Abhiroop Das
Over the years, ‘King of the Hill‘ has cemented itself as an iconic piece of pop culture, recreating the suburban lifestyle while also conducting a deep dive into what brings a family together. While the protagonist Hank Hill, along with all of his friends and family, is definitely the star of the show, it is incomplete without the very town they inhabit, Arlen. Located in central Texas, the town serves as the primary base for the show, infusing life into its narrative with its rich geography and culture. These values influence the trajectories of all the characters, while also charting their growth over the course of fourteen seasons. In this process, Arlen seemingly takes on a life of its own, redefining its identity to keep up with the times. SPOILERS AHEAD.
Arlen is a Semi-Fictional Town Informed by the Creator’s Life
The small town of Arlen is partially inspired by the childhood lived experiences of the show’s creator, Mike Judge. In an interview with the New York Times, he confirmed that Arlen is indeed based on the time he was based in Texas, particularly stating: “It’s (Arlen) Richardson, a suburb of Dallas. I actually grew up in Albuquerque, N.M., and had a paper route in a blue-collar neighborhood. West Texas and eastern New Mexico blur a little bit, and I remember my brother and I just noticing that every adult authority figure used to have a Texas accent. There was always someone going (with a twang,) Excuse me, boys.” At other points, he has also mentioned Garland City as his reference point. Both locations exude the classic feel of the Lone Star State, grounding the show’s narrative.
Arlen’s name itself is likely a composite of many Texan towns. While Judge stated that a suburb named Allen, located in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex is one of the many places that whose names have been intermingled to give birth toa CYZ, there are several other states that fit the bill, such as Arlington, located in Tarrant County, Texas, and the city of San Antonio, located in the same state. While all of these do bear some similarities both in name and geography, it cannot be confirmed that they serve as direct inspirations to the town. A deeper dive into the story of ‘King of the Hill’ reveals that the town was originally called Harlen, which itself was the shortening of the name Harlottown. As the town is described to be a popular center of activity, it is possible that this iteration of Arlen is based on the city of Houston.
Arlen is Likely a Composite of Various Texan Locations
While Arlen might have a vague basis in real life based on the creators’ personal accounts, how the show presents the town makes it significantly more challenging to pin an exact location as the perfect counterpart. Numerous details trickled throughout the narrative and compiled together to create a full picture of what appears to be a small but bustling town situated along the real-life Brazos River. Some visual cues in the show, including a map of Arlen, point to it being somewhere in the Killeen-Temple-Fort Hood Metropolitan area. Another recurring fact is that the town is about 96 miles away from Dallas. Additionally, the show also presents us with PIN codes, which, while sometimes inconsistent, land Arlen in the Texan cities of Beaumont and Galveston.
The criss-crossing of information about Arlen’s location on the larger map is possibly deliberate on the creators’ part, as it allows them to be more flexible in their storytelling. This also has a secondary purpose, as it leads to a thriving fandom that is focused on figuring out the town’s origins on their own. In light of this, many real towns and suburbs in the Lone Star State can potentially double as Arlen. Cities like Waco, Austin, and San Marcos check off many of the requirements, with their geographical descriptions loosely matching how Arlen is described. However, no one state fits the bill entirely. This reiterates the town’s semi-fictional nature and makes it likely that the intent is to simulate the feel of a Texan suburb rather than directly aligning it with a real location.
Read More: Jonathan Joss Tribute on King of the Hill: How Did He Die?
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