A mythical town in Iowa created by Merideth Wilson for the musical The Music Man. Merideth Wilson modeled the town after his own hometown Mason City, Iowa.
In The Music Man, River City is populated by a bunch of very stubborn people:
- Mayor George Shinn, his wife Eulalie Mackechnie Shinn, and their daughter Zaneeta
- Marian Paroo, the librarian and piano teacher, her mother, and her little brother Winthrop. Marian is a spinster and was given the librarian by an old, single man.
- Marcellus Washburn, a former con artist and associate of Harold Hill
- The Ladies Auxiliary: Maud Dunlop, Ethel Toffelmier, and Alma Hix (led by Eulalie Mackechnie Shinn) These ladies are the gossips of the town
- The School Board: Jacey Squires, Ewart Dunlop, Olin Britt, and Oliver Hix They are constantly arguing until formed into a quartet by Harold Hill.
- Tommy Djilas, the troublemaking teenager
While River City does have more people than just this list, these are the major characters in the town.