"Leave it to Beaver" is set in the fictional town of Mayfield, state carefully left unspecified. But where might it be? Evidence:

-- In the episode where the Beav calls Don Drysdale in Los Angeles, it was a long-distance call. West Coast eliminated.

-- Beaver gets an opportunity to go away to Prep School in New England, said to be a few hours plane ride away. Northeast eliminated.

-- Nobody has a Southern accent. South eliminated.

-- Ward frequently refers to having attended Shaker Heights High School. Shaker Heights is in Ohio, suburban Cleveland.

-- Also in suburban Cleveland: MAYFIELD Heights

-- Beaver's class had a transfer student from Cleveland.

-- Wally plans to go to "State" for college. Could be Ohio State.

-- One of the few street names specified was Grant Avenue, location of Grant Avenue Elementary. Named after Ulysses S. Grant? (Native of Ohio.)

The creators/producers of LITB didn't want to specify any state, but if it's anywhere, it's Ohio.

From what I read, it looks like the Cleavers lived in Ohio, since there is a Mayfield that's a Cleveland suburb. But it seemed that the writers didn't want to reveal the actual state of residence. It's a mystery along with Ward's job.

I hope it was Mayfield, OH - because it's not too far away from where I live. The city of Shaker Heights is where Ward grew up, which is also a Cleveland suburb. So to me, the Cleavers live in Mayfield, OH. :D

I have to concur with most others about this. I've always heard they lived in Ohio. I mean, they're a solid mid-west kind of family and Ohio is right in the middle of the mid-west. Ohio is a good state for them to live as it had a lot of business and industry, especially back in the 50s and 60s.:D

Here are some pics of the REAL Mayfield High School in Mayfield, OH:

-- In the episode where the Beav calls Don Drysdale in Los Angeles, it was a long-distance call. West Coast eliminated.



West Coast is not eliminated- It's long distance to call Los Angeles from Washington State, and Oregon....and even other parts of California(though that's unlikely)

Everybody guesses Ohio, but in the episode where Wally and friends make the canoe and Beaver falls out of it- Ward makes a comment that the nearest ocean is 20 miles away. Some people say he's referring to the Great Lakes, I doubt that though, Ward having been a seabee would know the difference between an ocean and the Great Lakes.

Like Ward's job, there is no definitive answer. It was purposely left vague because Mayfield is located in Anywhere America.

Also in the episode where Eddie applies for an job working on a fishing boat headed for Alaska and it leaves Saturday. West Coast. But Ohio seems the logic location to me.

Also in the episode where Eddie applies for an job working on a fishing boat headed for Alaska and it leaves Saturday. West Coast. But Ohio seems the logic location to me.

I think what it is is Ohio and California combined. Either some writers or producers were from Ohio so a lot of influence came from there.

Plus didn't one of the episodes Larry mentioned his dad was away on business in Ohio?


It's like The Simpsons and Springfield, everyone trying to guess the state.

Ned Flanders: Look at that, you can see the four states that border Springfield: Ohio, Nevada, Maine, and Kentucky!

I can think of so many shows where the State where the show takes place is a complete mystery.
I know I have always wonder where about in America The TV show Lassie took place? I meen I always guess it was in The Midwest somewhere since there was a tornado episode.
Well also where about in America did The Munsters live?
And we also found out in a Donna Reed show episode that show took place in The same town as Dennis The Menace.
Well anyways this is Leave It Beaver we are talking about here.Yeah my guess is Ohio?

I would say Ohio, except for one thing. It never snowed on 'Leave it to Beaver', and doesn't Ohio have some pretty snowy winters?

I would say Ohio, except for one thing. It never snowed on 'Leave it to Beaver', and doesn't Ohio have some pretty snowy winters?
As an Ohioan, the answer is YES!! Mayfield, OH is also in NE Ohio, which means it gets the lake-effect snow from Lake Erie as well.

I'll go out on limb and say Washington or possibly Oregon....20 miles from the ocean.I don't think Ohio has a ocean, and fishing boats for Alaska cant leave from Ohio

The Cleavers went to an NFL exhibition game (the Brussels Sprouts episode). (The Packers seem to have been the visiting team.) They live conveniently close to a city with an NFL team in 1960. Already having ruled out the Northeast, the South, and California, that leaves only St. Louis, Minneapolis, Chicago, Detroit, and CLEVELAND.

Also, in response to Post #8, Larry's dad did go away on a business trip to Cincinnati. OHIO. And it was not an NFL city in 1960.

I would say Ohio, except for one thing. It never snowed on 'Leave it to Beaver', and doesn't Ohio have some pretty snowy winters?

That, and the fact Ohio isn't 20 miles away from the nearest ocean.

I'm starting to get the feeling that Mayfield was a mobile city! It moved around to avoid harsh winter weather, to be near the ocean when the plot of episode necessitated it, and to be far enough from L.A. to make a call to the Dodger's clubhouse long distance!

Once when I was a kid I went looking for Mayfield in an Atlas and found a Mayfield, Kentucky. As I recall its in the northern part of Kentucky. Since as mentioned on the show Larry's father was away in Ohio on business, that eliminates that state.


I say Mayfield, Kentucky is the place (I could be wrong, I admit that). Its not in the deep south, and besides not everybody in the southern states has an accent.

I've always felt the Cleavers lived in the Midwest - perhaps northeast Ohio, but as noted, there was never any episodes that involved snow. How many times did Larry Mondello's mother mention about her husband being in Cincinnati? I took that to mean he was away on business and with-in a less-than-a-day's drive away. Interestingly, Ward Cleaver is said to have grown up in Shaker Heights, but he sometimes talks about his early life growing up on a farm.

