- "Well, which is it? A hill or a valley?"
- —William McFly in 1931B about the town's funny name
Hill Valley, California, was the hometown of the McFly family, the Brown family, the Tannen family, as well as several thousands more including the Strickland family. The city has three high schools: Hill Valley High School, Clayton High School, and Calahan High School; and a community college.
History[]
Early settlement[]
The town of Hill Valley was first settled in 1850 and was incorporated in 1865. Its founder was William Bill Hill. By 1869 , it was connected by railroad to San Francisco via the Central Pacific Railroad Company as part of the Transcontinental Railroad. Marshal James Strickland also arrived in Hill Valley that same year. Construction of a new county courthouse was well underway in 1885, the year a new clock was dedicated for the building. The Shonash Ravine Bridge was completed in the Summer of 1886, around the same time the ravine was renamed the Eastwood Ravine Bridge (or Clayton Ravine Bridge, depending upon which timeline one focuses upon).
Rise and fall of town square[]
The area around the courthouse was developed in the following seventy years and by the 1950s had become the downtown of Hill Valley. A grass-covered town square was built in front of the courthouse, while stores, theaters and cafés opened on the surrounding streets. On Saturday, November 12 1955, at 10:04 p.m. PST, lightning struck the courthouse's courthouse clock tower, freezing the clock at 10:04. The clock was never repaired.
By a few decades later, Hill Valley was a town — as confirmed by the greeting sign of 1985. Many of the town square businesses had moved or closed down. The new businesses which replaced them included a second-hand shop and an adult book store. The courthouse fell into a state of disrepair, while at night at least one homeless person slept on the town square park benches. To accommodate the growing need for parking space, the grassy park outside of the courthouse was converted into a parking lot. What happened to everybody's home town is obviously the same thing.
Hill Valley greeting signs[]
- "The first object to greet his [Marty's] eye was the large sign at the corner of the square, at 2nd and Main Streets. WELCOME TO HILL VALLEY, it read. A NICE PLACE TO LIVE, PLEASE DRIVE CAREFULLY. Symbols for the Jaycees, Optimists, and Future Farmers of America decorated the sign like medals on an old soldier's chest."
- — From Back to the Future by George Gipe (quote, page 82)
"WELCOME TO HILL VALLEY" greeting signs were present in 1955 and 2015. Both greeting signs bore the motto A Nice Place To Live, and had symbols representing the Rotary International, Kiwanis and Lions clubs. In addition, the 1955 sign had the logos of the Hill Valley Chamber of Commerce, YMCA, United States Junior Chamber, Camp Fire, American Legion Auxilary, the National Grange of the Order of Patrons of Husbandry, Optimist International, and National FFA Organization. One logo not present which is often seen on many town or city signs was the Free & Accepted Masons, which suggests there is no Masonic Lodge in Hill Valley.
The 2015 sign had the symbols of (going clockwise from the word WELCOME): 4-H; the Lions club; an unfamiliar seven-sided logo; American Legion; Veterans of Foreign Wars; the Rotary club; Crime Watch; and the Kiwanis club.
The 1955 and 2015 greeting signs bore reminders of "PLEASE DRIVE CAREFULLY!" and "PLEASE FLY SAFELY / EJECTION SEATS SAVE LIVES" respectively, with the latter also displaying below the city's name the wording "GOLDIE WILSON jr. / MAYOR".
A greeting sign reading "Welcome to the City of HILL VALLEY" stood at the intersection of Hill and Main in 1985, which displayed below the city's name the wording "Goldie Wilson / MAYOR", but did not have the motto A Nice Place to Live nor any club or organization symbols.
1985A[]
Due to the influence of the powerful and corrupt Biff Tannen, gambling was legalized in 1979A. Tannen's toxic waste reclamation plants were built downtown, polluting the air and leading to pollution alerts to be issued. Tannen also bought off the Hill Valley Police Department. Consequently, crime increased and biker gangs settled in the city. Hill Valley High School burned down and the courthouse was converted into Biff Tannen's Pleasure Paradise Casino & Hotel. There were also more "adult entertainment" places than in the main downtown Hill Valley.
Location[]
Hill Valley was located in Northern California, 12 miles east of Grass Valley, and with railway links to San Francisco. U.S. Route 395 passed through Hill Valley with a directional route shield posted in Courthouse Square. The town was nestled in rolling foothills, with an apparently temperate, albeit semi-arid climate, and, although there was a desert within walking distance of the town, the nearby lake froze over in the winter.
