'King of the Hill' set in Richardson? (Dallas, Arlington: 2009, homes)

[Lakewooder]

If I had to guess at a current approximation of Arlen I would say Forney. I really haven't been there in a while but I know people who live there and a lot of them used to live in Mesquite or grew up there.

Sorry Richardson is not all that upscale. Are there any wine places in Richardson? I don't go to Richardson that often, either, but when I did, I used to hang out at a house where they drank beer in the backyard - there was a pool. This guy was a second-generation employee of IBM, so not exactly redneck.

I have an accent due to the Paris, Texas roots of my parents. And I think that is a good thing! I don't know why anyone would think that is bad. I do know families of several generations in Dallas going back to the Cockrell family. Some of those have no accents at all. Also I know plenty of blacks and hispanics who don't have the accents some expect. They grew up in Dallas and often they will call a store in the burbs and when they show up the salesperson is surprised to see that they are 'of color'.

I would say there is some reference to male-chauvinist culture, but it's mostly joking around.

[theloneranger]

Originally Posted by jobert

Where could I get a pair of transpants? are they european?

Worse...Californian!

[momof2dfw]

Does anyone reckon they have "bottle service" at WW Fairfields. For some reason I have a gut feeling if one were to ask for a bottle of wine there they might get accused of being a sissy and risk getting the livin daylights beat out of them. Or, a bottle thrown AT THEM. Beer bottle that is.


Completely forgot about the new or fairly new Yeshire Tavern. A bit more upscale but not near large enough for more than one small gathering of neighbors to meetup at.

[rantanamo]

I remember Judge saying in an interview that Beavis and Butthead were based off of two kids he knew in Garland. Having grown up in Garland between 20-30 years ago, I can definitely see how his shows would be based off of them then. I frequented Dallas a lot because my dad worked in Dallas and I had many cousins there, but definitely had lots of friends and classmates who had never been to Dallas. Their booster club is definitely Garland High like, and the influx of East Asians is DEFINITELY Garland/Richardson back then. And it wasn't that we were necks, its just that it was a different world back then. Less professionals than you see now. Middle class was different then. Lots of people who liked hanging with their neighbors, taking care of lawns and ridiculously conservative like Hank. Different Garland than what exists today.

[dweej]

Beavis and Butthead cracks me up like you would not believe- I graduated from Bryan Adams H.S. so knew a lot of kids from the Garlandish area and yes, some were just like those losers. And then I worked in Las Colinas, and knew all sorts of Office Space people. That Mike Judge....total genius

[BigDGeek]

Originally Posted by Grainraiser

I find this tread to be quite funny. Seems some folks find it offensive to drink beer and shoot the breeze with the neighbors. Richardson is not made up of the wine and cheese crowd. They are not beyond drinking a American beer. Arlen could be a neighborhood in 90% of the DFW. Folks have really brainwashed themselves into believing they are beyond this kind of socializing.

I'm not! I will be moving to Richardson next month and will be drinking beer in my yard.

Originally Posted by L3XVS

Okay - everyone in King of the Hill holds a blue collar, industrial-type job, and the town is portrayed as largely blue collar. Richardson is home to a Tier-III research institution and has a large number of college educated residents - its also home to a Whole Foods, something you certainly won't find in a backwater town.

Yes, I've been to several restaurants in Richardson as well as several bars, and always got a very solidly middle/upper-middle class (but educated) vibe. I'm not trying to be offensive but the imagery is just not consistant....

I agree that Richardson seems more urbane than the city portrayed on King of the Hill but Preston Hollow it ain't. (And that is a good thing.)

[theloneranger]

Arlen isn't a suburb, it's more of an exurb/country town. Dallas is always portrayed as a bit of a trip in the show, but DFW is the airport they use and the Cowboys are king.

This suggests somewhere in East or Central Texas. My thought is that the current town that it's most like is somewhere like Hillsboro.

However, the town could easily be based on Richardson or Garland or Humble or any other Texas suburb 20 years ago if not for the distance from the city.

Texas culture hasn't changed very much from what's in the show. I find the characters' accents largely laughable, but I don't think they're seriously imitating Texan accents. It's a great portrayal of the Middle American culture seen in a thousand towns in Texas.

[FarNorthDallas]

I think the middle school on the show is Tom Landry Middle School which also implies Dallas area.

[pepper131]

I was thought it was Garland and representative of the time when Mike Judge lived in the area - certainly not a recent time.
Although a recent episode did put a McMansion in the Hill's neighborhood...a cheaply made chateau that blew apart in the wind.

I love this show. It's a great study of life.

And...Arlen...duh...take off the G and the ending D and you basically have Arlen subbing an e for the a.

And don't forget Luanne Platter Luanne Platter - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Which is so obvious.
And Luly's...

I also know someone who talks just like Boomhauer.

[Westerner92]

I think the location or inspiration for fictional places is meant to be arbitrary. There are supposed to be inconsistencies. In the show, Arlen is portrayed as being a small city with small-town-minded people. It seems to have a very large mall for such a small city, is within a short drive of both Houston and Dallas, and has scenery much like Central or North Texas. By putting Arlen in a definate location, the writers would have limited themselves on which stereotypes of Texas they could portray.
BTW, I noticed Lubbock was mentioned earlier in the thread as being blue-collar. That's not the case at all. It's a university/healthcare city.