Where is Virgin River supposed to take place?

Jasmine Valentine
Jack and Mel in Virgin River

Most fans of the hit Netflix series would probably want to move there to get a slice of the action – but where is Virgin River supposed to take place?

On the face of it, Virgin River should be a sleepy rural town where not much of anything really happens. Instead, it’s a hotbed for drama and scandal on a routine basis.

Taking in breathtaking countryside and never-ending woodland, the town begins as a place where nurse practitioner Mel takes refuge from her hectic city life, finding new beginnings in unfamiliar territory.

Based on the book series of the same name by author Robyn Carr, where is Virgin River supposed to take place? Here’s what we know.

Where is Virgin River supposed to take place?

Virgin River is supposed to take place in a town of the same name, being set in the beautiful countryside of Northern California.

Mel and Jack in Virgin River

It’s worth pointing out that Virgin River is a fictional town, and isn’t a real place that can be visited. Instead of actually being filmed in California, Netflix shoots the show all the way in Vancouver, British Columbia.

Speaking to Tudum about the Virgin River film set, location scout W. Robert “Fluffy” Millar explained: “It’s about beautiful people in troubled circumstances in beautiful locations. I’m always trying to one-up each episode, always trying to find a prettier, more stunning vista, or another easily accessible, dense forest, and it’s quite a blessing to be doing a show like this in British Columbia.

“We always coordinate with the First Nations themselves. The Squamish Nation has been really supportive of our show because we do a lot of filming on First Nations land. Because the show is so popular and has an overall positive message, we’ve developed a really great relationship.”

Virgin River has a fictional population of about 600 people, extending its filming locations out to places such as Burnaby, Squamish, and Port Coquitlam.

With some fans having been convinced that Virgin River was indeed real, its location has been up for much discussion over on Reddit.

“Vancouver/BC area is a big film hub. Lots of productions are filmed there especially if the area is supposed to look like anything other than LA or NYC,” one user explained.

“The funny thing is Sullivan’s Crossing – another Robyn Carr series – the book is set in Colorado but the show takes place in Nova Scotia,” another user pointed out.

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About The Author

Jasmine Valentine is a TV and Movies Writer at Dexerto. She's the go-to source for all things Young Sheldon, as well as many Netflix originals. Jasmine has also written for the likes of Total Film, The Daily Beast, and Radio Times.