Ozark the series vs the real Ozarks, and the Arkansas side where our lots are
If you watched the show, you know the name. But the Ozarks are a real place, much larger than the lake in the story, and part of it lies in northern Arkansas. Here is where they are, where the series was filmed and what the area around our lots looks like.
By Fridrik Grimsson 5 min read
Is Ozark a real place?
Yes. The Ozarks are a real region in the central United States: a plateau of about 68,000 square miles across parts of Missouri, Arkansas, Kansas and Oklahoma. The Netflix series took its name from that region.
The US Geological Survey puts the plateau study area at about 68,000 square miles, with hills, rivers, caves and springs. If you want to place the state on the map first, read where Arkansas is.
Where are the Ozarks?
The Ozarks spread across four states: Missouri, Arkansas, Kansas and Oklahoma. They are not a range of sharp peaks but an old plateau that rivers have cut into valleys.
According to the USGS, the region includes three plateaus: the Salem, the Springfield and the Boston Mountains. In Arkansas, the Ozarks are one of the six natural divisions of the state. The diagram shows where the series is set and where the lots are.
| Place | State | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| Lake of the Ozarks | Missouri | The lake where the series is set |
| Buffalo River | Arkansas | A protected national river since 1972 |
| Mammoth Spring | Arkansas | The largest spring in the state, in Fulton County |
| Cherokee Village | Arkansas | Where the lots are |
Schematic, not to scale. Simplified plateau outline after the USGS study area; places use real coordinates.
The points on the map use real coordinates. To see each lot on its street and in its woods, open the interactive map of the lots.
Where was Ozark filmed?
In Georgia, not in the Ozarks. The story follows a family fleeing to the Missouri Ozarks, but it was filmed in several places in Georgia, with Lake Allatoona standing in for Lake of the Ozarks.
The state tourism office, Explore Georgia, lists the filming locations, including a marina on Lake Allatoona. So the scenes you remember show Georgia, not Missouri or Arkansas.
Is Lake of the Ozarks in Arkansas?
No. Lake of the Ozarks, where the series is set, is in Missouri and is one of the largest lakes in that state. Arkansas has its own Ozark lakes, such as Bull Shoals and Norfork.
The Missouri state park named after it sits on its shore. On the Arkansas side, Bull Shoals and Norfork lakes were created by Army Corps of Engineers dams and are now major outdoor recreation spots. The table separates fiction from fact.
| Topic | In the series | In reality |
|---|---|---|
| Where it is set | Lake of the Ozarks, Missouri | The lake exists and is in Missouri |
| Where it was filmed | Looks like Missouri | Georgia, mainly Lake Allatoona |
| What the Ozarks are | A lake and its town | A plateau of about 68,000 square miles in four states |
| Arkansas | Barely appears | The north of the state is Ozark country: rivers, lakes and forest |
The lots we sell are not on the lake from the series: they are in Arkansas, a different state. See which ones are still available in the catalogue of lots.
Which part of the Ozarks is in Arkansas?
Northern Arkansas. It holds three plateaus: the Boston Mountains, the highest at up to 2,600 feet; the Springfield Plateau, with limestone and caves; and the lower Salem Plateau, crossed by the Spring and Strawberry rivers.
The figures come from the Encyclopedia of Arkansas, and the table sums up the differences. Fulton County sits in the northeast of the Arkansas Ozarks, by the Spring River and Mammoth Spring, which the same source places on the Salem Plateau.
| Plateau | Approximate elevation | What it is like |
|---|---|---|
| Boston Mountains | Up to 2,600 ft | Highest and most rugged; source of the White and Buffalo rivers; largely national forest |
| Springfield | About 1,800 ft | Limestone plains, caves and bluffs above the Buffalo River |
| Salem | About 1,500 ft | Hills cut by the Spring and Strawberry rivers; large springs such as Mammoth Spring |
Source: Encyclopedia of Arkansas, "Ozark Mountains" entry.
Buying there does not require living there or travelling to sign: the full process is in how to buy land in the USA.
The landscape around the lots
Cherokee Village was founded in 1954 on the banks of the Spring River. When it opened in 1955, the governor of Arkansas called it "the coming Mecca of the Ozarks." Today it has seven lakes, two golf courses and streets lined with oaks and pines, as the photo above shows.
Every lot photo is real, taken by drone in September 2024. For example, lot 260-16185-000 is close to the lake in the header. To see what you get besides the land, check what the purchase includes.
What can you visit in the Arkansas Ozarks?
Two well-known places are Mammoth Spring, the largest spring in Arkansas and in the same county as the lots, and the Buffalo National River, protected since 1972. There are also Bull Shoals and Norfork lakes.
Mammoth Spring State Park, in the same Fulton County, protects a spring that pours out about nine million gallons an hour and feeds the Spring River. The Buffalo River flows freely for 135 miles through the Ozark Mountains and has been a national river, run by the National Park Service, since 1972.
To visit your lot you only need a tourist visa or an ESTA, depending on your passport; we explain it in does buying property give you residency?.
What the series does not show
The show is fiction, and its money-laundering plot says nothing about the region. The real Ozarks are wooded hills, cold rivers and small towns, closer to quiet than to suspense.
One thing stays true, though: a lot in the Ozarks is still a lot. It earns no income on its own, and we do not promise it will rise in value. Before you decide, read the pros and cons of investing in land.
Next steps
If a lot in the Arkansas Ozarks interests you, the price is US$15,000 cash, or US$3,000 down and 24 payments of US$500, with no bank. See the payment plans, the FAQ or book a video call to go through them together.
Frequently asked questions
Is Ozark a town or a region?
Both. There is a region, the Ozark Mountains, across four states, and there are also towns named Ozark. The series uses the name of the region.
Which state is the series Ozark set in?
Missouri, at Lake of the Ozarks. It was filmed in Georgia, mainly at Lake Allatoona.
Is Arkansas part of the Ozarks?
Yes. Northern Arkansas lies on the Ozark Plateau, which the state counts as one of its six natural divisions.
Are the lots near the lake from the series?
No. Lake of the Ozarks is in Missouri. The lots are in Fulton County, Arkansas, in another part of the Ozarks.
Updated November 9, 2026
