The show The Summer I Turned Pretty is set in the fictional seaside town of Cousins, California. In the story, Cousins is a picturesque coastal community on a bluff overlooking the Pacific, with a small downtown, a public beach, a boardwalk area, a local diner, and nearby neighborhoods where the main families live. The show films in and around Manhattan Beach, Hermosa Beach, Redondo Beach, and other South Bay locations in Los Angeles County, combining beachfront homes, harbor areas, and urban streets to create the look of a single town. The result is a walkable, car-light harbor town that feels both relaxed and vacationlike.
Key details at a glance
| Attribute | Verified Detail | Source Type |
|---|---|---|
| Narrative setting | Fictional town of Cousins, California | Story world |
| Primary filming region | South Bay area of Los Angeles County, California | Production sources |
| Real towns featured | Manhattan Beach, Hermosa Beach, Redondo Beach | Locations and production notes |
| Typical on-screen locations | Harbor, boardwalk, beach, main street, homes on bluffs | Show visuals and guides |
| Neighborhood types shown | Beachfront, downtown, residential inland streets | On-screen mapping |
The fictional town of Cousins
In the books and the series, Cousins is portrayed as a small coastal town where the ocean is central to daily life. Residents walk to the beach, the boardwalk, and local shops from nearby neighborhoods. The town includes a public beach, a harbor or pier area, a main street with casual dining and retail, and quieter residential streets set on bluffs. The sense of place is designed to feel insular and walkable, with the Pacific and its changing light shaping the mood of each scene. Because the series compresses multiple seasons of events into a condensed timeline, Cousins functions more as a mood and set of feelings than a fully mapped municipality.
Inspirations and composites
While Cousins is fictional, the show draws on recognizable elements of Southern California beach culture. The boardwalk, pier, and small-boat harbor echo classic seaside towns, while the residential streets and hillside homes reflect the topography of South Bay cities. The aesthetic combines the polish of a resort coast with the everyday familiarity of suburban beach life. Rather than replicate a single town, the production blends details from several places to craft a setting that feels both specific and broadly relatable.
Primary filming locations for The Summer I Turned Pretty
Production uses real neighborhoods and streets to stand in for Cousins, which grounds the setting in familiar Southern California landmarks. Manhattan Beach often supplies the boardwalk and main street energy, while Hermosa Beach contributes harbor and pier visuals. Redondo Beach adds nearby residential and commercial areas, and other South Bay spots round out the look. These towns share similar architecture, street layouts, and oceanfront views, making them efficient substitutes for a single fictional town while preserving a cohesive visual style.
Neighborhoods and stand-in locations
- Manhattan Beach: boardwalk stretches, main street storefronts, and beach access points
- Hermosa Beach: harbor areas, pier scenes, and small-craft marina shots
- Redondo Beach: inland residential streets and nearby commercial districts
- Additional South Bay sites: occasional street and park shooting to round out the town layout
How the setting serves the story
The coastal setting is not just backdrop; it shapes pacing, mood, and character dynamics. The proximity of beach, boardwalk, and homes creates natural chances for run-ins, conversations, and escalating tensions. Open ocean vistas contrast with intimate side streets, mirroring the characters’ public personas and private struggles. The blend of touristy spaces and quiet neighborhoods lets the show move between lighthearted scenes and more intense dramatic beats within a short distance. This walkable layout also supports longer takes and continuous scenes, which are signature stylistic choices for the series.
Navigating the geography as a viewer
Because multiple real neighborhoods stand in for Cousins, the geography can feel slightly condensed compared to a real town. Events that would require a long drive in reality are shown within a short walk or bike ride for narrative convenience. Viewers can think of Cousins as an idealized stretch of South Bay coastline, where oceanfront homes, a compact downtown, and a reachable harbor coexist. Understanding this blend of locations helps you separate story geography from real-world logistics.
Regional context and Southern California beach life
The broader Los Angeles County coastline shapes expectations for what a beach town looks and feels like. The region’s mix of public beaches, residential cliffs, and working harbors informs the look of Cousins without binding the show to one exact address. Iconic elements like boardwalks, outdoor cafes, and sunset viewpoints are present in various forms across the South Bay. The series leans into these shared traits to create a setting that feels instantly familiar even when specific details are fictional.
Summary of where the show takes place
The Summer I Turned Pretty takes place primarily in the fictional town of Cousins, California, which is visually built from South Bay neighborhoods in Los Angeles County. Manhattan Beach, Hermosa Beach, and Redondo Beach supply the streets, harbor, and shoreline imagery that make Cousins feel like a real coastal community. The blend of boardwalk energy, harbor views, and residential bluffs supports the show’s tone and pacing. By drawing on recognizable Southern California beach culture, the show crafts a setting that is both specific enough to feel grounded and flexible enough to serve the story.
Quick reference
| Item | Detail | Context |
|---|---|---|
| Fictional town | Cousins, California | Story location |
| Filming region | South Bay, Los Angeles County, CA | Real-world area |
| Key stand-in towns | Manhattan Beach, Hermosa Beach, Redondo Beach | Primary visual sources |
| Typical on-screen places | Beach, boardwalk, pier, main street, residential bluffs | Story beats and visuals |
Further reading suggestions
To deepen your understanding of the show’s geography, consider exploring production interviews that discuss location scouting, local guides that map key scenes to real streets, and profiles of the South Bay neighborhoods that inspired Cousins. Comparing on-screen landmarks with real-world views can highlight how sets, lenses, and editing create a cohesive sense of place. This approach is useful whether you are planning visits to the filming areas or simply want a clearer picture of where the story unfolds.
Wrap-up
Overall, The Summer I Turned Pretty> uses a composite, South Bay-inspired setting to make the town of Cousins feel both specific and approachable. Manhattan Beach, Hermosa Beach, and Redondo Beach supply the visual foundation, while artful editing and production design stitch them into a single harbor town. The show’s reliance on beachfront living, walkable streets, and ocean-centric pacing makes the setting a character in its own right. By focusing on the mood and flow of coastal life rather than strict geographic accuracy, the series maintains a timeless, escapable atmosphere that resonates across seasons.