What state was Mayfield in?

[pandabear88]

What state do you think Mayfield was in?

[BlueEyes1767]

Originally posted by pandabear88
What state do you think Mayfield was in?

They say that Mayfield was supposed to be anywhere in the USA so everyone could identify with it. I supposed I'm biased, being from Ohio, but it points more to Ohio than other states. Ward has stated many times he is from a farm in the Shaker Heights area, which is near Cleveland. Larry's dad went to Cincinnati a lot by bus. Eddie had an Ohio State pennant on his bedroom wall. Wally's track team ran against Cleveland High once. The parents of one of Wally's or Beaver's friends went to Freeport, which is a city in Ohio. And of course there is a Mayfield, Ohio,,,,up near the Cleveland/Akron area, which Jerry Mathers mentions in his book. The Leave it to Beaver movie finally set Mayfield in Ohio. But on the TV show they mention things like the ocean and surfing sometimes, which throws viewers off of thinking it's in one location.

[junecleaver]

i think ohio...larry's father was always in cincinatti, ward sometimes went to cleveland, and there is a mayfield in Ohio so there ya go!

[evermore]

OREGON, WARD HAS STATED THAT THE OCEAN IS 20 MILES AWAY WHEN WALLY AND HIS FRIENDS TOOK THE DINGY BOAT THEY HAD BUILT TO THE POND AND THE BOAT TIPPED OVER WITH BEAVER IN IT. ALSO, WHEN LUMPY WAS CONSIDERING GOING IN THE MERCHANT MARINE, IT WAS QUESTIONED IF LUMPY HAD GONE DOWN TO THE OCEAN TO PICK OUT A BOAT. BEAVER AND THE PAPERGIRL WERE ALSO ON THEIR WAY TO THE BEACH TO TEST OUT HER BROTHER'S SURF BOARD. THERE ARE NO OCEANS OR BEACHES IN OHIO.
:yeahthat

[desilu #1]

Well there are some good hints on both sides. When I seen that Ohio State penant on Eddie's wall that convinced me that they were in Ohio but I guess you can be a fan of a team from a different state. I was born and raised in Michigan and I'm a New York Giants fan instead of a Detroit Lions fan so who knows they could very well have been trying to throw us off with the difference in hints but I still lean toward Ohio.

[WardOleMan]

Ohio makes a lot of sense to me too other than the surfing issue. I don't live near there but can someone tell me is it possible to surf on the shores of the Great Lakes?

[Mijada]

Originally posted by WardOleMan
I don't live near there but can someone tell me is it possible to surf on the shores of the Great Lakes?

I live in MI and I've been to all the Great Lakes and have never seen waves big enough to surf on. I don't even know anyone around here who surfs.

[frani]

I've said this in previous posts on this subject. i think the ocean and surfing references were only put in their due to the time of the show. That was when the beach boys and jan and dean were extremely popular and it would have made sense to have a surfing angle. that's the only reason that i think they ever referred to the ocean.

but anyway, i totally believe it's ohio.

[Chris49633]

If I have to pick one, I would say OHIO. But it's obvious that Mayfield is intended to be in no state. No one will ever know the answer, because there is no answer. Just that Mayfield is in NO state. Please, lets just put this to a rest people, it's getting old. It's obvious that Mayfield is in no specific state.

[1954Boomer]

I cast my vote for Oregon on this one, for the exact reasons Evermore has cited. It just seems to make sense given the information provided in the various episodes.

[BlueEyes1767]

Originally posted by frani
I've said this in previous posts on this subject. i think the ocean and surfing references were only put in their due to the time of the show. That was when the beach boys and jan and dean were extremely popular and it would have made sense to have a surfing angle. that's the only reason that i think they ever referred to the ocean.

but anyway, i totally believe it's ohio.

I remember them talking about it snowing and Beaver having a snowsuit on the earlier episodes. I don't recall them mentioning the ocean and surfing until the later seasons.

[duluthduke]

No one will ever know for sure where it was, because that was the intent of Connelly and Mosher. However I think more things point to Oregon than any other state. To answer an earlier post, yes they do sometimes surf on the Great Lakes in the very limited time in late summer when the water warms up!

[GidgetCleaver]

I grew up up in Ohio near Cleveland/Mayfield and so many things mentioned on the show are familiar to that area. We also had beaches. Not the kind by the ocean, but we still called them beaches anyway. And we all dreamed of surfing just because it was big at the time. Everything was surfing in those days, I'm sure some of you remember. I also think that's why they put that in the show. Someone in charge had to be familiar with Ohio, maybe one of them was from there, because there are just too many similarities. And why would they have set the movie in Ohio? They had to get that idea from somewhere.

[duluthduke]

In the episode where Eddie wants to get a job on a fishing boat, which will be on tonight, the fishing boat is going to Alaska. To get to AK from Ohio they would have to go through the entire St. Lawrence Seaway, then the Panama Canal, and up the entire West Coast. But, I'm sure fishing boats often went to Alaska from Oregon!

