#amboolents map

(I am going to be working on a more in-depth Image ID, once that is done this post will be edited to include it)

DONE! I made a map of Hawkins with an absurd amount of detail, I really really had fun with it. It is Hopper's map to a tee, although there were some paths that were so pale that I just sort of winged itand hoped for the best. This will also be available in SVG form! Once it like, actually uploads instead of crashing, that is.

[Image ID 1/2: a screenshot of a map, with a section of roads circled, and text obscured. It looks like it might be labelled “Coliseum” and then “Grant”, but the last word is obscured. /End ID]

[Image ID 2/2: Same as above, but zoomed in to the text and without the circle. /End ID]

HOWEVER: i don’t upload images without alt text/descriptive text, so it might take me a hot minute to upload. i will be exporting a timelapse of The Making Of the thing to tiktok (@FarahsAmboolents, as per usual) if you’d like to see that first

if anyone wants to alt text the map for me, im literally willing to pay for it tbh, provided you know what you’re doing, because i don’t even know where to start. leaving it as “a map of hawkins” feels rude.

the map is mostly done which means it’s time to add the labels but i don’t want it to be over so I’m procrastinating by adding the topography lines

hi!!! omg thank you so much :D

first off, i actually totally am. i’m actually drafting a video right now where i speculate where at least the wheelers and sinclairs live right now, you can catch that on tiktok if you’re into that sort of thing — but really, the point of the video is to roast the hell out of the map because it kinda makes no sense 😂

i will also be making a modified version specifically for my sarge series fics (shameless self promo 😎) because in my fic i set the fire station at the top of the town and in this map it’s in the middle. plus a couple other things just for me. anyway, i’ll definitely specify where everyone lives in the canon of my own fic.

second off, i actually totally give you permission to modify and post the thing, as long as you keep the credit — i can even post a version where my username is larger if that makes you feel better about using it?

I’m writing a Stranger Things fanfic and found it useful to remake Hopper’s map of Hawkins, figured I’d share in case anybody else might find it useful.

Things to note:

1: First and foremost, this fanmade wiki link was the most useful in deciphering the map, applause to y’all who made and contributed to it!

2: Hop’s map is only seen briefly and it’s suuuper low quality, so a lot of this is just guesstimations tbh — namely, there are either way too many or way too few roundabouts just because I couldn’t tell if they were roundabouts or lines overlapping

3: Even on the official wiki the comments are pointing out inconsistencies so there’s literally no way this is perfect even if I copied it line by line.

4: I’m shit at reading maps and I did this for self indulgent reasons so if this doesn’t make much sense, I don’t really care that much? Like, I do care, but honestly I’m not too worried about it.

i was on my quest to vectorize Hawkins map and getting fed up with “what is road vs what is not road” and started paying attention to the information surrounding the map, in case there was maybe a key that made more sense to the one i was already working off of. there wasn’t. but there WAS an interesting bit of text that said Indiana - Grant Co. 7.5 minute series (topographic)

and i thought hmmm that might get me somewhere. so i googled it and found this neat website FULL OF MAPS. there are hundreds of em. There are 15, 30, and 7.5 minute maps, so that narrowed it down some. but not a lot, cuz there are still hundreds of 7.5 minute maps.

so i checked my Hawkins map again, and noticed a bit of info that said it was dated 1960, field checked 1961. it also mentions datum of 1927 but i kind of ignored that cuz what’s the point. there’s also datum of 1983 which i unfortunately did not pay attention to because i assumed the years in question would continue moving backwards. oops.

anyway, i started tabbing every single 7.5 map that mentioned 1960 or 1961, and, well, i think i got to california (not that california) (it borders michigan and indiana, but on the scanned map “MICH” is crossed out in favour of “IND”) before realizing it was a lost cause. Indiana has a lot of maps. good for them.

but since the map has given me good clues so far, i checked again.

up in the top left corner it said Somerset. and then in the right corner it said Mount Etna. and then the bottom left and right said Point Isabel and Gas City, respectively.

so i google mapped Somerset, Indiana, and sure enough, there was a Mount Etna nearby, and below the two of them there’s a city called MARION above Point Isabel and Gas City.

so i ctrl+f’d Marion aaaand:

[Image ID: A topographical map of Marion, Indiana. /End ID]

[Image ID: A topographical map of the fictional town of Hawkins, Indiana. /End ID]

[Image ID: A topographical map of Marion, Indiana, zoomed in so that the city streets and highway are clearer. /End ID]