# Where do you think wizarding schools are located? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 20, 2013, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-do-you-think-wizarding-schools-are-located/647842 "2013-01-20T22:59:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![the\_diego](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7bcc69/32.png) [@the\_diego](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/the_diego)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2013, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-do-you-think-wizarding-schools-are-located/647842/1 "2013-01-20T22:59:30Z")
Maybe Britain has a lot of moldering castles that are in fact wizarding schools housing 400 students. But what about other countries? Where could they hide them? My WAGs: 1. somewhere in the Himalayas, protected by yetis. 2. somewhere in the Pacific Northwest, guarded by bigfoot. 3. in the Amazon basin watched over by 90-foot sucurujis (giant anacondas) 4. undergound in a permafrost region either in the Northern Canadian territory or Siberia. 5. the school beside Loch Ness has relocated, when the monster developed a too strong taste for publicity. * * * Hawbawtyou? ---
**Author:** ![jasg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f0a364/32.png) [@jasg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jasg)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2013, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-do-you-think-wizarding-schools-are-located/647842/2 "2013-01-20T23:04:43Z")
Muggles will never know. ---
**Author:** ![Sevencl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d9b06d/32.png) [@Sevencl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sevencl)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2013, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-do-you-think-wizarding-schools-are-located/647842/3 "2013-01-20T23:06:21Z")
Well, there’s Scholomance on a lake in Romania. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2013, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-do-you-think-wizarding-schools-are-located/647842/4 "2013-01-20T23:08:51Z")
Those faces on Mt Rushmore? Just an illusion. As is the St. Louis Arch. ---
**Author:** ![appleciders](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85f322/32.png) [@appleciders](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/appleciders)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2013, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-do-you-think-wizarding-schools-are-located/647842/5 "2013-01-20T23:58:05Z")
Well, there are American wizards, but we don’t know much about them. I’d bet that there are schools associated with the traditional big cities in the British Colonies (Boston, Philadelphia, New York, and maybe one in the South, near Richmond or Charleston). Beyond that, it would seem that there’d need to be one in the West, maybe under a mountain. ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2013, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-do-you-think-wizarding-schools-are-located/647842/6 "2013-01-21T00:26:40Z")
I believe the North American version of Azkhaban would be on Isle Royale in Lake Superior. This would explain why it is a national park and a wilderness area. ---
**Author:** ![NDP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ndp/32/55_2.png) [@NDP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NDP)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2013, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-do-you-think-wizarding-schools-are-located/647842/7 "2013-01-21T00:28:33Z")
> [@appleciders](#): > > Well, there are American wizards, but we don’t know much about them. I’d bet that there are schools associated with the traditional big cities in the British Colonies (Boston, Philadelphia, New York, and **maybe one in the South, near Richmond or Charleston** ). Beyond that, it would seem that there’d need to be one in the West, maybe under a mountain. If there’s one in the South, it wouldn’t be near Richmond or Charleston. It would HAVE to be near New Orleans. ---
**Author:** ![Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/f04885/32.png) [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qin_Shi_Huangdi)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2013, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-do-you-think-wizarding-schools-are-located/647842/8 "2013-01-21T00:31:35Z")
Miskatonic University in Arkham, MA and the Hall School in Kingsport, MA. ---
**Author:** ![Giles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giles/32/60_2.png) [@Giles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giles)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2013, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-do-you-think-wizarding-schools-are-located/647842/9 "2013-01-21T00:43:24Z")
I’ve found one – go to Google Maps and search for “Magic School, Madison, KS, United States”. You find a very suspicious-looking empty patch of ground at the intersection of two roads. The school must be hidden from aerial photography, but somehow Google knows that it’s there. ---
**Author:** ![Odesio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/odesio/32/20003_2.png) [@Odesio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odesio)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2013, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-do-you-think-wizarding-schools-are-located/647842/10 "2013-01-21T00:44:22Z")
Wherever the larger Scientology buildings/compounds are located. ---
