# Screw Springfield! Where is Arlen, TX? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 12, 2005, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/screw-springfield-where-is-arlen-tx/294250 "2005-03-12T22:29:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2005, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/screw-springfield-where-is-arlen-tx/294250/41 "2005-03-14T16:05:41Z")
[Here is a helpful LINK to a road map of Texas.](http://www.sitesatlas.com/Maps/Maps/TX1.htm) My money’s on Abilene or Brownwood. I’m allowing for a 5 to 10 mph speeding factor. This is because all the male characters are Texans, and all Texans are “real men” even if they ain’t, and no “real men” _ever_ keep the speed limit unless there’s a cop watching. ---
**Author:** ![aktep](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f0a364/32.png) [@aktep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aktep)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2005, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/screw-springfield-where-is-arlen-tx/294250/42 "2005-03-14T16:23:45Z")
I’m actually leaning towards Waco. It’s on the Brazos River You can get to Lubbock in a day You can get to Port A in 4 hours You can get to Dallas in an hour and a half You can get to Houston in about 2.5 hours It’s about a 6, 6.5 hour drive to Mexico. You can get to the Alamo to frame your son for shooting Castro without too much trouble. It snows, but only every few years. It’s a pretty conservative town. It’s flat. It has a community college and a university. The only thing it might be missing are alleys. ---
**Author:** ![tremorviolet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e47774/32.png) [@tremorviolet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tremorviolet)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2005, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/screw-springfield-where-is-arlen-tx/294250/43 "2005-03-14T17:48:03Z")
I think it’s old school South Austin, as it was 20 years ago before the tech boom. That makes all the geographical locations right and South Austin used to be called “Bubbaland” because that’s where all the good ole boys lived. (nowdays, housings gotten so expensive, the yuppies have invaded) ---
**Author:** ![aktep](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f0a364/32.png) [@aktep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aktep)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2005, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/screw-springfield-where-is-arlen-tx/294250/44 "2005-03-14T19:14:51Z")
I grew up in old school South Austin, so I can certainly accept that. Plus it had the men in the street drinking beer thing going on, too. ---
**Author:** ![threeorange](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@threeorange](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/threeorange)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2005, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/screw-springfield-where-is-arlen-tx/294250/45 "2005-03-15T00:56:54Z")
Where’s Arlen? Why not consult [the official website](http://arlentexas.tripod.com/) ? ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Mudd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f14d63/32.png) [@Larry\_Mudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Mudd)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2005, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/screw-springfield-where-is-arlen-tx/294250/46 "2005-03-15T01:08:59Z")
> [@threeorange](#): > > Where’s Arlen? Why not consult [the official website](http://arlentexas.tripod.com/) ? Kind of disappointing that the AU Student Organizations page doesn’t mention Omega House. (The jelly and preserves sorority cult.) ---
**Author:** ![middleman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9a140/32.png) [@middleman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/middleman)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2005, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/screw-springfield-where-is-arlen-tx/294250/47 "2005-10-23T20:10:23Z")
Bumping this thread to add a new piece of information: In the episode with Ann Richards, it was revealed that Hank and Co. live a few miles off I-35. ---
**Author:** ![mobo85](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b19c9b/32.png) [@mobo85](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mobo85)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2005, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/screw-springfield-where-is-arlen-tx/294250/48 "2005-10-24T02:26:00Z")
Arlen is in Heimlich County, which I also believe is fictional. What about Quahog, RI, the fictional town Peter Griffin calls home? ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2005, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/screw-springfield-where-is-arlen-tx/294250/49 "2005-10-24T02:47:13Z")
> [@](#): > > Most importantly, it is a given that Arlen is a firm three hours from Houston. When Kahn got fired for bragging about government secrets to Hank. His new job, in Houston was a three hour drive. Everything else is a vague distance. However, we’ve seen the guys take a day trip to Mexico, San Antonio, Witchita Falls and Dallas. But the three hours to Houston in the only certainty we’ve seen. Have you ever commuted in Houston? Arlen could be ten miles outside of the city and it would still be a three hour drive. ---
**Author:** ![party\_store](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f9ae1b/32.png) [@party\_store](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/party_store)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2005, 5:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/screw-springfield-where-is-arlen-tx/294250/50 "2005-10-24T05:46:06Z")
> [@](#): > > _Originally Posted by mobo85_ > What about Quahog, RI, the fictional town Peter Griffin calls home? I’m pretty sure it’s a suburb of Providence. You can see the Providence skyline in the background of some shots. ---
**Author:** ![cbawlmer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/71e660/32.png) [@cbawlmer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cbawlmer)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2005, 6:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/screw-springfield-where-is-arlen-tx/294250/51 "2005-10-24T06:13:48Z")
I just discussed this with Mike Judge last month. Arlen is, as mentioned several times above, based partly on Garland but also on pretty much any city in texas, big or small. He said they tend to think of it as located in the same area as Waco or Killeen, but they’re not envisioning an exact location. I’ve run into Mike Judge at film events in Austin for years and let me just say, he is the nicest guy on Earth and when I saw him in September, he still remembered where I was working back when we first met in February 1999. ---
