Point Place


Point Place is the fictional town in Wisconsin in which the television sitcom That '70s Show takes place. It is depicted as an archetypal American suburban community, inhabited largely by white Americans and the middle class, as befitting the socioeconomic outlook of the United States at the time. According to the episode "Hey Hey What Can I Do," Point Place's economy seems to be largely built around slaughtering.

Background

Over the course of the series, Point Place is depicted as a population center gradually evolving from an industrial town into a growing suburban city during the economic downturn of the mid-to-late 1970s. During the period between 1976 and 1980, small, locally owned businesses are forced to close as aggressive chain stores move in and rust-belt factories are shut down due to the fall in consumer demand. Other closings include the auto parts manufacturing plant, a local appliance and electronics store, Bargain Bob's, the local Foto Hut chain, and the Forman & Son muffler and auto repair shop. In their stead, large chain stores such as Price Mart and Muffler Master moved in and opened. During the eighth and final season, in contravention to this trend, the William Barnett-owned music chain Grooves is sold and closed, with the sole remaining store becoming the privately owned business of Barnett’s son, Steven Hyde.
The town is depicted as a somewhat rich town. Though Jackie thinks it looks like Paris, the town is often verbally bashed by numerous characters throughout the series.
The "FAQ" on the program's official website says, "Point Place is a fictional suburb of Green Bay, Wisconsin. This is why many Wisconsinites may recognize names of towns such as Kenosha. In reality, the location of Point Place has no basis in actual Wisconsin geography. There is an episode where the gang travels "down" to Kenosha to go to a movie." This seemed to be directly contradicted by concrete information given in several episodes, such as the fact in one episode it was possible to drive to Chicago, attend a party, and drive back in the course of a few hours; in another episode, Kelso explicitly states that Chicago is a two-hour drive from Point Place, consistent with the theory of a Kenosha-area location. Over the course of the series, many other local businesses and events were identified as being in or taking place in Kenosha. The name Point Place was chosen for the town because co-creator Bonnie Turner is from Toledo, Ohio where there is a section of town called Point Place.

Residences