Hill Valley (Back to the Future)



Hill Valley, California, is the fictional setting for the Back to the Future trilogy of films. In addition to the main plot, the films contain many sight gags, verbal innuendos and detailed set design elements, from which a detailed and consistent history and geography of the area can be derived. The name Hill Valley is itself a joke, being an oxymoron, or contradiction in terms.

Shooting locations
For Back to the Future, the producers considered filming the town square scenes in the real city of Petaluma, California, but soon realized it would be prohibitively expensive and impractical to alter a real place to suit the different eras. Instead they filmed it on the Universal Studios backlot, where they had more control. The main location, known as Courthouse Square, already existed and had been previously used for many films and television shows. The Hill Valley courthouse can also be found in the movies Bruce Almighty, Gremlins, Sneakers, The Offspring ' s music video "Why Don't You Get a Job?" and even in an episode of Buffy The Vampire Slayer. The clock tower itself, however, was a removable addition to the existing Courthouse building, one of many ways in which the structure has been redressed over the years to suit the needs of a production. Prior to Back to the Future, the backlot location was called Mockingbird Square, a reference to the 1962 film To Kill a Mockingbird.


 * The Universal Studios Backlot location: google maps, Live Local

Many of the cars that appear in the 2015 scenes are either modified for the film or concept cars. Examples include Ford Probe, Saab EV-1, Citroën DS 21, Pontiac Banshee Concept and Pontiac Fiero. Cars reused from other science fiction films include the "Star Car" from The Last Starfighter (1984) and a "Spinner" from Bladerunner (1982). Griff's car is a modified BMW convertible.

For Back to the Future Part III, Hill Valley 1885 was filmed in Sonora, California. The producers were able to use the land rent free as long as they left the buildings there. They agreed to leave everything except the Clock Tower. Interestingly, on August 10, 1996, a lightning bolt struck the town and it burned down. An arson fire on the Universal Studios Hollywood backlot on November 6, 1990 had previously destroyed much of Courthouse Square, the setting in which all the other time periods were filmed. However, the Courthouse itself survived the devastation. Another backlot fire on September 6, 1997 again damaged Courthouse Square. In both cases, the backlot facades were then rebuilt. The Sonora location was not rebuilt. In addition, a February 14, 1999 fire at Whittier High School, California, where some (mostly exterior) scenes were filmed, destroyed the old men's gym there.

Other real-life shooting locations of Hill Valley landmarks include the following:
 * Doc's house in 1955 is the Gamble House in Pasadena, California.
 * Twin Pines Mall is actually the Puente Hills Mall, located in Industry, California.
 * Marty's Lyon Estates house in 1985 is actually in Roslyndale, California.
 * Peabody's Twin Pines Ranch is really at Golden Oaks Ranch, which is owned by The Walt Disney Company and used in many Disney productions.
 * The houses of George McFly and Lorraine Baines in 1955 are both in South Pasadena, California.

History
The following information is taken directly from places and events shown or mentioned in the three films:

Early settlement
The town of Hill Valley was first settled in 1850 and was incorporated in 1865. By the 1880s, it was connected by railroad to San Francisco. Construction of a new county courthouse was well underway in 1885, the year a new clock was dedicated for the building. The Shonash Ravine Bridge was completed in the Summer of 1886, around the same time the ravine was renamed the Eastwood Ravine Bridge (or Clayton Ravine Bridge, depending upon which timeline one focuses upon).

Rise and fall of town square
The area around the courthouse was developed in the following seventy years and by the 1950s had become the downtown of Hill Valley. A grass-covered town square was built in front of the courthouse, while stores, theatres and cafés opened on the surrounding streets. On Saturday, November 12 1955, at 10:04 p.m. PST, lightning struck the courthouse's clock tower, freezing the clock at 10:04. The clock was never repaired and as it became a landmark of Hill Valley over the years, it was preserved in its non-functional state by the Hill Valley Preservation Society.

A few decades later, many of the town square businesses moved or closed down. The new businesses which replaced them included a second-hand shop and an adult book store. The courthouse fell into a state of disrepair, while at night at least one homeless person slept on the town square park benches. To accommodate the growing need for parking space, the grassy park outside of the courthouse was converted into a parking lot. "That was always one of the major elements of the story even in its earliest incarnation," screenwriter Bob Gale says in The Making of Back to the Future, "was to take a place and show what happens to it over a period of thirty years. What happened to everybody's home town is obviously the same thing. They built the mall out in the boonies, and killed all the business downtown, and everything changed."

By the 21st century, the downtown area had experienced a revival as the courthouse was converted into the Courthouse Mall. Businesses began to move back into and around the town square and the parking lot was converted into a pond. The clock on top of the courthouse was still preserved at 10:04 due to the continuous efforts of the Hill Valley Preservation Society.

Signs that say "Welcome to Hill Valley" are seen in 1955 and 2015. Both signs have symbols representing the Rotary, Kiwanis and Lions clubs. In addition, the 1955 sign has the logos of the YMCA, Jaycees, and Future Farmers of America while the 2015 sign has those of Neighborhood Crime Watch and the 4-H Club.

Alternate history
In Back to the Future Part II, a nightmarish alternate history of Hill Valley is depicted. Due to the influence of the powerful and corrupt Biff Tannen, gambling was legalized in 1979. Tannen's toxic waste reclamation plants were built downtown, polluting the air and leading to pollution alerts to be issued. Tannen also bought off the police. Consequently, crime increased and biker gangs settled in the city. Hill Valley's public school burned down and the courthouse was converted into Biff Tannen's Pleasure Paradise Casino and Hotel.

