Cynthiana, Kentucky

Cynthiana, Kentucky is the hometown of the Grimes Family and Shane in the The Walking Dead. The police station that Rick and Shane worked at pre-apocalypse is located in this town, and so is the hospital that Rick stayed at during his coma. Cynthiana is the setting of most of the first episode in the series.

Series creator Robert Kirkman is from the real Cynthiana, Kentucky. The police station and Harrison Memorial Hospital are real locations in the northern Kentucky town.

Locations
Before the outbreak, it's at this location in or near Cynthiana where Rick is shot while on duty, during a shootout.

Harrison Memorial Hospital
Rick Grimes was under care in the hospital while in a coma resulting from gunshot wounds. During his stay, the outbreak decimated the hospital, leaving it in ruins. When Rick woke up he tried standing with the help of aa drip stand as a support, but unfortunately he fell and began to desperately call the nurse for help. After realizing that no one is coming, Rick put on his clothes and started searching the hospital for someone who would help him. After he had not found anyone on his floor, he decided to take the elevator downstairs. When the elevator stopped on the next floor and the door opened, a man's dead body fell into the elevator, shocking Rick. Rick moved away from the corpse, calling for help and wondering what might have happened until he reached the entrance to the hospital cafeteria. When he came closer he noticed that the door to the cafeteria was blocked by a board, and the door read "DON'T OPEN DEAD INSIDE". He left soon after.

Rick's Neighborhood
Rick arrives in his neighborhood after finding an abandoned bicycle and a desiccated corpse of a still-living zombie woman. He finds his house with the front door open and rushes inside, but does not find his family. Instead, the house is empty and missing his photo albums, giving him a shimmer of hope. He stumbles out of the house, delirious, and finds a "man" stumbling by, only to witness him getting shot after receiving a smack to the head with a shovel. He awakens tied to a bed while a man stands nearby. Rick recognizes where they are as the home of Fred and Cindy Drake, former neighbors of the Grimes family. The man standing near him is Morgan Jones, who informs Rick that the house was empty when he and his son, Duane came across it. Morgan ensures that Rick survives the dehydration and malnutrition he's suffering after days in the hospital with a gunshot wound and no doctors or nurses to care for him after the outbreak. The next morning, the trio make their way to the police station for supplies.

Cynthiana Police Department
The next morning, the trio make their way to the police station for supplies. They use the police station for a hot shower, and collect weapons and ammunition. Rick gives some of the weapons and ammo to Morgan because the trio plans to part ways. After stocking up, they thank each other for the generosity they've shared.

Notable Residents

 * Rick Grimes
 * Carl Grimes
 * Lori Grimes
 * Shane Walsh
 * Morgan Jones
 * Duane Jones
 * Jenny Jones
 * Leon Basset
 * Lambert Kendal
 * Dr. Stephens

Robert Kirkman's hometown
Though creator Robert Kirkman intended for his fictional characters to be from the real Cynthiana, he admitted to altering the details regarding some locations to suit his plot.