Answer: Shermer, IL

Even if you’re a big fan of John Hughes’ body of work, we’ll forgive you for not picking up on the fact that a significant number of his films take place in the fictional town of Shermer, IL.

Although born in Michigan, Hughes’ family moved to Northbrook, Illinois—a Chicago suburb—when Hughes was a teenager, and the area clearly made an impression on him. Northbrook, known as Shermerville until it was renamed in 1923, served as the source DNA for Hughes’ fictional town of Shermer—a location that was one large helping of Northbrook and an amalgam of scenes, themes, and people from Chicago and the greater Chicago area.

Among the Hughes-written and/or directed films that take place in or are directly tied to Shermer, IL are Pretty in Pink, The Breakfast Club, Weird Science, Sixteen Candles, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, the Home Alone films, and the National Lampoon’s Vacation films. Who knew that Ferris Bueller, Clark Griswold, Andie Walsh, and Kevin McCallister all lived in the same area?