There are times when a single movie or drama can completely change the image of a city. For instance, when you think of Philadelphia, you think of Rocky, and when you think of The Andy Griffith Show, Mayberry automatically comes to mind.

So, what about Morgantown? The impact this small college town has left on American pop culture is much more significant than one might expect. While it may not appear frequently on screen, the individuals connected to this city have kept the name Morgantown resonating in American living rooms for decades through the media.

The strongest connection is with The Andy Griffith Show (1960-1968) and Don Knotts. The actor who played the show's key character, Barney Fife, hails from Morgantown. Don Knotts was born and raised in Morgantown, graduated from Morgantown High School, and earned a Bachelor's degree in Education from WVU. The character Aunt Bee often referenced family stories from Morgantown, so American viewers in the 1960s heard the name Morgantown repeatedly on their TVs.

Don Knotts won an impressive five Emmy Awards for The Andy Griffith Show. The character Barney Fife, a well-meaning but bumbling police officer, won the hearts of Americans and is still considered one of the most beloved supporting characters in American TV history. In 1998, the city of Morgantown renamed South University Avenue to Don Knotts Boulevard, and in 2016, a statue of him was erected in front of the Metropolitan Theatre on High Street. Visitors still come regularly to take photos in front of this statue.

In the film industry, the story of screenwriter Lawrence Kasdan cannot be overlooked. Kasdan grew up in Morgantown and wrote the screenplays for Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back (1980) and Star Wars: Return of the Jedi (1983). In the 1992 film The Bodyguard, he set Kevin Costner's character as a WVU alumnus, and the WVU logo also appeared in the film. This is another example of someone from Morgantown embedding their university into a global blockbuster.

There are also works that have shaped the overall image of West Virginia. The 2006 film We Are Marshall tells the true story of the 1970 Marshall University plane crash, highlighting West Virginia's sports spirit and sense of community to the nation. J.J. Abrams' Super 8 (2011) also took place in West Virginia. As these works accumulate, the public's image of West Virginia, and Morgantown, gradually takes shape.

Today, some visitors to Morgantown come to find the Don Knotts statue or think of the WVU campus in connection with scenes from movies. The city image created by the media is far more powerful than tourism board advertisements. The name Morgantown, repeated on American TV for decades, and the WVU logo embedded in global films have become a stronger brand than what Morgantown could have created on its own.

Ultimately, the true image of a city is created not by advertisements but by people. From the time Don Knotts made Americans laugh as Barney Fife to when Kasdan was writing Star Wars scripts, Morgantown has consistently contributed to American culture behind the scenes. The fact that not many people are aware of this is, in a way, what makes this city unique.