[UncleBilly]

A couple of other clues to the location have been mentioned over the course of the show. Besides all the obvious ones pinpointing the Ohio location, the said in "Beaver's Prep School" that New England was only 2 hours away by plane. In "Don Juan Beaver" Melinda states that she moved "up" from Charleston. And in one of the eps (I can't remember which) they state that someone is going "all the way out" to California, leading you to believe Mayfield is a great distance from that state. Personally, I believe it is in the Cleveland area of Ohio because of so much reference to streets and towns from that area, but I think the writers wanted us to believe it was an All-American midwestern town that portrayed living the "Great American Dream of the 1950's".

[duluthduke]

I believe in the Prep School episode Ward says New England is a "few hours" away by plane. Also, in the earlier episode The Boat Builders he clearly says "the ocean" is 20 miles away!

[B&W fan]

Originally posted by duluthduke
In the episode where Eddie wants to get a job on a fishing boat, which will be on tonight, the fishing boat is going to Alaska. To get to AK from Ohio they would have to go through the entire St. Lawrence Seaway, then the Panama Canal, and up the entire West Coast. But, I'm sure fishing boats often went to Alaska from Oregon!

Yea, that episode really destroys the Ohio theory completely. I also believe the mention of "beaches" and "surfing" greatly hurts the Ohio theory. Then think about the weather. It's never snowed in Mayfield that we have seen, nor does it ever appear really cold.

Granted, there are a number of hints that point to Ohio, but there are many that clearly point away from it as well. Given absolutely EVERY clue/hint that the show gave us over the course of it's run, I'd narrowly give the nod to the state of Oregon.

B&W "I know the popular opinion is Ohio, but the fact is that Mayfield is 'Anytown' USA, and therefore 'Anystate' USA as well" fan

[BlueEyes1767]

To my knowledge there is no Mayfield, Oregon in real life. But there is definitely a Mayfield, Ohio......

[duluthduke]

That is true but doesn't really mean much as I'm sure there are Mayfields in other states as well. You just can't get around the Boat Builders ocean references and Eddie's fishing boat!

[evermore]

JUST FOR SOME FUN FACTS ABOUT OREGON

OREGON'S NICK NAME IS THE BEAVER STATE.
IT'S STATE ANIMAL IS THE BEAVER.
OREGON STATE UNIVERSITY'S TEAM IS CALLED THE BEAVERS


:yeahthat

[BlueEyes1767]

Originally posted by duluthduke
That is true but doesn't really mean much as I'm sure there are Mayfields in other states as well. You just can't get around the Boat Builders ocean references and Eddie's fishing boat!

The writers did that to keep us guessing for years,,,they probably got a laugh out of it.......Or maybe they thought the viewers didn't notice the discrepancies?
You can't get around the ocean & surfing stuff, but you also can't get around Ward from Shaker Heights, Mr. Mondello's bus rides to Cincinnati, Wally's track team running against Cleveland High, Eddie's Ohio State pennant, the student moving "up"
from Charleston, SC, the 2 hour plane ride to Fallbrook in the East, and Wally's schoolmate who transferred down to Mayfield from Cleveland. And the LITB movie made it in Ohio.
But in reality, it was shot in California so that has an influence too.......
Since Connelly & Mosher also wrote for the Munsters, maybe 1313 Mockingbird Lane was in Mayfield, too! ;)

[duluthduke]

I don't have a script but I believe Ward said Falbrook was "a few hours away" by plane. Also if the girl with the phony accent (Melinda) moved to Oregon from Charleston she would be moving "up" there.

As for the Shaker Heights references, I have never understood them. Ward's family is supposed to have farmed there. But anyone from Cleveland knows it is not a farming area, but a rather exclusive suburb!

[BlueEyes1767]

But Oregon is far more "out" than "up" from South Carolina. Ward probably grew up on a farm that was closest to Shaker Heights. But as far as the original series goes, it doesn't name any state in particular. It could be anywhere & that is what they wanted. But they finally settled on Ohio in the movie.

[evermore]

Ward said in the BOAT BUILDERS that the ocean was 20 miles away. Would he consider one of the GREAT LAKES an ocean? Come to think about it, they never did they anything regarding the GREAT LAKES for their retreats just Crystal Falls, and there is a Crystal Falls State Park in Washington, as well as Michigan.:wave:

[1954Boomer]

I cast my vote---again---for Oregon!

[evermore]

OREGON IS THE "BEAVER STATE".

GO BEAVERS!!!:cheer: :cheer: :cheer: :cheer: :cheer: :schmack:

[DaveE]

I believe it was supposed to be Ohio also, however, in a few of the older episodes I watched this week, before the family moved to the new house. The boys were playing ball in the street and I saw a palm tree ( none of those in Cleveland). Later, when they were driving up to Crystal Falls, there were mountains that look exactly like California.
This is probably due to the fact that the series was filmed in California and they made no effort to make it look like Ohio. So I am saying to myself. It could be anywhere you want it to be, good old U.S.A.

[Michael [hXc]]

Mayfield is in Oregon!!!!
Go Beaver State!!!:lol: :talk:

[duluthduke]

In the episode where Beaver finds the wallet, June was ordering Camellia bushes from the nursery. Well you can't grow them in northern Ohio but you can in coastal Oregon!