This is something I never thought about but now I want to know-lol

The Cleavers were definitely not in the South or in New England...those regions are way too distinctive.

Mayfield was not portrayed as a suburb to a major city...when Wally and Beaver took the train back home from Aunt Martha's, the stops were all small to medium towns with a lot of nothing in between.

My vote goes for somewhere in the Ohio-Indiana-Illinois-Iowa area

I would say Ohio, except for one thing. It never snowed on 'Leave it to Beaver', and doesn't Ohio have some pretty snowy winters?
Maybe none of the episodes took place in the winter. I don't even recall a Christmas episode.

I can tell you exactly where the Cleavers live! 211 Pine Street, Mayfield! ;)

There are quite a number of threads on this subject, and often they end the same way, with Ohio being the most likely state as the setting. And, indeed, there is compelling background in the names Mayfield, Shaker Heights, Euclid Avenue, "away in Cincinnati," no regional accents, and simply that that would have been thought of as "middle America," with middle class ethics, middle-of-the-road politics, et al. Mayfield, a small city, is never very far from big cities or farm land.

But, against the Ohio hypothesis, is the scenery shown on the weekend in the woods, and later in the camping trip episode. Those look more like the western ranges. That plus the "20 miles from any ocean" quote of Ward's, and definitely the fishing boat leaving for Alaska not a far drive (about 20+ miles?) gives some support for the Northwest; Washington or Oregon.

But getting particular, consider the final season ep about Lumpy's football scholarship to "State." We certainly assume that all along in the series when "State," where Ward and June met and so often considered by Wally as his future college, was mentioned, it means it is the major land grant university of the state and uses the state's name, shortened in LITB by the intent to not be specific about their location. And one guy in a scene comes up to Lumpy to congratulate him and mentions about getting Rose Bowl tickets "if they go there next year." That definitively limits the possibilities to 4 states-- Ohio, Michigan, Oregon, and Washington. The deal was made in 1946 that the Big Ten Conference would send its representative to play the Pacific Coast Conference champion (since renamed the Pacific 8, then Pac 10, and starting in 2011 the Pac 12; and the Big Ten would send its champion if bowl eligible and had not played there the previous year :confused: ). So with all that info, it could only have been the schools in those conferences that used the word State in their name-- Ohio St., Michigan St., Oregon St., or Washington St. (Arizona St. and Penn St. were not in those conferences at that time).

So, if you prefer to think of Mayfield as middle America, towns and farms, wthin a day of Cincinnati, and "a couple of hundred years" since there were wild Indians around (said Wally), then think Ohio, maybe Michigan. If you think of it as 20 miles from an ocean where fishing trollers leave for Alaska, and camping in rugged mountains, think Oregon or Washington. Aunt Martha's quote about June and Ward having "such an eastern-looking home so far west" isn't much help. WA/OR would have been far west to her, but maybe even Ohio, too ;) .

Here is another reason to rule out Ohio.

In the episode Box Office Attraction, before Wally brings Marlene over to dinner, June tells Ward she would feel better if Marlene's parents lived closer like in Ohio.

It would somehow be appropriate if Wally were on his way to Oregon State University since the nickname of their sports teams is "Beavers"! ;) :lol:

What one (episode) was the " tornado episode"?



I can think of so many shows where the State where the show takes place is a complete mystery.
I know I have always wonder where about in America The TV show Lassie took place? I meen I always guess it was in The Midwest somewhere since there was a tornado episode.
Well also where about in America did The Munsters live?
And we also found out in a Donna Reed show episode that show took place in The same town as Dennis The Menace.
Well anyways this is Leave It Beaver we are talking about here.Yeah my guess is Ohio?

Here is another reason to rule out Ohio.

In the episode Box Office Attraction, before Wally brings Marlene over to dinner, June tells Ward she would feel better if Marlene's parents lived closer like in Ohio.


In season 6 ep. 27 Beavers Prep School Aunt Martha says,
"It always a surprise to see such a eastern looking house, so far west."

Maybe none of the episodes took place in the winter. I don't even recall a Christmas episode.

Other than that one episode which ends with Beavers class singing Hark The Herald Angels Sing, it is odd that LITB doesn't have an official Christmas episode, I would like to know the reason for that.

As to where the Cleavers lived, I always figured Mayfield to be a small Southern Midwest town, what state though is anybodys guess. It could be Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, or Ohio. North and South Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan can probably be ruled out, those states are too far north.

I think the actual filming location for the series was in California, Republic Studio in seasons 1 & 2, then Universal Studio in seasons 3-6. There was never any snowy wintry weather in the episodes, but in some outdoor scenes you can see the actors breath in the air so they did film in cool weather on occasion.

Here is another reason to rule out Ohio.

In the episode Box Office Attraction, before Wally brings Marlene over to dinner, June tells Ward she would feel better if Marlene's parents lived closer like in Ohio.

I don't remember the exact context of what June said, but that does not rule out Ohio. To the contrary, if the Cleavers lived in Ohio, it would have been saying she would feel better if they lived very close.

I have to concur with most others about this. I've always heard they lived in Ohio. I mean, they're a solid mid-west kind of family and Ohio is right in the middle of the mid-west. Ohio is a good state for them to live as it had a lot of business and industry, especially back in the 50s and 60s.:D
I always wondered why it was never cold enough for them to wear a coat or really hot. One show talked about it being hot but that's it. And there was never any snow. They always had on a jacket like the weather was always in the 50's or 60's.

I don't remember the exact context of what June said, but that does not rule out Ohio. To the contrary, if the Cleavers lived in Ohio, it would have been saying she would feel better if they lived very close.

Yeah, but the aunt Martha statement does.

In season 6 ep. 27 Beavers Prep School Aunt Martha says,
"It always a surprise to see such a eastern looking house, so far west."