If you’ve ever watched Steve Martin effortlessly dismantle two bullies with nothing but a tennis racket and a series of devastatingly clever nose insults, you’ve probably wondered about that town. It looks too perfect. The steep hills, the heritage brick buildings, the misty mountain backdrop—it feels like a Hollywood backlot designed by someone with a serious obsession with 19th-century architecture. But it isn't a set. It's real.
Most people asking where was roxanne the movie filmed assume it’s somewhere in Washington state, mainly because the movie tells you it is. C.D. Bales is the fire chief of Nelson, Washington. In reality? You’re looking at Nelson, British Columbia.
It’s a tiny, picturesque city tucked away in the Selkirk Mountains of Canada. Back in the summer of 1986, this place was basically colonized by Steve Martin, Daryl Hannah, and a crew of bumbling firemen.
The Firehouse on the Hill
You can't talk about this movie without talking about the fire station. It’s the heart of the film. That iconic building where C.D. Bales (Martin) trains his hilariously inept crew is the Nelson Fire Department, located at 919 Ward Street.
Honestly, it hasn’t changed much. If you stand on the corner of Ward and Victoria today, you’ll recognize it instantly. But here’s the kicker: the production crew actually did a number on the place to make it look even more "classic." They added artificial brickwork to the lower half, installed a shake canopy over the doors, and even framed in the ambulance bay to look like an old wooden carriage house.
There’s a legendary story among the local firefighters about the day the crew needed a ladder to stick out of an upper window. Instead of finding a window that worked, they just took a sledgehammer to a heritage wall. The fire chief at the time supposedly had a minor heart attack, shouting about it being a protected building, while the Hollywood woodworkers just shrugged and promised to build a new window when they were done.
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Today, the fire hall is still a working station. They even have a signed photo of Steve Martin in the lunchroom that says, “To the guys at the fire hall.”
Walking Down Baker Street
A lot of the "small town vibe" comes from Baker Street, Nelson's main drag. This is where most of the walking-and-talking happens.
- The "All Things Dead" Shop: The quirky taxidermy shop where C.D. and Roxanne first really chat was located at 348 Baker Street.
- The Bank: When C.D. is doing his letter-writing montage, you see him dropping a letter off outside the BMO Bank of Montreal at 298 Baker Street.
- Dixie’s Cafe: This is a big one. The cafe owned by Shelley Duvall’s character, Dixie, was actually a place called Jackson’s Hole and Grill (at the time, it was Wait’s News). It’s located at 524 Vernon Street. You can still go there, sit down, and feel like you're waiting for Daryl Hannah to walk in and talk about comets.
The town itself was going through a rough patch when the cameras arrived. A major sawmill had closed down just a few years prior, and unemployment was sky-high. The movie didn't just bring $650,000 into the local economy; it gave the town a new identity as a "heritage city."
Roxanne’s House and the Naked Locked-Out Scene
We all remember the scene. Roxanne gets locked out of her house, completely naked, and has to hide behind a very small tree while C.D. tries to "help" her get back in.
If you're looking for this house in Nelson, you’re going to be driving for a long time.
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The house used for Roxanne’s home is actually located at 1033 Sugar Mountain Way (sometimes listed as 1020) in Anmore, British Columbia. That’s near Vancouver, roughly an eight-hour drive away from Nelson. This is a common movie trick—filming the "town" in one spot and the "hero house" somewhere else entirely for logistics.
The house is a private residence, so don’t go trying to climb the balcony like Steve Martin did. Interestingly, the iron bar he used to swing up and rescue the cat was a real fixture on the house at the time.
The Bar Scene: 20 Insults
The most famous scene in the movie is the "20 insults" bit in the local bar. C.D. Bales takes on a guy who calls him "big nose" by listing twenty better ways to insult him.
The exterior of that bar? That’s the Nelson Museum of Art & History at 506 Vernon Street.
The interior? That wasn't in Nelson at all. It was filmed at a legendary (and now defunct) Vancouver nightclub called Richards on Richards. They needed a specific layout for the comedy to land, and the local Nelson pubs apparently didn't fit the bill.
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Why Nelson Still Matters
Nelson isn't just a backdrop; it’s a character. Steve Martin reportedly chose it because he needed a place where it was "believable that people would run into each other on the street." He wanted that 1940s-style romantic comedy feel in a modern (well, 1980s) setting.
The town has embraced this. There is a literal Roxanne Walking Tour you can do. The museum has archives full of photos from the set, including shots of Steve Martin walking around town in his full prosthetic nose.
He used to get teased by the locals, by the way. He’d be walking to lunch in full makeup, and people would yell, “Nice nose!” out of their car windows. In his memoir, he mentions walking into a "dusty saloon" during a break and seeing two bikers staring at him. He was bracing for a fight, or at least a mean comment, until one of the bikers just looked at him and said, "Why the long face?"
Actionable Tips for Your "Roxanne" Pilgrimage
If you’re actually planning to visit the locations where Roxanne was filmed, here’s how to do it right:
- Start at the Museum: Go to the Nelson Museum of Art & History first. They have the official walking tour maps. It’ll save you a lot of aimless wandering.
- Eat at Jackson’s Hole: It’s the closest you’ll get to Dixie’s Cafe. The vibe is still very much "mountain town cozy."
- Check the Fire Hall: Remember it’s a real, working fire station. Don’t block the bays. The guys there are usually used to fans, but they have lives to save, so be cool.
- Visit Whitewater: The ski hill scenes were filmed at Whitewater Ski Resort, just outside of town. Even in the summer, the drive up there is stunning.
- Don't look for C.D.'s House: Nobody actually knows for sure where the "Bales House" is. Most location scouts believe it was a private home in the Lower Mainland (Vancouver area) that has since been renovated beyond recognition.
The movie ends with C.D. and Roxanne on a roof, looking at the stars. If you stand on the hills of Nelson at night and look down at the glowing orange lights of the town, it’s easy to see why Steve Martin fell in love with the place. It’s one of those rare instances where the movie magic is actually based on a very real, very magical place.
Next Steps for Your Trip:
You should download the digital version of the Nelson Heritage Walking Tour map before you arrive, as cell service can be spotty in the mountain passes. If you are staying overnight, book a room at the Hume Hotel; it was built in 1898 and perfectly matches the "heritage" atmosphere you see throughout the film.