Where Is ‘One Tree Hill’ in Real Life?

From The WB drama 'One Tree Hill'

I don't want to wait...

Whoops, wrong song.

I don't want to be anything other than what I've been tryna be lately...

And so goes the now-legendary Gavin DeGraw-sung title sequence to "One Tree Hill," the teen drama that promptly filled the hole vacated by fellow WB series "Dawson's Creek" in 2003. 

Just like "Dawson's Creek," "One Tree Hill" was filmed in North Carolina's version of Hollywood: Wilmington. Home to the Cinespace Studios (formerly the EUE/Screen Gems Studios), the 50-acre campus was the filming location for not only "One Tree Hill" and “Dawson’s Creek” but also blockbuster movies like “The Conjuring” and “Iron Man 3.” 

Beyond the studios, a true blue "One Tree Hill" fan would want to visit places around Wilmington where the series was shot on location. Go on a stroll along the Cape Fear River, for example, and try to spot Nathan and Haley's famous "Naley" bench, or Greenfield Park, where Lucas and Peyton got hitched. 

Lucas and Peyton's wedding scene was shot at Greenfield Park in Wilmington, NC. Photo via ECV-OnTheRoad 

Is there a town called Tree Hill in North Carolina though?

You can't find one anywhere in the US, but you'll have better luck oceans away, in New Zealand. There's a real suburb here called "One Tree Hill" that inspired the U2 song of the same name. 

Lucas Scott (played by Aughts heartthrob Chad Michael Murray) is actually a fictionalized character based on series creator and real-life basketball enthusiast Mark Schwahn, who listened to the "Joshua Tree" cut while developing the show. 

Although the Irish band never guested on the show, its fictional club, TRIC, hosted music greats from Sheryl Crow to Dave Navarro. (Wilmington has "TRIC tours" organized by "One Tree Hill" fans, featuring replicas of sets from the show.)

Now, once more with feeling: I don't want to be...