Definitely better and more realistic than most of what you see on television. I appreciate the attention to detail. I was born, raised and still live in Indiana. I think this is a fairly accurate representation of life there during this time frame.
However...I am several years older than the main characters. To me, there is a much more '70's feel to the show than '80's, but that may also be part of its genius. As a land-locked state, Indiana is often way behind the "coasts" in terms of fashion, pop culture, etc. This was even more true during the '80's before the internet.
My sense is Hawkins is a "town" (we would call it a city) of about 20,000-30,000. My home town was much smaller, so some of the things Hawkins had, we didn't. Likely, the school would have been a "junior high", though, rather than a "middle school." In a bigger city, there might have been middle schools (my uncle taught at one), but for a town the size of Hawkins, the switch wasn't made until much later. But it's too late to change now, so don't worry about it!
In the '80's, "preppy" was really big in Indiana. I was in college in the '80's and it was all the rage. It was also the beginning of "designer" clothing. So let's bring out the Fair Isle sweaters, penny loafers, oxford cloth shirts. Maybe some waffle stompers, down vests (see "Back to the Future") and Izod shirts, OK?
Just a few thoughts.
However...I am several years older than the main characters. To me, there is a much more '70's feel to the show than '80's, but that may also be part of its genius. As a land-locked state, Indiana is often way behind the "coasts" in terms of fashion, pop culture, etc. This was even more true during the '80's before the internet.
My sense is Hawkins is a "town" (we would call it a city) of about 20,000-30,000. My home town was much smaller, so some of the things Hawkins had, we didn't. Likely, the school would have been a "junior high", though, rather than a "middle school." In a bigger city, there might have been middle schools (my uncle taught at one), but for a town the size of Hawkins, the switch wasn't made until much later. But it's too late to change now, so don't worry about it!
In the '80's, "preppy" was really big in Indiana. I was in college in the '80's and it was all the rage. It was also the beginning of "designer" clothing. So let's bring out the Fair Isle sweaters, penny loafers, oxford cloth shirts. Maybe some waffle stompers, down vests (see "Back to the Future") and Izod shirts, OK?
Just a few thoughts.