**Author:** ![cornflakes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9d8465/32.png) [@cornflakes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cornflakes)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2005, 9:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/screw-springfield-where-is-arlen-tx/294250/52 "2005-10-24T09:17:56Z")
Well, I guess that the time for speculation is over. All the same, how about a few more hints. -_(from the [‘official website’](http://arlentexas.tripod.com/))__Note: The above picture is not Arlen. It is Ausin, the Texas capital. Arlen does not have a great skyline. In fact, the only significant building in downtown Arlen is a 20 story hotel that went bankrupt in the 1940’s._ --Arlen is Mineral Wells.\* -_(also from the official website)_ Arlen Facts–Established 1886, city became one of state’s largest cotton-buying centers. Propane was discovered in the 1920’s. Substantial industrial development has been made in recent decades.\* --It’s on the Blacklands, between Austin and Dallas.\* -_(also…)_ …the average maximum high in July is 98 degrees.\* --Too cold. It ain’t in Texas.\* -Bill Dauterive works as a barber at the Army base, which could arguably be a vote for it being around Temple/Killeen and close to Fort Hood. -There’s nothing small town about the characters; they live in a suburb. I guess that Mike Judge was right (big surprise there): Arlen is a Mid City from the DFW Metroplex, somewhere around Waco. > [@cbawlmer](#): > > I’ve run into Mike Judge at film events in Austin for years and let me just say, he is the nicest guy on Earth and when I saw him in September, he still remembered where I was working back when we first met in February 1999. I’m glad to hear that he’s as good of a guy as he seems to be. ---
**Author:** ![cmkeller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmkeller/32/118_2.png) [@cmkeller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmkeller)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2005, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/screw-springfield-where-is-arlen-tx/294250/53 "2005-10-24T17:13:36Z")
> [@](#): > > I’m pretty sure it’s a suburb of Providence. You can see the Providence skyline in the background of some shots. What Rhode Island town _isn’t_ a suburb of Providence? ---
**Author:** ![caveman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/caveman/32/7242_2.png) [@caveman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/caveman)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2005, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/screw-springfield-where-is-arlen-tx/294250/54 "2005-10-24T18:41:36Z")
> [@neutron star](#): > > Yup. Last season, in the episode titled “Après Hank, le Deluge:” > Quote: > > > [@](#): > > > > The National Weather Service reports water levels of the Upper Brazos River are rising dangerously, causing flood warnings to be issued for all low-lying areas, including Heimlich and Travis counties. [nitpick]The Brazos doesn’t go through Travis County; all of Travis drains to the Colorado.[/nitpick] ---
**Author:** ![Nonsuch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nonsuch/32/2922_2.png) [@Nonsuch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nonsuch)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2005, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/screw-springfield-where-is-arlen-tx/294250/55 "2005-10-24T21:13:11Z")
> [@party store](#): > > I’m pretty sure [quahog] is a suburb of Providence. You can see the Providence skyline in the background of some shots. For all intents and purposes, Quahog **is** Providence: > [@www.quahog.org](#): > > So where is Quahog? Very good question. The writers of Family Guy have been coy about the location of this nonexistent town, but there are some clues. First of all, if you look carefully at the city skyline behind the Griffins’ house, you’ll spot three very distinct buildings from Providence’s downtown: the Hospital Trust Tower (in nighttime scenes the top story is often lit up just like the real-life building), Fleet Center, and the Industrial Trust building (sometimes called the Superman Building because of its resemblance to the Daily Planet Building in the Superman TV series of the 1950s). The angle at which these buildings are seen would lead one to believe that Quahog is located just to the northwest of downtown Providence. There is no place in Rhode Island, other than Providence, that a house could be located in such close proximity to these three landmarks. However, Quahog can’t be Providence, because that city is mentioned many times throughout the series as a city separate from Quahog. In fact, in the DVD commentary for episode 9, “Holy Crap,” Seth McFarlane admits the Griffins’ hometown was originally Providence, but then it was changed to Quahog, a fictional town “just outside Providence.” ---
**Author:** ![neutron\_star](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/51bf81/32.png) [@neutron\_star](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/neutron_star)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2005, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/screw-springfield-where-is-arlen-tx/294250/56 "2005-10-24T22:15:17Z")
Just a note for any King of the Hill fans who don’t know (since threads on the show are pretty rare around here): this will be the KOTH’s final season. Many of the episodes will be leftovers that were intended to air last season. I’m sad to see it go because I haven’t noticed the quality slipping at all; the show still seems to have a good bit of life left in it. Still, ten years is a pretty damn good run. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2005, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/screw-springfield-where-is-arlen-tx/294250/57 "2005-10-24T22:27:00Z")
Has Hank’s son aged at all in the time the show was on the air? ---
**Author:** ![middleman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9a140/32.png) [@middleman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/middleman)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2005, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/screw-springfield-where-is-arlen-tx/294250/58 "2005-10-25T01:24:17Z")
Slightly. I think he has gone from 6th Grade to 8th Grade. ---
**Author:** ![SiouxChief](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d6d6ee/32.png) [@SiouxChief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SiouxChief)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2005, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/screw-springfield-where-is-arlen-tx/294250/59 "2005-10-25T03:16:51Z")
> [@neutron star](#): > > Just a note for any King of the Hill fans who don’t know (since threads on the show are pretty rare around here): this will be the KOTH’s final season. Many of the episodes will be leftovers that were intended to air last season. I had no idea! That’s very unfortunate…this is one of my favorite shows. Fox has always given KOTH the same treatment as Futurama: they put it on at 7pm or 7:30pm on Sunday, so all during football season, most of the episode is pre-empted by a game. If they would have put these shows on at 8:30 where they belong, they’d do much better for the network. ---
**Author:** ![middleman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9a140/32.png) [@middleman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/middleman)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2005, 12:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/screw-springfield-where-is-arlen-tx/294250/60 "2005-10-25T12:44:53Z")
Hey. We got over 150 episodes. We can’t be too sad about that. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/screw-springfield-where-is-arlen-tx/294250.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/screw-springfield-where-is-arlen-tx/294250.md?page=4)