The signs in Hill Valley also indicate that U.S. Route 8 can be reached from downtown, although that route is in Wisconsin. On the other hand, U.S. Route 395 and U.S. Route 6 intersect in Inyo County, California, near the town of Bishop, the Sierra Nevada Mountains, and the Death Valley desert.
Recurring places[]
Many family businesses are passed down from generation to generation in Hill Valley. As a result, the city changes but remains similar from one generation to the next, as businesses are updated but rarely change.
The following is a list of such places.
place № | 1885 | 1955 | 1985 | 1985A-1 | 1985A-2 | 2015 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Hill Valley Courthouse and Clock Tower (under construction) | Hill Valley Courthouse | Department of Social Services | Department of Social Services | Biff Tannen's Pleasure Paradise Casino & Hotel and Biff Tannen Museum |
Hill Valley Courthouse Mall |
2 | Nothing | Town Theater | Assembly of Christ | Assembly of Christ | Unknown (possibly a porn theater) | Hill Valley Museum of Art |
3 | Nothing | Holt's Diner | Elmo's Ribs | Elmo's Ribs | Unknown | (part of the Hill Valley Museum) |
4 | Honest Joe Statler's Fine Horses (in different location - this spot actually empty) | Statler Studebaker | Statler Toyota | Statler Toyota | PIG Mart | Statler Pontiac Sales and Hover Conversions |
5 | Nothing | Ruth's Frock Shop | Goodwill Industries | Goodwill Industries | Tanya's | Hyatas All Natural Earth-Grown Fruits |
6 | Nothing | Orson and Tillich, Attorneys at Law | Bad Rap Bail Bonds | Simulex Memory Center | ||
7 | Building under construction | Western Auto Store | Goldie Wilson Campaign Headquarters | Goldie Wilson Campaign Headquarters | Bondage | Hill Valley Gifts / The Hydroponic Gardner |
8 | Wells Fargo & Co building | Bluebird Motel | Al's Tatoo and Art Studio (out of business, for sale) |
Al's Tatoo and Art Studio (out of business, for sale) |
Video Nude Hardcore Movies Pawn Shop |
Sight Sound & Mind |
9 | Nothing | Elite Barber Shop | Empty Store (Sign on window saying "We Moved to Twin Pines Mall" | Empty Store (Sign on window saying "We Moved to Lone Pine Mall" | Bangkok Sauna & Asian Massage | Mr. Perfect - All Natural Steroids |
10 | Nothing | Hill Valley Stationers | Cupid's Adult Book Store | Cupid's Adult Book Store | Hell Hole | Eclipse - Contemporary & Traditional Lighting Store Flying High |
11 | Nothing | Zales Jewelers | Abrams Brokerage Corporation | Abrams Brokerage Corporation | Hardcore X | Pizza Hut restaurant |
12 | Nothing | J.D Armstrong Realty | Loans on Anything of Value | Loans on Anything of Value | Peeparama | True Blues |
13 | Ask Mr. Foster Travel Service | Ask Mr. Foster Travel Service | Ask Mr. Foster Travel Service | Naughty and Naked | Uniglobe Travel | |
14 | Marshal Strickland's office | Bank of America | Bank of America | Bank of America | Naughty XXX | Hill Valley Transit bus stop (Second floor holographic billboard advertising Goldie Wilson Hover conversion and Sports-Flash news) |
15 | Palace Saloon | Lou's Cafe | Lou's Aerobic Fitness Center | Lou's Aerobic Fitness Center | War Zone | Cafe 80's |
16 | Barber Shop | Roy's Records | The Third Eye | The Third Eye | Time to Shoot Photo Store | Blast from the Past Antique Store |
17 | Doc's blacksmith shop (different building) | Texaco service station | Texaco service station/food mart | Texaco service station/food mart | Wrecking yard(area cluttered with piles of junk furniture and other garbage) | 7-Eleven (first floor) and Texaco automated Havoline station (second floor) |
18 | Livery stable | Hal's Bike Shop | Hog Heaven | Hog Heaven | Bar | The Bot Shoppe |
19 (bis) | Livery stable | Lawrence Building | Lawrence Building | Lawrence Building | Sin | Black door numbered "212" |
19 (bis) | Livery stable | Broadway Florist | Broadway Florist | Broadway Florist | French Fantasies | Bottoms Up |
