The Most Filmed Locations in Every State
Some states were chosen for their particular flavor (the Minnesota of Fargo) or history (Mississippi for In the Heat of the Night). Others are cast just because they are not Big American Movie States: think of the horror movies of ‘Anytown, USA.’ But altogether, this huge variety of cultures and landscapes has made American cinema a candy box for global audiences to pick from. Today, the U.S. movie industry makes more money than any other (although notably, India makes the most films, and China sells the most cinema tickets).
But despite America’s diverse ‘cast’ of locations, California and New York continue to dominate the U.S. cinematic landscape. While California remains best known for its studio productions, you’d probably guess that New York’s most filmed location is Central Park — and as our new study proves, you’d be right. But what are the most filmed locations in all the other states? And what does the cinematic landscape look like when broken down by genre or location type?
What We Did
HawaiianIslands.com analyzed IMDb data to identify the U.S. locations with the most film credits, not including movie studios. We categorized the top locations by state, type, and genre to rank the most filmed locations in each category.
Key Findings
Hawaii’s Pearl Harbor Beats Local Beaches for Top Location
From the desert to the university, America’s landscape of top locations covers every part of U.S. life — and history. The Sonoran Desert is Arizona’s most filmed landscape, with a blazing 268 film credits. A desert is a versatile location: in addition to westerns such as McLintock! (1963), the Sonoran’s history of UFO activity makes it an apt sci-fi setting (A Fire in the Sky, 1978). And it even stands in for the Al-Hajarah desert in Iraq for Three Kings (1999).
But despite America’s diverse ‘cast’ of locations, California and New York continue to dominate the U.S. cinematic landscape. While California remains best known for its studio productions, you’d probably guess that New York’s most filmed location is Central Park — and as our new study proves, you’d be right. But what are the most filmed locations in all the other states? And what does the cinematic landscape look like when broken down by genre or location type?
What We Did
HawaiianIslands.com analyzed IMDb data to identify the U.S. locations with the most film credits, not including movie studios. We categorized the top locations by state, type, and genre to rank the most filmed locations in each category.
Key Findings
- Griffith Park in Los Angeles, California, is the most filmed location, with 399 credits.
- Pearl Harbor is Hawaii’s top film location, with 17 credits.
- Union Station in LA has more credits than the White House, the Golden Gate Bridge, or Grand Central Station — but it rarely ‘plays itself.’
Hawaii’s Pearl Harbor Beats Local Beaches for Top Location
From the desert to the university, America’s landscape of top locations covers every part of U.S. life — and history. The Sonoran Desert is Arizona’s most filmed landscape, with a blazing 268 film credits. A desert is a versatile location: in addition to westerns such as McLintock! (1963), the Sonoran’s history of UFO activity makes it an apt sci-fi setting (A Fire in the Sky, 1978). And it even stands in for the Al-Hajarah desert in Iraq for Three Kings (1999).
