New Girl is set in California.
Los Angeles ( [ lɒs_ˈændʒəlᵻs ] , Spanish for `` The Angels '' ; [ los ˈaŋxeles ] ) , officially the City of Los Angeles and often known by its initials L.A. , is the cultural , financial , and commercial center of Southern California . With a census-estimated 2017 population of 4,042,000 , it is the second-most populous city in the United States ( after New York City ) and the most populous city in the state of California . New Girl . Developed by Elizabeth Meriwether under the working title Chicks & Dicks , the series revolves around a kooky teacher Jess ( Zooey Deschanel ) after she moves into a Los Angeles loft with three men , Nick ( Jake Johnson ) , Schmidt ( Max Greenfield ) , and Winston ( Lamorne Morris ) ; Jess ' best friend Cece ( Hannah Simone ) and on-again-off-again loft mate Coach ( Damon Wayans Jr. ) also appear regularly .