19 (bis) | Livery stable | Building entrance | Building entrance | Building entrance | Building entrance | Hill Valley Surrogate Parenting center |
20 | Building under construction | Essex Theater (as a mainstream movie house) | Essex Theater (as an adult movie house showing "Orgy, American Style XXX") | Essex Theater (as an adult movie house showing "Orgy, American Style XXX") | Hill Valley Theater of Live Sex Acts | Holomax Theater (Now showing mainstream films again) |
21 | Hill Valley Hook and Ladder Co° | Building with Sherwin-Williams Paint billboard sign | Building with Sherwin-Williams Paint billboard sign | Building with Sherwin-Williams Paint billboard sign | office building displaying weather and traffic information | |
22 | The area near Clara's house | Lyon Estates (under development) | Lyon Estates (slight graffiti on the statues) | Lyon Estates (slight graffiti on the statues) | Lyon Estates (rough neighborhood and lots of graffiti on the statues) | Lyon Estates Parkland |
23 | (empty land near ravine) | (farmland near Clayton Ravine) | Hilldale (new housing development with 1980s-style homes and described as being a rather affluent part of Hill Valley) | Hilldale (new housing development with 1980s-style homes and described as being a rather affluent part of Hill Valley) | Hilldale (now a rough neighborhood) | |
24 | Hill Valley School (in different building than later schools) | Hill Valley High School | Hill Valley High School | Hill Valley High School | Remains of Hill Valley High School (burned down six years earlier) | Hill Valley High School |
25 | Hill Valley Telegraph | Gaynor's Hideaway Bar | Gaynor's Hideaway Bar | Gaynor's Hideaway Bar | Dee Dee's Delight Bar | Fusion Bar |
26 | Hill Valley Telegraph | Sherwin-Williams Paints | Sherwin-Williams Paints | Sherwin-Williams Paints | Toxic Waste Reclamation Plant n°7 | The Ice Cream Clone |
27 | McFly Farm | Twin Pines Ranch | Twin Pines Mall | Lone Pine Mall | Lone Pine Mall | Lone Pine Mall |
28 | Nothing | Brown Mansion | Doc Brown's garage Burger King |
Doc Brown's garage Burger King |
Doc Brown's garage | |
29 | Clara's house | Field | McFly residence | McFly residence | Random African-American family residence | George's and Lorraine's house (likely) |
1885[]
Some buildings shown in 1885 scenes are actually located further down the street in an area not shown in the first 2 movies.
- Hill Valley Courthouse & Clock Tower (under construction)
- Nothing
- Nothing
- Honest Joe Statler's Fine Horses (in different location this spot actually empty)
- Wells Fargo
- Nothing
- Building under construction
- Nothing
- Nothing
- Nothing
- Nothing
- Unknown
- Unknown
- Marshal's office
- Palace Saloon
- Barber Shop
- Unknown
- Unknown
- Livery Stable
- Building under construction
- Hill Valley Telegraph
- A. Jones Manure Handling
- Unknown
- Nothing
- Nothing
- Sheriff
- Hill Valley School
- Nothing
1931[]
1955[]
- Hill Valley Courthouse
- Town Theater
- Holt's Diner
- Statler Studebaker
- Ruth's Frock Shop
- Jacobson & Field, Attorneys at Law
- Western Auto Stores
- Bluebird Motel
- Elite Barber Shop
- Hill Valley Stationers
- Zale's Jewelers
- J.D. Armstrong Realty
- Ask Mr. Foster Travel Service
- Bank of America
- Lou's Cafe
- Roy's Records
- Texaco service station (full-service)
- Hal's Bike Shop
- Lawrence Building
- Essex Theater (as a mainstream movie house)
- Hill Valley Telegraph
- D. Jones Manure Handling
- Twin Pines Ranch
- Lyon Estates (under development)
- Nothing
- Hill Valley Police Department
- Hill Valley High School
- Pohatchee Drive-In Theater
1985[]
- Hill Valley Courthouse - Department of Social Services
- Town Theater (as a church)
- Elmo's Ribs
- Statler Toyota
- Goodwill Industries
- Empty (entrance now barred up)
- Empty Store (Displaying Re-Elect Mayor Goldie Wilson Signage)
- Empty Store (formerly Motel, now displaying OUT OF BUSINESS sign)