[frani]

i stand by ohio. i know there are inaccuracies such as the ocean, etc. but i think the essence is intended to be midwestern america. i think the pacific northwest or california have different personalities to them that would identify them as such, don't you think? for example, i don't know if they ever say it, but you know that the brady bunch is in california. i think the values of the show and the aw shucks-ness of it are definitely midwest. i think it's a big picture thing. Also, if they said it was ohio in the movie, then why is there even a question?

[duluthduke]

I don't think Ohio was any more "all American" than other parts of the country in the 1950s and 60s. Certainly Oregon was (and is) not like California in most ways!

[CCRYDER1968]

I always figured mid-California:) ...Even though it's supposed to be a fictional town,I really enjoy the speculation...you guys have some great ideas!:D

[Michael [hXc]]

Since it was actually filmed in California, they made it look like it was. That's a very good idea, but there is one thing that rules it out. In episode "Long Distance Call", they make a long distance call to California to speak to Don Drysdale. If they live around there, it isn't long distance.

Good idea, though!

[duluthduke]

I suppose far northern CA is a possibility, but it seemed to be too cold to be any farther south!

[Michael [hXc]]

Throughout LITB, they always had perfect weather.

[CCRYDER1968]

Yeah...that's why I was thinking California,but then again,they never had a Christmas episode which could have been a clue to this mystery:lol:

[duluthduke]

I think weather was more prominent in the earlier episodes. In "Selling Water" they had a heat wave, and rain storms were shown a few times.

[CCRYDER1968]

Originally posted by duluthduke
I think weather was more prominent in the earlier episodes. In "Selling Water" they had a heat wave, and rain storms were shown a few times.


hmmmmm.heat waves and rain storms.....welll,not a lot of rain storms in California.Could lead credance to the Ohio theory..;)

[Michael [hXc]]

Doesn't it rain a lot in Oregon? I remember a few episodes with rain. Most evidence points to either California or Oregon!

Great ideas. I was thinking, if they lived in northern California, LA would still be long distance.

[CCRYDER1968]

Originally posted by BeaverFan5
Doesn't it rain a lot in Oregon? I remember a few episodes with rain. Most evidence points to either California or Oregon!

Great ideas. I was thinking, if they lived in northern California, LA would still be long distance.


Yep! It would be long distance!

[duluthduke]

I think Oregon is more known for rain than Ohio. Also if it had been in the "north," I think they would have featured or at least talked about snow and cold weather occasionally!

[CCRYDER1968]

Originally posted by duluthduke
I think Oregon is more known for rain than Ohio. Also if it had been in the "north," I think they would have featured or at least talked about snow and cold weather occasionally!

True! If they were in a cold climate,surely they would've had a snowy episode...or at least people coming in from out of the cold shivering....this is an interesting mystery:lol:

[Michael [hXc]]

I used to think it was Ohio, but my mind is changing to Oregon/California. If they lived in mid-California, it would snow a lot. It puts it in upper-California, mid/lower Oregon.:)

[BlueEyes1767]

In "Mistaken Identity", it is mentioned that the McMahon family who lived in the old, deserted house moved out to California. In the episode where Beaver gets the accordian, Cleveland is again brought up by the company rep who comes to collect the instrument. In an early episode, June talks about Beaver wearing his snowsuit. If they wanted to hint at Oregon, why weren't any cities in Oregon mentioned?

[duluthduke]

The accordian could have come from Cleveland, that doesn't mean they lived there. Also there are plenty of snowy mountains not too far from the ocean in Oregon.

[BlueEyes1767]

Weren't those writers clever to keep the debate going after all of these years? Although in the LITB movie, they finally gave Mayfield a state. Ohio.

[CCRYDER1968]

It's a good fun mystery.That's why they did it.Don't take everything in life too seriously!;)

[duluthduke]

Of course we will never know for sure, but it's fun to surmise. My main contention has always been that there are just as many things pointing to it being in Oregon or the Northwest as there do to Ohio!:)

[Cashodeen]

I've said it once, I'll say it again-- Ohio looks like the winner, BUT the only states that never ever get excluded for any reason throughout the series are OR and WA.

[GidgetCleaver]

There is only one Shaker Heights in the US. It is in Ohio, about 10 miles from Mayfield. There are several beaches nearby.

[duluthduke]

They don't just say "the beach." In THE BOAT BUILDERS they repeatedly refer to the ocean, and Ward specifically says "the ocean is 20 miles away!" I've never understood the Shaker Heights references because I know it is not a farming area!

[number6]

The best answer to this ? is Ohio, there are to many refrences to communities in Ohio, but at first the 20 miles to the ocean comment throws you nasty curve ball, if Ward had only said Lake. This is my first post.

[Cashodeen]

Originally posted by number6
The best answer to this ? is Ohio, there are to many refrences to communities in Ohio, but at first the 20 miles to the ocean comment throws you nasty curve ball, if Ward had only said Lake. This is my first post.

Right on! Welcome to the greatest boards ever. :wave:

[Michael [hXc]]

It is either Oregon or Ohio.

[GidgetCleaver]

Welcome number6! :wave: