W
here does Stephen King live?
The horror novelist, whose stories frequently echo the places he calls home, now splits his time between several residences to keep a low profile while drawing creative fuel from each setting. His Bangor, Maine Victorian remains a shrine for fans, yet he also spends seasons elsewhere.
**Bangor, Maine – The Red‑Gated Icon**
In 1980 King and his wife Tabitha bought a 5,000‑sq‑ft Victorian house on West Broadway. Built in 1870, the home’s crimson façade and ornate wrought‑iron gate—decorated with spiders, bats, and other macabre motifs—have become a landmark. The two‑acre property contains five bedrooms and five and a half bathrooms. King wrote *It* while living there, using Bangor as the template for the fictional Derry. The house attracts roughly 4,000 visitors a year, though King has kept it from turning into a commercial attraction. In 2019 the couple rezoned the property as a nonprofit to house an archive of his work and a writers’ retreat that can host up to five guests at a time.
**Lovell, Maine – Summer Sanctuary**
The Kings first bought a home in Lovell in December 1977, returned briefly to Orrington, then settled back in Lovell in 1979. After purchasing the Bangor Victorian in 1980, they kept the Lovell house as a seasonal retreat. The town, with about 1,000 residents, sits on Kezar Lake. King has acquired several properties along the lake, including a campground that he later closed to reduce boat noise. Lovell inspired the setting of *Under the Dome*, and King even modeled a fictional general‑store‑diner after a local eatery.
**Orrington, Maine – The Pet Sematary House**
In 1978 the Kings rented a 3,800‑sq‑ft Colonial farmhouse while King was writer‑in‑residence at the University of Maine. The four‑bedroom, three‑bath home featured wood‑burning fireplaces in the formal living and dining rooms. A tragic incident involving Tabitha’s cat, which was buried on a hill behind the house, sparked the plot of *Pet Sematary*. King wrote the novel in the storeroom across the street from a shop he frequented. The property, now 3 acres, sold in 2024 for $389,000.
**Boulder, Colorado – The Shining Era**
In the fall of 1974 King moved to Boulder, where he penned *The Shining*. He and Tabitha lived in a tract house in a subdivision for just under a year before returning to Maine. The brief Colorado stay was a deliberate change of scenery after years of writing about New England.
**Longboat Key, Florida – Winter Recovery Home**
During the last three winters of the 1990s, the Kings rented a 6,000‑sq‑ft home on Longboat Key. Built in 1997, the three‑story concrete and glass house sat on 2.5 acres, featured four ensuite bedrooms, a pool, an elevator, marble floors, and decks overlooking Sarasota Bay. King stayed there while recovering from a 1999 car accident that later inspired *Duma Key*. He set up his office in a corner of the garage, overlooking a spooky tree branch.
**Casey Key, Florida – The Contemporary Retreat**
In 2001 the Kings purchased a 7,500‑sq‑ft waterfront home on Casey Key for $8.9 million, the most expensive sale in Sarasota County at the time. The glass‑and‑concrete structure, with a copper roof, spans three acres, includes a pool, and offers panoramic water views. The property remains in the family’s portfolio.
Across these homes, Stephen King balances privacy with the need for creative inspiration, drawing on each locale’s unique atmosphere to craft the worlds that have captivated millions.