**Author:** ![YourAdHere](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/65b543/32.png) [@YourAdHere](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YourAdHere)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2013, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-do-you-think-wizarding-schools-are-located/647842/11 "2013-01-21T00:46:38Z")
> [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](#): > > Miskatonic University in Arkham, MA and the Hall School in Kingsport, MA. Woah, apparently miskatonic is based off of a school in my town, according to wiki. It’s now Zion bible college , fwiw. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2013, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-do-you-think-wizarding-schools-are-located/647842/12 "2013-01-21T00:50:48Z")
Hollywood. You can have full fledged magic battles and people will just say “Oooo! Great effects! When is it coming out?” Hmmmm. [Suspicious name](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Industrial_Light_%26_Magic). ---
**Author:** ![InsomniaMama](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/ad7895/32.png) [@InsomniaMama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/InsomniaMama)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2013, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-do-you-think-wizarding-schools-are-located/647842/13 "2013-01-21T03:10:05Z")
Oh, Wisconsin. Definitely. Also the Alps. ---
**Author:** ![Biggirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biggirl/32/3294_2.png) [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2013, 3:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-do-you-think-wizarding-schools-are-located/647842/14 "2013-01-21T03:30:28Z")
We’d be famous for our imbedded cliff schools. One in The Palisades on the east coast, one in the steepest part of The Grand Canyon in the middle of the country. ---
**Author:** ![azraiel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@azraiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/azraiel)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2013, 3:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-do-you-think-wizarding-schools-are-located/647842/15 "2013-01-21T03:30:36Z")
> [@Giles](#): > > I’ve found one – go to Google Maps and search for “Magic School, Madison, KS, United States”. You find a very suspicious-looking empty patch of ground at the intersection of two roads. The school must be hidden from aerial photography, but somehow Google knows that it’s there. Right in the middle of a very large military instillation. :dubious: Which happens to be the accepted epicenter for the 1918 Spanish Flu epidemic. :dubious: Wake up, Sheeple! ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2013, 3:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-do-you-think-wizarding-schools-are-located/647842/16 "2013-01-21T03:49:55Z")
> [@azraiel](#): > > Wake up, Sheeple! [Don’t say that!!](http://xkcd.com/1013/) ---
**Author:** ![Kamino\_Neko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kamino_neko/32/34_2.png) [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2013, 3:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-do-you-think-wizarding-schools-are-located/647842/17 "2013-01-21T03:56:56Z")
The American one is in the Green Mountains. _nods firmly_ (Also, prepares cookies for anyone who knows what I’m talking about.) ---
**Author:** ![the\_diego](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7bcc69/32.png) [@the\_diego](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/the_diego)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2013, 4:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-do-you-think-wizarding-schools-are-located/647842/18 "2013-01-21T04:01:53Z")
There must be something about American wizards: UFOs, bigfoot, tornados and hurricanes, weird cults and exclusive enclaves. Wizards in other countries seem to like old ruins, hauntings, volcanoes, mean wildlife. In Paris and Rome, the answer’s easy: the catacombs (daylighted here and there by a very old church or castle.) In Japan, those 1,000 year old Shinto temples that get refurbished every 20 years or so: must coincide with the appointment of a new headmaster. ---
**Author:** ![appleciders](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85f322/32.png) [@appleciders](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/appleciders)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2013, 4:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-do-you-think-wizarding-schools-are-located/647842/19 "2013-01-21T04:18:49Z")
> [@NDP](#): > > If there’s one in the South, it wouldn’t be near Richmond or Charleston. It would HAVE to be near New Orleans. Oh, that’s interesting. I was thinking that British colonial wizards, who would have likely been fleeing the Puritans in England and would have started a school around the time that Harvard, William and Mary, Yale, Princeton, and all the other Colonial Colleges were founded. I could absolutely see French wizards founding a school in the bayou near New Orleans. ---
**Author:** ![the\_diego](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7bcc69/32.png) [@the\_diego](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/the_diego)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2013, 4:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-do-you-think-wizarding-schools-are-located/647842/20 "2013-01-21T04:22:19Z")
^ But isn’t Montreal the oldest (European) city in North America? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-do-you-think-wizarding-schools-are-located/647842.md?page=2)