Is Derry, Maine an actual place? Real-life inspiration behind IT's ghost town

IT: Welcome to Derry episode 6 is about to premiere on November 30 on HBO Max. This series is a prequel that looks into the dark past of the fictional town of Derry in Maine. The town is infamous for having a supernatural being that comes to life every 27 years to kill children. Stephen King, a famous horror author, came up with the story of this terrifying place.

King began writing his iconic novel, IT (1986), in Bangor in 1981, finishing it a little over four years later. The author has confirmed that Derry is essentially a fictionalized version of this real-life Maine town. He once stated (as per Derry Journal), "Bangor became Derry."

Derry, Maine and the Real-life inspiration for IT’s Ghost Town

The real location that inspired Derry

Bangor is the county seat of Penobscot County in central Maine. Greek Revival and Victorian mansions are famous in the city. The Penobscot River town thrives as a tourist destination. King and Tabitha chose Bangor for its community and history.

King liked Bangor because it was a happening place with loggers and bars. He liked the town's geography for the story. King said he spent a fall collecting local stories about places he wanted to include in the book.

The geography of Bangor, a riverside town with a dam, forests, and a history of flooding, seemed perfect for his story. King said,

"Bangor became Derry. There is a Bangor in Ireland, located in the county of Derry, so I changed the name of the fictional town to Derry. There is a one-to-one correlation between Bangor and Derry. It’s a place that I keep coming back to, even as recently as the novel Insomnia."

Key landmarks in the city of Bangor

Several real-life locations in Bangor directly inspired scenes in King's IT universe. The Thomas Hill Standpipe, a 1897 water tower holding 1.75 million gallons, served as the model for the story's ominous, haunted tower. King reportedly often wrote on a bench in the small park located at the base of this standpipe.

The city is also home to a 31-foot Paul Bunyan statue on Main Street. This statue, built in 1959, stands prominently in front of the Cross Insurance Center. In the novel, this Paul Bunyan statue comes to life after being possessed by an evil spirit and attacks the character Richie Tozier.

The sewer drain where the creature Pennywise first meets Georgie Denbrough was inspired by a real drain. 

The dark history of Derry and Bangor

Derry, the fictional town where evil awakens every 27 years, is a collage of real places. King built the town's geography and its eerie atmosphere from Bangor. Bangor is full of quiet streets and Victorian houses, but King always sensed an underlying unease about the city.

In the 1970s, Bangor faced a wave of real violence, including child disappearances and unsolved crimes. The city also had a history of unspoken racism and forgotten tragedies. King once said the idea for IT came while thinking about "something evil that lives in the sewers."

Bangor became Derry not just for its physical features. It was for the psychological outlook. It was the kind of small town that thrived on silence and collective denial. The streetside sign in central Maine invites visitors into Bangor and onto the pages of King’s books.

IT: Welcome to Derry episodes are available to stream on HBO.