Learn More About the Fictional Town ’13 Reasons Why’ Was Set in — and Where the Series Was Filmed!

After nearly three years and four seasons, the Netflix original series 13 Reasons Why never actually revealed where the show is set in. Thankfully, since the teen drama was based on a Jay Asher novel of the same name, we have some more information.

In the book, published in 2007, Jay never specifies which state 13 Reasons Why takes place in, but the fictional town is called Crestmont. For those of you who have been watching the series since March 2017, you might recall that the movie theater where Hannah Baker (played by Katherine Langford) and Clay Jensen (played by Dylan Minnette) met was called The Crestmont.

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The decision to keep the location vague is seemingly a means of creating the idea that these real issues — i.e. suicide, mental illness, substance abuse, sexual abuse, etc. — can happen to anyone, anywhere.

“Fiction is an easy way to talk about issues: I think it feels less preachy,” Jay told Entertainment Weekly in a 2015 interview. “You can have the students discuss characters in the book as opposed to hypothetical situations, or as opposed to opening up about themselves, unless they really want to.”

As for the filming of 13 Reasons Why, it primarily took place in the San Francisco Bay Area of California. For example, the many scenes that took place in Liberty High School were actually filmed in Analy High School in Sebastopol, California.

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Throughout all four seasons, Monet’s coffee shop was a major stomping ground for all of the central characters. The real-life location is in Vallejo, California, and was formerly City Lights Cafe & Catering.

The final season of 13 Reasons Why hit Netflix on June 5. Despite the continued popularity of the series, showrunner Brian Yorkey never had any intention of going past four seasons. 

“I’m always a little bit suspicious of high school shows that go beyond four seasons because high school is four years long,” he told Entertainment Weekly in a May 12 interview. “So when somehow high school shows become seven and eight seasons long — don’t get me wrong, I watch them all — but I tend to get a little suspicious of something that began as a high school show.”

If you or someone you know is in emotional distress or considering suicide, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).