Location
The films establish Hill Valley as being located in Northern California, 12 miles east of Grass Valley, and with railway links to San Francisco. U.S. Route 395 passes through Hill Valley with a directional route shield posted near the Town Square. The town is nestled in rolling foothills, with an apparently temperate, albeit semi-arid climate, and, according to Back to the Future III, although there is a desert within walking distance of the town, the nearby lake freezes over in the winter.

Recurring places
Many family businesses are passed down from generation to generation in Hill Valley. As a result, the city changes but remains similar from one generation to the next, as businesses are updated but rarely change. These recurring elements were a deliberate choice on the part of the filmmakers. The production designer of Back to the Future Part 2, Rick Carter, is quoted in a DVD extra as saying, "The future is built on the present." Director Robert Zemeckis adds that the continuity between the different eras in Hill Valley's history is an example of the adage, "the more things change, the more they stay the same".

The following is a list of such places. When a place is not seen or mentioned in a movie, it is marked unknown.

1885

 * 1) Hill Valley Courthouse & Clock Tower (under construction)
 * 2) Palace Saloon
 * 3) Nothing
 * 4) Building under construction
 * 5) Honest Joe Statler's Fine Horses
 * 6) Unknown
 * 7) Unknown
 * 8) A. Jones Manure Handling
 * 9) Nothing
 * 10) Unknown
 * 11) Nothing
 * 12) Nothing

1955

 * 1) Hill Valley Courthouse
 * 2) Lou's Cafe
 * 3) Town Theater
 * 4) Essex Theater (as a mainstream movie house)
 * 5) Statler Studebaker
 * 6) Texaco full-service station
 * 7) Ask Mr. Foster Travel Service
 * 8) D. Jones Manure Handling
 * 9) Holt's Diner
 * 10) Twin Pines Ranch
 * 11) Lyon Estates (under development)
 * 12) Nothing

1985

 * 1) Hill Valley Courthouse - Department of Social Services
 * 2) Lou's Fitness Aerobics Center
 * 3) Assembly of Christ
 * 4) Essex Theater (as an adult movie house)
 * 5) Statler Toyota
 * 6) Texaco gas station
 * 7) Ask Mr. Foster Travel Service
 * 8) Unknown
 * 9) Elmo's Rib
 * 10) Twin Pines Mall (becomes Lone Pine Mall after Marty knocks down a tree in 1955)
 * 11) Lyon Estates
 * 12) Hilldale (under development)
 * 13) Hill Valley Police Department

Alternate 1985

 * 1) Biff Tannen's Pleasure Paradise Casino & Hotel
 * 2) Dee Dee Delight Bar
 * 3) Biffco Toxic Waste Reclamation Plant
 * 4) Unknown
 * 5) Unknown
 * 6) Unknown
 * 7) Unknown
 * 8) Unknown
 * 9) Unknown
 * 10) Unknown
 * 11) Lyon Estates
 * 12) Unknown
 * 13) Hill Valley Police Department (owned by Biff)

2015

 * 1) Hill Valley Courthouse Mall
 * 2) Cafe 80's
 * 3) Hill Valley Theater (closed)
 * 4) Holomax Theater
 * 5) Statler Pontiac
 * 6) 7-Eleven (first floor) and Texaco automated Havoline station (second floor)
 * 7) Uniglobe Travel
 * 8) Unknown
 * 9) Fusion Bar
 * 10) Unknown
 * 11) Unknown
 * 12) Hilldale
 * 13) Hill Valley Police Department

Unique places
Despite Hill Valley's notable consistency, many businesses do appear and disappear over the years, as their services begin being needed or become obsolete. The following is a list of businesses that have no known equivalent in other time periods.

1885

 * Wells Fargo & Co.
 * Barber
 * Marshal's office
 * General Mercantile
 * Doctor
 * Gunsmith
 * Bath House
 * Dress Maker
 * Hill Valley Telegraph
 * Hill Valley Station
 * Undertaking
 * Cabinet Maker
 * Meat Market
 * Blacksmith

1955

 * Hill Valley Stationers
 * Armstrong Realty
 * Louis Watch Maker
 * Gaynor's Hideaway
 * Roy's Records
 * Elite Barber
 * Blue Bird Motel
 * Bank of America
 * Western Auto
 * Hal's Bike Shop
 * Western Union

1985

 * Dept. of Social Services
 * Cupid's Adult Book Store
 * Goodwill Industries
 * Bank of America
 * The Third Eye
 * Hog Heaven
 * Broadway Florist
 * Burger King
 * Toys "R" Us
 * JCPenney (in the mall)
 * Robinson's (in the mall)
 * Fox Photo (mall parking lot)
 * Biff's Auto Detailing

2015

 * Blast From the Past
 * Simulex
 * Pizza Hut
 * True Blues
 * Eclipse - Contemporary & Traditional Lighting Store
 * Flying High - A Kite Store
 * Hill Valley Surrogate Parenting Center
 * Bottoms Up: A Plastic Surgery Franchise
 * The Bot Shoppe
 * Mr. Perfect All Natural Steroids
 * Luxor Taxi Cab Co.
 * Hill Valley Transit
 * Hill Valley Gifts
 * Hyatas Japanese Market