How have I been so wrong, yet…feel so right?

Welp! It happened! This morning I became aware of something that has left me confused and feeling…different. To sum it up: I found out that Hey Arnold! doesn’t take place in Brooklyn like I’ve thought for my entire existence. It takes place somewhere else which I will get to in a second, I just need to make a point real quick.

Welp! It happened! This morning I became aware of something that has left me confused and feeling...different. To sum it up: I found out that Hey Arnold! doesn't take place in Brooklyn like I've thought for my entire existence. It takes place somewhere else which I will get to in a second, I just need to make a point real quick.

halaby.aero

Alright, sooo, not to brag but I’m a born and bred New Yorker. I grew up on these streets! And to me, the streets in the cartoon seem very much BROOKLYN-Y.

Alright, sooo, not to brag but I'm a born and bred New Yorker. I grew up on these streets! And to me, the streets in the cartoon seem very much BROOKLYN-Y.

Nickelodeon

I mean, there are yellow taxis.

Nickelodeon

There’s a famous skyline, and that looks like the random island in the East River and the FDR to me 🧐.

There's a famous skyline, and that looks like the random island in the East River and the FDR to me 🧐.

Nickelodeon

There are public school kids hanging around on a stoop. I was a public school kid and I hung out on a stoop!

Nickelodeon

This could literally be the place that’s around the corner from my apartment in Bushwick.

This could literally be the place that's around the corner from my apartment in Bushwick.

Nickelodeon

And I just figured that the people that lived in Arnold’s house were just a typical group of New York Weirdos™️. Kind of like an artist’s loft.

And I just figured that the people that lived in Arnold's house were just a typical group of New York Weirdos™️. Kind of like an artist's loft.

Nickelodeon

Buttt, after literally the fastest google search ever, I learned that it does not take place in Brooklyn. I shared this info with my friends at work.

Silly Dave

No, DAVE!! It’s not Queens! It’s none of the five boroughs!!! Turns out, this fictional town is located SOMEWHERE IN WASHINGTON STATE. YAH! THE PNW!

No, DAVE!! It's not Queens! It's none of the five boroughs!!! Turns out, this fictional town is located SOMEWHERE IN WASHINGTON STATE. YAH! THE PNW!

wikitravel.org

Yep. I try not to be specific, since it's an amalgam of large northern cities I have loved, including Seattle (my hometown), Portland (where I went to art school) and Brooklyn (the bridge, the brownstones, the subway). It's a fictitious, unnamed city.

Via citylab.com

In 1998, in the episode “Road Trip,” Helga and her mom took a road trip to South Dakota. On their way home there was a billboard to the right that literally says “Welcome To Washington State.”

In 1998, in the episode "Road Trip," Helga and her mom took a road trip to South Dakota. On their way home there was a billboard to the right that literally says "Welcome To Washington State."

Nickelodeon

In 1996, in the episode “Wheezin Ed,” it’s mentioned that an Island called Elk Island is located in the Skookumchuck River. Even though that sounds made up, the Skookumchuck River actually exists. GUESS WHERE? Yeah, in Washington.

In 1996, in the episode "Wheezin Ed," it's mentioned that an Island called Elk Island is located in the Skookumchuck River. Even though that sounds made up, the Skookumchuck River actually exists. GUESS WHERE? Yeah, in Washington.

Lol Skookumchuck.

en.wikipedia.org

And in the 2001 episode “Old Iron Man,” it is mentioned that Arnold’s grandpa and his best friend Jimmy worked on the
Grand Coulee Dam together. Which is a real dam located in none other than the great state of Washington!

And in the 2001 episode "Old Iron Man," it is mentioned that Arnold's grandpa and his best friend Jimmy worked on the Grand Coulee Dam together. Which is a real dam located in none other than the great state of Washington!