Parks & Rec: Eagleton’s Location Explained (& How It Changes)

The characters in Parks & Recreation had some interesting rivalries, and the most notable one was that between Pawnee and Eagleton – and with the latter changing locations throughout the series, it’s understandable why Leslie couldn’t stand it and its residents. The political satire sitcom Parks & Recreation debuted on NBC in 2009 and came to an end in 2015 after seven seasons and a lot of ups and downs in the lives of its main characters. Although the series had a rough start, it eventually found its own style and subsequent seasons were a major improvement.

Parks & Recreation followed eternal optimist Leslie Knope (Amy Poehler) and her friends and coworkers from the Parks Department in the fictional town of Pawnee, Indiana. Leslie was known for not giving up, always being prepared (or at least she tried to be), her love of waffles, and her loyalty to her town, which in turn meant a strong dislike towards its neighbor, Eagleton. The rivalry between both towns was a running gag in the series, with Leslie refusing to go and/or interact with Eagleton’s citizens, and even diminishing their work (as happened with Pawnee Commons’ architect, Wreston St. James).

Eagleton was mentioned many times and visited a couple more, but there are some inconsistencies when it comes to its location, as it changed over the course of the series.

Parks & Recreation: What Is Eagleton’s Real Location?

Eagleton was founded when a group of the wealthiest and more prominent citizens of Pawnee fled to the west after finding Pawnee’s soil untenable and the smell unpleasant. As Eagleton is located on top of a hot spring, it allows them to grow plants that other cities in Indiana can’t, only adding to their superiority complex, which Leslie couldn’t stand, calling the town “the land of rich, snobby jerks” (even though she was born there). In season 2’s episode “Kaboom”, it’s mentioned that Eagleton is located two towns over, but that changed in later seasons, showing that the towns actually border each other – season 3’s episode “Eagleton” had them building a fence to keep Pawnee residents away, and in season 5’s “Pawnee Commons”, Leslie shows the dividing line between them.

Given the events in season 6, Eagleton’s official location is that of the town right next to Pawnee, as it was reabsorbed by it after accumulating too much debt and being on the verge of a major financial disaster. The merge obviously wouldn’t have been possible if Eagleton had been located two towns over, so this could be taken as a detail that wasn’t given too much thought, and one that could be easily reworked when the time came. In the end, Leslie set her dislike towards Eagleton aside when the town needed help, and can now say that Pawnee has palm trees and the air smells like vanilla. Parks & Recreation has a couple of plot holes and inconsistencies, but Eagleton’s location is a minor one that ultimately most viewers won’t even notice, as the first reference to it happens fast and in the first episodes of the series.

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Adrienne Tyler
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Adrienne Tyler is a features writer for Screen Rant. She is an Audiovisual Communication graduate who wanted to be a filmmaker, but life had other plans (and it turned out great). Prior to Screen Rant, she wrote for Pop Wrapped, 4 Your Excitement (4YE), and D20Crit, where she was also a regular guest at Netfreaks podcast. She was also a contributor for FanSided’s BamSmackPow and 1428 Elm. Adrienne is very into films and she enjoys a bit of everything: from superhero films to heartbreaking dramas, to low-budget horror films. Every time she manages to commit to a TV show without getting bored, an angel gets its wings.

When she’s not writing, you can find her trying to learn a new language, watching hockey (go Avs!), or wondering what life would have been like had Pushing Daisies, Firefly, and Limitless not been cancelled. Breakfast food is life and coffee is what makes the world go round.

Guillermo del Toro said “hi” to her once. It was great.

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