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{{Short description|Fictional city in animated TV sitcom The Simpsons}}
{| border=1 align=right cellpadding=4 cellspacing=0 width=300 style="clear:right; margin: 0 0 1em 1em; background: #f9f9f9; border: 1px #aaaaaa solid; border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 95%;"
{{Redirect|Springfield, USA|real-world places|Springfield (disambiguation)#United States{{!}}Springfield § United States}}
|+ style="margin-left: inherit; font-size: medium;" |'''Springfield'''
{{Use American English|date=July 2024}}
|-
{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2024}}
|'''City ]'''||"A Noble Spirit Embiggens the Smallest Man", "Corruptus in Extremis"
{{Infobox fictional location
|-
| name = Springfield
|'''Founded'''||Unknown; before 1649
| image = Springfield (The Simpsons).png
|-
| image_size = 380px
|''']'''||1796
| alt =
|-
| caption = A panoramic view of Springfield, as seen in '']'' (2007)
|colspan="2"|]
| source = ]
|-
| alt_name =
|'''Founder'''||]
| first = "]" (1987)
|-
| last =
|''']'''||]
| based_on = ] (name) <br>] (design)
|-
| creator = ]
|'''Congressional ]'''||Bob Arnold (expelled), Horace Wilcox (deceased), ]
| genre = Animated sitcom
|-
| type =
|'''State ]'''||Mary Bailey
| located_in = Springfield County, United States (fictional)
|-
| ruler = ] (Mayor)
|''']'''||2,088,723 ] (West Springfield is three times the size of ])
| locations = ]<br>]
|-
| ethnic_group =
|''']'''<br/>&nbsp;-City pop.<br/>&nbsp;-]||<br/>65,500<br/>1.50/km²
| races =
|-
| blank_label1 = Demonym
|''']'''||1582 ] above ]
| blank_data1 = Springfieldianite
|-
| blank_label2 =
|''']s'''||636 & 939
| blank_data2 =
|-
| blank_label3 =
|'''Main ]'''||], heavy ], ], ], ], ], ], ]
| blank_data3 =
|-
}}
|'''Official Bird'''|| ]
'''Springfield''' is the primary fictional setting of the American ] ] '']'' and ]. It is an average-sized, fictional city within an unknown ] in the ]. The fictional city's geography, surroundings, and layout are flexible, often changing to accommodate the plot of any given episode.{{sfn|Turner|2004|p=30}}
|}


Springfield was inspired by a number of real-life locations, including creator ]'s hometown of ] and the nearby town of ].<ref name=":0" /><ref name="delaroca">{{cite journal |last1=De La Roca |first1=Claudia |title=Matt Groening Reveals the Location of the Real Springfield |journal=] |date=May 2012 |url=https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/matt-groening-reveals-the-location-of-the-real-springfield-60583379/ |access-date=December 6, 2021}}</ref> However, in order to emphasize it as an example of "]", the location of the fictional Springfield remains a mystery.<ref name=":0" /><ref name="delaroca" /> "Clues" regarding Springfield's climate, geology, history, distance from real cities, or political alignment, which are found in numerous episodes of the series, are intentionally contradictory.<ref name="delaroca" /><ref name=":1" />
'''Springfield''' is the ] where the ] series '']'' is set. It is located near ] and ] in ]. The evidence is sufficiently contradictory that it cannot be identified with any specific state.


==Creation==
Founded in 1796 by ], Springfield seems to be a small city rather than a megalopolis. Its features include one ]; two elementary schools (] and East Springfield Elementary School); a ] stadium; an airport; an ocean harbor; a downtown district; springfield gorge; springfield downs; a large tire fire yard; a ]; a Russian district; its own ]; several specialized shopping districts, ], a bar run by Moe Szyslak; and Barney's Bowl-A-Rama, a bowling alley run by ]'s uncle.
The fictional city of Springfield was intended to represent "Anytown, USA", and not be derived from any specific real-life location.{{sfn|Turner|2004|p=30}}{{r|potts20120416}} However, the producers acknowledge deriving inspiration from numerous locations, including ''The Simpsons'' creator Matt Groening's hometown of ], and ]'s hometown, ].<ref>{{cite news |url=http://thetribonline.com/news/story.php?story_id=12392 |title=Matt Groening's Portland |access-date=April 24, 2013 |author=Hamilton, Don |date=July 19, 2002 |newspaper=] |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151016141049/http://thetribonline.com/news/story.php?story_id=12392 |archive-date=October 16, 2015 }}</ref><ref name=":0">{{cite web|url=http://www.kval.com/news/8775202.html |title=Groening: Springfield is the real deal! |publisher=] |work=] |date=July 27, 2007 |access-date=November 19, 2007 |author=Kalkstein, Meghan |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071005053116/http://www.kval.com/news/8775202.html |archive-date=October 5, 2007 }}</ref>