- Empty Store (Sign on window saying WE MOVED TO TWIN PINES MALL)
- Cupid's Adult Book Store
- Abrams Brokerage Corporation
- Loans
- Ask Mr. Foster Travel Service
- Bank of America
- Lou's Fitness Aerobics Center (originally Lou's Cafe in 1955)
- The Third Eye
- Texaco service station (now self-service)
- Hog Heaven
- Broadway Florist
- Essex Theater (as an adult movie house showing "Orgy, American Style")
- Hill Valley Telegraph
- Unknown
- Twin Pines Mall (becomes Lone Pine Mall after Marty knocks down one of the two trees in 1955)
- Lyon Estates
- Hilldale (under development)
- Hill Valley Police Department
- Hill Valley High School
- Unknown
Alternate 1985[]
- Biff Tannen's Pleasure Paradise Casino & Hotel (where the courthouse was once standing)
- BiffCo Toxic Waste Reclamation Plant
- DeeDee's Delight BAR
- Adult Toys
- Tanya Erotic Sex Goddess
- Bad Rap Bail Bonds
- SAGE
- Video Nude Hardcore Movies
- Unknown
- Hell Hole XXX
- Unknown
- Unknown
- Unknown
- Naughty XXX
- Unknown
- Unknown
- Unknown
- Unknown
- Unknown
- Hill Valley Theater of Live Sex Acts
- Unknown (Hill Valley Telegraph still in operation but most likely in a new location)
- Unknown
- Unknown
- Lyon Estates
- Unknown
- Hill Valley Police Department (owned by Biff)
- Hill Valley High School (burned down in 1979)
- Unknown
1986[]
1986G[]
2015[]
- Hill Valley Courthouse Mall
- Hill Valley Museum of Art : A Bellman retrospective
- Fusion Bar
- Statler Pontiac Sales and Hover Conversions
- Hill Valley Gifts
- Simulex
- Sight Sound and Mind
- Mr. Perfect All Natural Steroids
- Flying High Kite Store
- Eclipse - Contemporary & Traditional Lighting Store
- Pizza Hut
- True Blues
- Uniglobe Travel
- Hill Valley Transit (Second floor advertising Goldie Wilson III Hover Conversions)
- Cafe 80's
- Blast from the Past Antique Store
- 7-Eleven (first floor) and Texaco automated Havoline station (second floor)
- The Bot Shoppe
- Hill Valley Surrogate Parenting Center
- Holomax Theater
- Unknown (building with SKYWAY CONDITION sign affixed to rooftop)
- Unknown
- Unknown
- Unknown
- Hilldale
- Hill Valley Police Department
- Hill Valley Remedial School
- Unknown
Unique places[]
Despite Hill Valley's notable consistency, many businesses do appear and disappear over the years, as their services begin being needed or become obsolete. The following is a list of businesses that have no known equivalent in other time periods.
1885[]
- Wells Fargo
- Barber
- Marshal's office
- General Mercantile
- Doctor
- Gunsmith
- Bath House
- Dress Maker
- Hill Valley Telegraph
- Hill Valley Station
- Undertaking
- Cabinet Maker
- Meat Market
1952[]
1955[]
- Hill Valley Stationers
- Armstrong Realty
- Louis Watch Maker
- Roy's Records
- Elite Barber Shop
- Bluebird Motel
- Zale's
- Bank of America
- Western Auto
- Schwinn Bicycle Company
- Western Union
1985[]
- Department of Social Services
- Cupid's Adult Book Store
- Goodwill Industries
- Bank of America
- The Third Eye
- Hog Heaven
- Broadway Florist
- Burger King
- Toys "R" Us
- Ross Dress For Less (In the mall)
- JCPenney (in the mall)
- J.W. Robinson's (in the mall)
- Fox Photo (mall parking lot)
- Biff's Auto Detailing (after Marty returns to 1985)
- Zale's (in the mall) [mentioned on a bench]
1985A[]
- BiffCo Realty
1986G[]
1991[]
2015[]
- Blast from the Past
- Simulex
- Pizza Hut
- True Blues
- Eclipse Jewelers
- Flying High
- Hill Valley Surrogate Parenting Center
- Bottoms Up (a plastic surgery franchise)
- The Bot Shoppe
- Mr. Perfect - All Natural Steroids
- Luxor Cab Company
- Hill Valley Transit
- Hill Valley Gifts
- Hyatas Japanese Market
- Stereotypist
Behind the scenes[]
- In addition to the main plot, the films contain many sight gags, verbal innuendos (an example is needed) and detailed set design elements, from which a detailed and consistent history and geography of the area can be derived. The name Hill Valley is itself a joke, being an oxymoron, or contradiction in terms.
