Jill Harness
California (As Seen by Paramount in 1927)
by Jill Harness - May 24, 2010 - 8:02 AM

Born and raised in California, I am a huge fan of my home state’s ecological diversity. The movie industry loves this variety too, which is part of the reason they found such a great home in Los Angeles.

This map is a great visualization of how Paramount Studios broke down the local ecosystems for filming back in 1927. I bet you never knew that Spain, Mississippi, Siberia and New England are all hidden within the Golden State.

Of course, now they usually travel to make movies more authentic. But then again, your favorite television show may still be filmed in Fake Switzerland near Lake Tahoe.

[via BoingBoing]

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Comments (6)

  1. I’m from Manchester, UK, and I grew up visiting North Wales as a kid.

    I’ve been to the West coast a few times, including driving up the Pacific Coast Highway from LA to Seattle last year, and there are parts that definitely remind me of Wales; especially around San Luis Obispo and Morro Bay.

    That map would be entertainingly confusing without the real place names on it!

    posted by Matt on 5-24-2010 at 10:50 am

  2. my home town was the kentucky mountains!

    posted by salemthegoddess on 5-24-2010 at 11:02 am

  3. As a native daughter of Bakersfield, it’s oddly comforting that nothing matches up to Bakersfield. :)
    I did think that there was a beautiful resemblance to Bakersfield when I visited Israel and Jordan several years ago.
    It also cracks me up that shows like “MASH” which were supposed to take place in Korea were filmed in SoCal. The eucalyptus trees definitely give it away.

    posted by Carolyn on 5-24-2010 at 2:39 pm

  4. Thanks for posting this! Aside from the annual number of sunny days, one reason the film industry settled in California was because of the state could simulate such a wide range of locations. This is an excellent illustration of that!

    posted by jmmc on 5-24-2010 at 4:20 pm

  5. it’s amazing how the English countryside looks nothing like southern California…
    /Austin Powers.

    posted by moonablaze on 5-24-2010 at 9:04 pm

  6. I suppose Venice is self-explanatory, but who knew that Wales was so close by?

    I’ve lived here for 33 years and I still learn something new all the time! Thanks!

    posted by shirleyfeeney on 5-24-2010 at 11:16 pm

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