Where Was The Boroughs Filmed? The Real New Mexico Locations Behind Netflix’s New Mystery Series

The Filming Locations

The Boroughs was filmed in New Mexico, primarily in Albuquerque and Santa Fe. That makes sense, because the series is also set in the New Mexico desert, where a seemingly peaceful retirement community hides something much stranger beneath the surface.

Production reportedly ran from September 16, 2024, to February 11, 2025, giving the show several months to capture New Mexico’s high-desert light, wide horizons, adobe streets, and mountain-backed suburbs.

Netflix confirmed that the series was filmed in Albuquerque, where the show is set. The New Mexico Film Office also announced that the production filmed in and around Albuquerque and Santa Fe, giving the series a setting that feels specific rather than generic.

That matters for a show like this. The wide skies, desert light, quiet roads, and mountain-backed neighborhoods are not just pretty background scenery. They help make The Boroughs feel sunny, strange, and slightly off from the very beginning.

Image courtesy of Netflix

Is The Boroughs A Real Place?

No, The Boroughs is not a real retirement community you can book, tour, or quietly move into while hoping nothing supernatural happens after dark.

The fictional community was created for the series, and one of the most important sets was built at the Netflix Studios Albuquerque backlot.

According to Netflix, the production built eight houses on the ABQ Studios backlot, including Sam’s cul-de-sac and the community’s downtown shops.That detail explains why the setting feels so complete. The Boroughs doesn’t just look like a few houses and a street corner. It feels like a fully lived-in little world, with manicured cul-de-sacs, friendly storefronts, and just enough sunny retirement-community charm to make the weirdness feel more unsettling.

Some broader neighborhood and exterior scenes also drew on Albuquerque’s Sandia Foothills and Old Town Albuquerque, using the city’s desert backdrop, mountain views, and adobe architecture to deepen the show’s Southwestern atmosphere.

Image courtesy of Netflix

Which Real Locations Appear In The Boroughs?

Beyond the backlot sets, The Boroughs filmed at real locations across New Mexico. Reported filming spots include:

• Albuquerque Convention Center

• First Plaza Galleria

• Expo New Mexico Fine Arts Gallery

• Old Ramada Inn, now known as Juniper Flats

• Sunport Pool at 2033 Columbia SE

• Montessa Park

• Rio Rancho Storage

• Luna Mansion in Los Lunas

• Traditions in Algodones

• Southwest Livestock Auction in Los Lunas

• Twin Warriors Golf Club

• Tamaya Resort in Santa Ana Pueblo

• Canyon Road and Los Cerrillos in the Santa Fe area

One of the most interesting transformations was Traditions Mall, which was turned into a town square for the series. If you've seen it on screen and thought it had an eerie, preserved-in-amber quality, that's not an accident.

For viewers who know New Mexico, part of the appeal is spotting how the show blends real places with built sets. One moment might feel like an ordinary desert suburb. The next, it starts to look like exactly the kind of place where you should probably not open the mysterious door.

Image courtesy of Netflix

Why New Mexico Works So Well For The Show

New Mexico gives The Boroughs something that would be hard to fake on a soundstage: scale, sunlight, and strangeness.

Showrunner Jeffrey Addiss told Time Out that the team pushed to film in New Mexico because they wanted the state’s big open skies and its sense of beauty and openness. That choice comes through on screen. The desert setting makes the community feel isolated without making it feel empty, while the bright Southwestern light gives the show an eerie contrast between sunny comfort and creeping danger.

It also helps that Albuquerque has become a major filming destination, especially for Netflix productions. For The Boroughs, the city doesn’t just stand in for somewhere else. It helps define the whole mood of the series.

Image courtesy of Netflix

Can You Visit The Boroughs Filming Locations?

Yes, some of the real-world filming locations can be visited, though the fictional retirement community itself is not a real destination.

Places like Albuquerque, Santa Fe, Los Lunas, Algodones, and Santa Ana Pueblo are real New Mexico destinations, and several locations used in the show are recognizable public or commercial spaces. However, the main neighborhood of The Boroughs was built for the production, so you shouldn’t expect to find the exact retirement community waiting in the desert.

That may actually make the show more fun to watch. The Boroughs is part real New Mexico and part carefully constructed mystery box, which is exactly why the setting works so well.

Image courtesy of Netflix

The Boroughs was filmed where it belongs: under the bright, strange, cinematic skies of New Mexico. Albuquerque may be the show’s main filming home, but the series uses the wider region to make its fictional retirement community feel sunny, specific, and quietly unnerving.

Frequently Asked Questions: Where Was The Boroughs Filmed?

Where was The Boroughs filmed?

The Boroughs was filmed in New Mexico, mainly in Albuquerque and Santa Fe.

Was The Boroughs filmed in Albuquerque?

Yes. Albuquerque was the main filming location for the Netflix series.

Was The Boroughs filmed in Santa Fe?

Yes, the New Mexico Film Office announced that the production filmed in and around Albuquerque and Santa Fe.

Is The Boroughs a real retirement community?

No. The Boroughs is a fictional retirement community created for the Netflix series.

Was The Boroughs set built for the show?

Yes. Netflix says the production built eight houses on the ABQ Studios backlot, including Sam’s cul-de-sac and the community’s downtown shops.

When was The Boroughs filmed?

Production reportedly ran from September 16, 2024, to February 11, 2025.

Who created The Boroughs?

The Boroughs was created by Jeffrey Addiss and Will Matthews and executive produced by the Duffer Brothers, the creators of Stranger Things.

Who stars in The Boroughs?

The ensemble cast includes Alfred Molina, Geena Davis, Alfre Woodard, Bill Pullman, Clarke Peters, Denis O’Hare, and Jena Malone.

Can you visit The Boroughs filming locations?

Some real filming locations in New Mexico can be visited, but the fictional community itself is not a real place.

What real places were used in The Boroughs?

Reported filming locations include First Plaza Galleria, the Old Ramada Inn, Expo New Mexico, Montessa Park, Luna Mansion, Traditions, Twin Warriors Golf Club, Tamaya Resort, Sunport Pool, Old Town Albuquerque, Canyon Road, Los Cerrillos, and the Albuquerque Convention Center.

Why was The Boroughs filmed in New Mexico?

New Mexico fits the show’s desert setting and gives the series its bright, eerie, wide-open atmosphere.