Considering all we know about Derry, the town at the heart of Stephen King’s IT novel and HBO’s new IT: Welcome to Derry prequel series, it’s essentially the last place on earth you would want to go.

But is it actually a place you could visit if you decided to? Is Derry a genuine town? We’ve summarized everything that is known about Pennywise’s headquarters below.

Is Derry in IT: Welcome to Derry a genuine town?

The brief answer is no. Thankfully, Derry is a fictional location invented by King — however, if you wished to visit its real-life inspiration, you would need to head to Bangor, Maine in the United States.

This is the town where the master of horror resided while writing his novel — a note at the conclusion of IT mentions that King began penning the book in Bangor in 1981 and completed it just over four years later. The author has also stated in interviews that Derry is essentially a reimagined version of the Maine town.

“Bangor became Derry,” King has stated. “There is a Bangor in Ireland, located in the county of Derry, so I altered the name of the fictional town to Derry. There is a direct correlation between Bangor and Derry.”

Consequently, several sites in Bangor will be instantly recognizable to viewers of IT: Welcome to Derry, including the town’s Paul Bunyan statue and the Thomas Hill Standpipe.

Does Derry appear in other Stephen King works?

Absolutely. The town is also the backdrop for King’s novels Insomnia and Dreamcatcher, and it is referenced in many of his other books and short stories too.

Similar to King making connections between his works, the prequel series is filled with Stephen King Easter eggs — and judging by the “weeks ahead” teaser, there will be even more in the forthcoming episodes.

IT: Welcome to Derry episodes air on Sundays at 9 p.m. ET on HBO and HBO Max.