony A leper colony, also known by many other names, is an isolated community for the quarantining and treatment of lepers, people suffering from leprosy. '' M. leprae'', the bacterium responsible for leprosy, is believed to have spread from East ...
is said to have existed there as well. In the sixth season's sixth episode, " Welcome to the Doll House," it's revealed that throughout history Third Street held various other names, aside from the aforementioned "Sores and Boils Alley," including "Constabulary Road," "Crusty Bulge," and a
Nipmuc The Nipmuc or Nipmuck people are an Indigenous people of the Northeastern Woodlands, who historically spoke an Eastern Algonquian languages, Eastern Algonquian language, probably the Loup language. Their historic territory Nippenet, meaning 'the f ...
name, "Chargogagogmanchogagogcharbunagunggamog." The Nipmuc name is said to mean, "You fish on your side of the lake, I'll fish on my side, and no one will fish in the middle." According to
Kirk Gleason This is an extensive list of all the characters in the comedy-drama television series ''Gilmore Girls''. Cast Starring Recurring characters Notable guest appearances Main characters Lorelai Gilmore Lorelai Gilmore, portrayed ...
, it could also mean "Buffalo." This place-name is based on the local name for a lake in
Webster, Massachusetts Webster is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 17,776 at the 2020 census. Named after statesman Daniel Webster, the town was founded by industrialist Samuel Slater, and was home to several early Amer ...
, which is more formally known as Webster Lake.


Location

Stars Hollow was inspired by, and is loosely based on, several real communities in Connecticut: the villages of
Washington Washington most commonly refers to: * George Washington (1732–1799), the first president of the United States * Washington (state), a state in the Pacific Northwest of the United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A ...
and
West Hartford West Hartford is a town in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States, west of downtown Hartford. The town is part of the Capitol Planning Region. The population was 64,083 at the 2020 census. The town's popular downtown area is colloquiall ...
, and the town of New Milford. The show's creator,
Amy Sherman-Palladino Amy Sherman-Palladino (born January 17, 1966) is an American television writer, Television director, director, and producer. She is the creator of the comedy drama series ''Gilmore Girls'' (2000–2007), ''Bunheads'' (2012–2013), and ''The Marv ...
, spent three weeks at the Mayflower Grace in
Washington, Connecticut Washington is a rural town in Litchfield County, Connecticut, in the North Eastern region of the United States. The population was 3,646 at the 2020 census. Washington is known for its picturesque countryside, historic architecture, and active ...
, but had little experience with the state and otherwise had never been to it. Sherman-Palladino later said, "now, I've never been there in winter, when you're snowed in and you can't go anywhere, and you and your husband want to kill each other because you can't go to a movie. But at the time I was there, it was beautiful, it was magical, and it was feeling of warmth and small-town camaraderie. . .There was a longing for that in my own life, and I thought – that's something that I would really love to put out there." The population of Stars Hollow is close to 10,000 for the show. Greg Morago of ''
The Hartford Courant The ''Hartford Courant'' is the largest daily newspaper in the U.S. state of Connecticut, and is advertised as the oldest continuously published newspaper in the United States. A morning newspaper serving most of the state north of New Haven an ...
'' wrote, "unlike the Hartford depicted on ''
Judging Amy ''Judging Amy'' is an American legal drama television series that was telecast from September 19, 1999, through May 3, 2005, on CBS. This television series starred Amy Brenneman and Tyne Daly. Its main character (Brenneman) is a judge who serves ...
'', the Stars Hollow of ''The Gilmore Girls'' rings true. The town's antiques shops, small businesses, schools, government and infrastructure look the part. But where Sherman-Palladino has truly excelled, despite her ''
Clueless ''Clueless'' is a 1995 American coming-of-age teen comedy film written and directed by Amy Heckerling. It stars Alicia Silverstone, and was produced by Scott Rudin and Robert Lawrence. The film is a loose adaptation of Jane Austen's 1815 no ...
'' origins, is in her drawing of colorful Connecticut characters. The populace of Stars Hollow, from the town busybody to the town
troubadour A troubadour (, ; ) was a composer and performer of Old Occitan lyric poetry during the High Middle Ages (1100–1350). Since the word ''troubadour'' is etymologically masculine, a female equivalent is usually called a ''trobairitz''. The tr ...
, is familiar to any
Nutmegger Nutmegger is a nickname for people from the US state of Connecticut. The official nickname for Connecticut is "The Constitution State", as voted in 1958 by the Connecticut state legislature; however, "The Nutmeg State" is an unofficial nickname fo ...
who ever attended a town meeting."Greg Morago. "The Search for Stars Hollow". ''
the Hartford Courant The ''Hartford Courant'' is the largest daily newspaper in the U.S. state of Connecticut, and is advertised as the oldest continuously published newspaper in the United States. A morning newspaper serving most of the state north of New Haven an ...
''. 19 September 2002.


References

{{authority control Gilmore Girls Fictional populated places in Connecticut