Is Netflix's Ransom Canyon a real place? Details explored 

Netflix's Ransom Canyon takes place in a small town called Texas town, surrounded by rolling ranches and sensational family drama. Audience members are left questioning if Ransom Canyon is actually somewhere that exists as a vacation spot, or is a creation made specifically for television.

The truth is simultaneously uncomplicated and multi-faceted: Ransom Canyon exists as an actual Texas town, yet what the Ransom Canyon audiences experience on Netflix is fictionalized and did not occur at the show's filmed location.

There is actually a real Ransom Canyon nine miles southeast of Lubbock, Texas, according to several sources. The town has a population of just over 1,100 people, based on data from the 2020 census. Jodi Thomas, the author of the original book series, was raised in the Texas Panhandle and used the area as inspiration for her books.

But the Ransom Canyon of the Netflix show is much bigger, richer, and more sensational than the actual. The show's backdrop is an idealized small-town Texas, intended to be nostalgic and evoke a sense of community, not representative of the real place.

Adding another layer of irony, the Netflix show was not shot in Texas at all. Rather, the production crew selected several locations in New Mexico to double as the fictionalized town and its surrounding ranches. This was done for practical purposes, as New Mexico provides varied landscapes and established filming infrastructure that can effectively mimic Texas scenery.

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The real Ransom Canyon, Texas

Ransom Canyon is an actual municipality in Lubbock County, Texas. It's a small community with barely over a thousand inhabitants. The location is distinguished by its beautiful canyon scenery, something that is not typical of the normally flat West Texas area.

The town itself is mostly residential, with a tight-knit population and a peaceful environment. Though it has inspired the backdrop of Jodi Thomas's books, actual Ransom Canyon is much more subdued and less dramatic than the action-packed, drama-filled one portrayed on Netflix.

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The fictional Ransom Canyon of Netflix

The Ransom Canyon town featured on Netflix is a fictional community developed exclusively for the show's narrative. Although the town takes inspiration and its name from actual locations, it is not a real town as it appears in the series.

The series tracks several generations of ranching families as they navigate love, legacy, and personal issues. The town itself is painted as a living community with verdant landscapes and a rich feeling of community. As explained by showrunner April Blair,

"Ransom Canyon is "not so much a town, it's an idea"-where characters battle their histories and fight for their destinies."

Though the characters and storylines of the show are inspired by the spirit of Texas ranch life, the town itself doesn't exist in the way it is represented on television. The show borrows the name and some idea from the actual location, but the rest - including the population of the town and its melodramatic occurrences- are made up.

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Filming locations: New Mexico as Texas

Although the story is situated in Texas, filming for Ransom Canyon was done exclusively in New Mexico. The production utilized a number of sites, which included Albuquerque, Santa Fe, and the historic mining town of Las Vegas, New Mexico. They were selected for their capability to duplicate the appearance and atmosphere of rural Texas, which includes open ranges and historic buildings.

Some major ranch shots were shot on location at actual properties like Blame Her Ranch outside Santa Fe and Bonanza Creek Ranch, a veteran of Western film locations. Interior shots and soundstage work were also done at Netflix's Albuquerque production facility.

The decision to shoot in New Mexico was prompted by the accessibility of good locations and the existing film infrastructure. In the opinion of the producers of the show, New Mexico landscapes and ranches created the ideal setting to introduce the fictional Ransom Canyon.

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Inspiration and emotional resonance

Even though Ransom Canyon is television fiction, the actors and producers of the show have commented on the emotional importance of land and place in the show. The series hopes to preserve the spirit of small-town existence and the deep ties individuals feel toward their lands and families.

Real-life Ransom Canyon, quieter though it may be, shares some of these elements and can be a point of reference for the show's setting and tone.

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Ransom Canyon is available to watch on Netflix.