Cynthiana, Kentucky

Cynthiana, Kentucky is the hometown of Rick Grimes and his family. The hospital where Rick stayed at while he was in a coma is located in this town, along with the police station he worked at.

Harrison Memorial Hospital
Rick Grimes was under care in the hospital while in a coma. During his stay, the outbreak decimated the hospital, leaving it in ruins. Rick wakes up and walks around the rundown hospital, finding the power out, furniture overturned, papers everywhere and the decaying body of a woman on the ground. As he travels through the empty halls, he finds a set of double doors with the spray-painted words "DON'T OPEN DEAD INSIDE" above the door handles which have been barricaded with wood and chains. As he draws closer to the doors, a pair of hands burst through, with the sound of moans. Rick quickly leaves, making his way through a dark stairwell and outside, encountering dozens and dozens of fly-ridden bodies covered in sheets. Horrified, Rick flees the hospital.

Cynthiana Police Station
Rick, along with fellow survivors Morgan Jones and his son Dwayne, use the police station for ammo, weapons and hot showers. Once stocking up, the trio plan to part ways, thanking each other for the generosity they've shared. Before leaving, they spot an undead officer, Leon, banging on the chain link fence. Rick unloads a bullet into his colleague's head before driving off to Atlanta to search for his wife and son.

Other Locations
Other locations in Cynthiana include Rick Grime's neighborhood, where he stays a while with Morgan and Duane before heading off to the police station. A gas station, surrounded by cars and makeshift tents, is encountered, though it is empty and useless to Rick. A farmhouse down the road holds a couple who committed suicide, but has a horse for Rick to use in order to reach Atlanta.

Robert Kirkman's home town
Creator Robert Kirkman stated:
 * "...Rick and his family are from Cynthiana, Kentucky that's where the first issue takes place. He wakes up in Harrison Memorial Hospital. I'm from Cynthiana, that's where I grew up--I got stitches in Harrison Memorial Hospital. The first artist on the book, Tony Moore is from there, too. So the way the places are drawn is more or less accurate as well . There are little changes here and there because I wanted certain things to happen but for the most part it's accurate. So that' s a little bit of me in the book.