- The 2015 greeting sign (see 'Hill Valley greeting signs' above) makes a brief appearance in IDW Publishing's Back to the Future: Untold Tales and Alternate Timelines 4: "Emmett Brown Visits the Future". Although the colors of the symbols have been somewhat altered (presumably for artistic reasons), the sign is faithful to its on-screen counterpart.
Shooting locations[]
For Back to the Future, the producers considered filming the town square scenes in the real city of Petaluma, California, but soon realized it would be prohibitively expensive and impractical to alter a real place to suit the different eras.[1] Instead they filmed it on the Universal Studios Backlot, where they had more control.[2] The main location, known as Courthouse Square, already existed and had been previously used for many films and television shows. [3] The Hill Valley courthouse can also be found in the movies Bruce Almighty, Gremlins, Sneakers, The Offspring 's music video "Why Don't You Get a Job?" and even in an episode of Buffy The Vampire Slayer. The clock tower itself, however, was a removable addition to the existing Courthouse building, one of many ways in which the structure has been redressed over the years to suit the needs of a production. Prior to Back to the Future, the backlot location was called Mockingbird Square, a reference to the 1962 film To Kill a Mockingbird.[4]
- The Universal Studios Backlot location: google maps, Live Local
Many of the cars that appear in the 2015 scenes are either modified for the film or concept cars. Examples include Ford Probe, Saab EV-1, Citroën DS 21, Pontiac Banshee Concept and Pontiac Fiero. Cars reused from other science fiction films include the "Star Car" from The Last Starfighter (1984) and a "Spinner" from Blade Runner (1982). Griff's car is a modified BMW convertible.[5]
For Back to the Future Part III, Hill Valley 1885 was filmed in Sonora, California. The producers were able to use the land rent free as long as they left the buildings there. They agreed to leave everything except the Clock Tower. Interestingly, on August 10, 1996, a lightning bolt struck the town and it burned down. An arson fire on the Universal Studios Hollywood backlot on November 6, 1990 had previously destroyed much of Courthouse Square, the setting in which all the other time periods were filmed. However, the Courthouse itself survived the devastation.[6] Another backlot fire on September 6, 1997 again damaged Courthouse Square. In both cases, the backlot facades were then rebuilt. The Sonora location was not rebuilt. In addition, a February 14, 1999 fire at Whittier High School, where some (mostly exterior) scenes were filmed[7], destroyed the old men's gym there.
Other real-life shooting locations of Hill Valley landmarks include the following: [7]
- Doc's house in 1955 is the Gamble House in Pasadena, California.
- Twin Pines Mall is actually the Puente Hills Mall, located in Industry, California.
- Marty's Lyon Estates house in 1985 is actually in Roslyndale, California.
- Peabody's Twin Pines Ranch is really at Golden Oaks Ranch, which is owned by The Walt Disney Company and used in many Disney productions.
- The houses of George McFly and Lorraine Baines in 1955 are both in South Pasadena, California.
See also Category:Filming locations
Appearances[]
- Back to the Future trilogy
- Back to the Future novelizations
- Back to the Future: The Story
- Back to the Future: The Pinball
- Back to the Future: The Animated Series
- Back to the Future comic series
- Back to the Future: The Game
- LEGO Dimensions (Non-canonical appearance)
- Back to the Future (IDW Publishing)
- Back to the Future: Citizen Brown
See also[]
References[]
- ↑ Template:Cite video
- ↑ Robert Zemeckis and Bob Gale, Q&A, Back to the Future DVD, recorded at the University of Southern California
- ↑ Gallery. Universal Studios Hollywood Studio Tour. Universal Studios Inc.. Retrieved on [[2006-12-01]].
- ↑ Courthouse Square. thestudiotour.com. www.theatrecrafts.com/. Retrieved on [[2006-12-01]].
- ↑ Template:Cite video
- ↑ Universal Studios Hollywood History File: November 6 1990. thestudiotour.com. www.theatrecrafts.com/. Retrieved on [[2006-12-01]].
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 [[Bruce Gordon|Gordon, Bruce]] (1995). Back to the Future - For Real!. www.BTTF.com, reprinted from Hill Valley Telegraph #16. To Be Continued.... Retrieved on [[2006-12-03]].