Setting

William's Grove is a fictional town in southeastern Virginia, near the James River and a few miles removed from the Chesapeake Bay. It is heavily forested, with many roadside areas still undeveloped. Much of the area has been turned into a nature park of sorts, and while development and construction still occurs, local developers generally find themselves preferring not to encroach on any more of the forest than they already have.

The area was settled in the early 1600s, named for King William. The community has strong ties to its own history, preserving many of its historical sites as carefully as possible. There is even a natural history museum tracing everything from the local tidal patterns to the history of the giant live oak around which the town's most famous legend has grown.

In reality, William's Grove is based heavily on the Hampton Roads and Historic Triangle areas of Virginia. With the first English settlement established there in 1607, the area is known for both its relevance in early American history and its geography, boasting everything from forests to swamps to long stretches of coastline.