Interesting Topic from FF.net: Where is Middleton?

[Mike_Industries]

The question ladies and gentlemen is: Where in the world is Middleton?

My belief was that Middleton was located in Colorado... Now I'm reading it may be Michigan... Anybody care to add thier 2 cents worth?

[campy]

They've never pinned it down. I believe the support for Colorado among fanfic authors stems from this screenshot from "The New Ron" when Senor Senior Sr. was threatening to launch missiles at Kim's home town:



Complicating matters is this shot from "Downhill," showing the area around Mount Middleton:



So I don't think it can ever be pinned down.

[cpneb]

The GPS coordinates from the Geography club meeting placed it in a lake in Kansas.
I assumed that Middleton is in Colorado because of their proximity to Slim, who they anchored in Montana: the drive to Montana would be a bit rough from the East Coast.

That, the sime-fic canon that I developed from reading other writers before beginning my own works, and that fact that COlorado is convenient for several story segments that I have.

[Cloud23465]

I don't think we were ever ment to really know... Just like the Simpsons did the same thing with there show. Their In Springfield and there's probably 2 dozen springfields in the U.S. and the same probably goes for Middleton.

[jeriddian]

This was actually discussed in an old thread on ARA, to a great degree. We didn't download that thread because it was so far back in time. But here's the basic consensus:

Mark and Bob have always maintained that Middleton is basically "anytown", USA. It was never meant to be revealed to exist in any specific location. Previous analysis has always determined that the most references to its location have pointed to Colorado.

To support this:

1. There is the map to which SSS points to in indicating he's about to attack Middleton( the picture of which is above), and Colorado is roughly in the middle of the map.

2. In "Queen Bebe", at the end of the episode, Kim ends up in her super shoes at the Golden Gate bridge and exclaims to Rufus that they were only a "thousand" miles off. Using San Franciso as the center and drawing an arc a thousand miles in radius runs the posibilities thorugh Eastern Montana, Western Colorado, and Western New Mexico.

3. In "Showdown at the Crooked D", they are driving to Montana to Uncle Slim's ranch (which excludes that state from the above statement), but it is close enough to drive that Colorado would make the best choice for the state in which Middleton is located.

However, there is contradictory evidence as well.:

1. In "Downhill", the map (again as indicated above), shows that Mount Middleton is located in either West Virginia or Southern Ohio.

2. The camp Wannaweep episodes show evidence of swamp-like boggy terrain which is nowhere near Colorado (although I guess one could argue that the toxic waste from science camp caused that change.)

3. In "The Golden Years", It took Kim's family sixteen hours to drive Nana to Florida. It would really be tough to make it from Colorado to Florida in sixteen hours.

So there are contradictions, and the writers have never meant to really pin down Middleton's location, thus the contradictions appeared, I think.

[Fireand'chutes77]

I'm thinking an alternate to "Graduation"'s closing kicker could've been a further tease about Middleton's location.

"See, it's just to the west of -"

*Cut to DC logo.*

:P

[Cloud23465]

In Graduation they were flying in over the ocean when they brought the ship down... well it may not of been the ocean but it was a pretty big body of water because the scene lasted over it for a while, then they came right to land and town... My theory is....uh... I forgot.

[Commander Argus]

Also supporting Colorado is the apparent terrain of Middleton. They are at least in the foothills, and there is a modest mountain behind Ron's house.

I think the Downhill map is either a sort of red herring, or just a random bit of map that was used.

The Florida problem can be explained by saying that is how long the Possible had been in their car that day: Kim - "The last sixteen hours yadda yadda yadda"

I don't think Kim's estimates when she was running were that accurate.

I simply choose to ignore the problems and believe Middleton is in Colorado.

[NinjaNaco]

3. In "The Golden Years", It took Kim's family sixteen hours to drive Nana to Florida. It would really be tough to make it from Colorado to Florida in sixteen hours.

Actually, the quote was "the last 16 hours." So the trip could have taken longer than that.

[lunchmeat]

I like Colorado based on Sr. Sr. Sr's missile map and the terrain (although the local plant life is more California and the buildings mostly 50s and 60s television suburbia).
Didn't Kim say "Those last 16 hours just flew by"? Having participated in many marathon car trips (if you've ever seen The Great Santini my father's approach to road trips was almost identical, it rubbed off on me) it would not be uncommon to drive all day, spend the night somewhere then have a marathon drive to the destination.