Is Virgin River a Real Place? The Truth About the Netflix Show’s Location Revealed

Viewers have come to know the people that make up the town of Virgin River on Netflix’s hit series of the same name and are constantly enamored by the series’ beautiful shots. But is it actually a real place?

Is Virgin River a Real Place?

Virgin River fans have seen some stunning backdrops thanks to the images and picturesque views on the series, including mountains, rivers and more. The show is set in the Northern California town and is anything but sleepy.

However, Virgin River is not a real place but merely a made-up town that serves as the setting of the show. The series is based on the Virgin River novels written by Robyn Carr and stars Alexandra Breckenridge, Martin Henderson, Annette O’Toole, Tim Matheson and more.

Where Is ‘Virgin River’ Filmed?

Virgin River is actually filmed in Vancouver, British Columbia. W. Robert “Fluffy” Millar is the location manager behind the show and knows the lay of the land.

“Just living in B.C. and being here and seeing beautiful locations, I always take a picture,” he said in 2022 in an interview with Tudum. “Luckily, with the geo-tagging on phone photographs, if I see something really cool, I can just go click, take a picture of it, and then a year down the road I could be just like, ‘Oh, there was that one spot that was near Vernon and the Okanagan.’”

He spoke about what it’s like to work on a show like Virgin River, which is always showcasing the beautiful setting.

“It’s about beautiful people in troubled circumstances in beautiful locations,” he told Tudum in December 2024. “I’m always trying to one-up each episode, always trying to find a prettier, more stunning vista, or another easily accessible, dense forest, and it’s quite a blessing to be doing a show like this in British Columbia. We always coordinate with the First Nations themselves. The Squamish Nation has been really supportive of our show because we do a lot of filming on First Nations land. Because the show is so popular and has an overall positive message, we’ve developed a really great relationship.”

For him, finding the perfect location for a scene starts with reading the script.

“I myself do a little bit of the scouting, but I have this amazing young woman who’s been a scout for a few seasons now. Her name is Sarah Whitlam, and that’s all she does — professional location scouting,” Millar revealed. “She’s also a photographer and her photographs are stunning. She has a fantastic memory of the area of Greater Vancouver we call the Lower Mainland and it’s everything from downtown city stuff to ski resorts within 25 minutes of each other.”

“The process really starts with the words on the page,” he said. “We provide as many physical options for every location that’s scripted. It’s a creative hat I get to wear — knowing the script and knowing that the show anchors itself in stunning vistas, beautiful locations, and a lot of rivers and forests.”

Is ‘Virgin River’ Coming Back for Season 7?

There will be a season 7 of Virgin River. It’s currently in production. “There’s a lot more to go here with these characters,” showrunner Patrick Sean Smith told Tudum of the upcoming season in March 2025.