Springfield was named after Springfield, Oregon, which, as a child, Groening had believed to be the fictitious Springfield featured in the 1950s sitcom '']''. Groening did not intend to place the fictional Springfield in Oregon, contrary to a 2012 interview with him in ]; he instead adopted the name for the setting of ''The Simpsons'' in the hope that "everyone will think it's their Springfield."<ref>{{cite web|last1=De La Roca|first1=Claudia|date=May 2012|title=Matt Groening Reveals the Location of the Real Springfield |url=https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/matt-groening-reveals-the-location-of-the-real-springfield-60583379/|access-date=September 23, 2020|publisher=Smithsonian Magazine}} Moe's Tavern is actually based on 'Max's Tavern' in the neighboring town, ]. It is iconic for its pickled eggs on its counters and the television in the top right corner of the room.</ref> ] explained that the magazine "misinterpreted something I've heard him say for at least 10 or 20 years. He was inspired by growing up in ], but it's really an every town".{{r|potts20120416}}
Springfield's nearest neighboring town is Shelbyville. There is a strong rivalry between the towns, dating back to a rivalry between their founders -- Jebediah Springfield and Shelbyville Manhattan. Manhattan wanted to found a city where men were free to marry their cousins, but Springfield refused to allow it, so Shelbyville was founded as a rival town. The story of the dispute between Jebediah Springfield and Shelbyville Manhattan contains faint references to the historical stories of the deal between Asa Lovejoy and William Overton to file a land claim, and the dispute between Lovejoy and Francis W. Pettygrove over the name of Portland, Oregon.


Groening liked '']''{{'s}} setting of Melonville, a town with a large cast of recurring characters, and used it as inspiration for ''The Simpsons''.<ref name="Groening">{{cite video |people=Groening, Matt |date=2006 |title=The Simpsons The Complete Eighth Season DVD commentary for the episode "Homer vs. The Eighteenth Amendment" |medium=DVD |publisher=20th Century Fox}}</ref> He said, "I also figured out that Springfield was ] In anticipation of the show's success, I thought, 'This will be cool; everyone will think it's their Springfield.' And they do".<ref name="delaroca" /><ref> ]. Retrieved July 21, 2007.</ref>
==History==
], founder.]]


===Location===
Springfield was founded in ] by settlers who were trying to find a passage to ] after mis-interpreting a passage in the ]. In its early days, the city was the target of many ] raids, and to this day many forts and trading posts remain (including Fort Springfield and Fort Sensible). It was also the site of two battles during the ] ''(see ] for more information)''.
{{quote box|align=right|width=25em|quote="The true location of Springfield is in any state but yours"|source=—], "]"<ref name="potts20120416">{{Cite web |last=Potts |first=Kimberly |date=2012-04-16 |title='The Simpsons' Reveals Where Springfield Isn't |url=https://www.thewrap.com/simpsons-blackboard-opening-reveals-springfields-location-37036/ |access-date=2020-06-23 |website=The Wrap}}</ref>}}
<!--Please do not add speculation about individual states to this section or any other section on the page-->
Because of the many contradictory statements made regarding Springfield in the show, the town cannot exist in a specific state. In '']'', ] tells ] that the state where Springfield is located is bordered by the states of ], ], ], and ] – only Ohio and Kentucky are neighboring states in reality, and Nevada and Maine are at opposite sides of the US.{{r|potts20120416}}<ref name=":1">{{cite news |url=http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/film/features/e3i8b30e2fc7d99d5a4e04b1f219f212c3e |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070516045021/http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/film/features/e3i8b30e2fc7d99d5a4e04b1f219f212c3e |archive-date=May 16, 2007 |title=Springfield of dreams |work=] |date=May 11, 2007 |author=Richmond, Ray |access-date=June 13, 2007}}</ref>


The fictional city's unknown geography is a ] in the series; the '']'' called it the "riddle wrapped in an enigma that is Springfield's location."<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.daytondailynews.com/o/content/oh/story/opinions/columns/2007/06/11/ddn061207lifedl.html |title=Maybe this Springfield is just a state of mind |author=Stewart, D.L. |access-date=April 28, 2008 |date=June 12, 2007 |work=]}}</ref> Episodes frequently make fun of the fact that Springfield's state is unidentifiable, by adding further conflicting descriptions, obscuring onscreen map representations, and interrupting conversational references.<ref group=notes>One of the contradictory identifications takes place in '']'' (season 7, episode 16) in which the grave of Democratic Presidential candidate and later UN ambassador under President ], ], is shown to be located in Springfield's cemetery. The actual grave is in ] in ]. Like his father, Vice President ], and his son, Senator ], Stevenson was strongly connected to ], having been Governor of the state from 1949 to 1953. The Stevenson grave is thus a "clue" pointing to Springfield being in Illinois.</ref>
The founder of Springfield was pioneer Jebediah Springfield, widely celebrated in the town as a brave and proud American hero. He famously once killed a bear with his bare hands, and this deed is immortalized in a bronze statue in front of the ]. However, revisionist historians have since determined that the bear in fact probably killed Springfield, and not vice-versa. The town motto "a noble spirit ] the smallest man" is attributed to Jebediah. ] would later discover that Jebediah Springfield was in fact Hans Sprungfeld, a murderous pirate and enemy of ], but eventually decided that the myth of Springfield should be preserved and did not reveal her findings.


], who directed the movie and various episodes of the series, joked that Springfield is located in the fictional state of "North Takoma".<ref name="NT">{{cite news |author=Laura Lee Davies |url=http://simpsonsarchive.com/other/interviews/oakley.silverman.html |title=Bill Oakley & David Silverman |work=] |date=September 25, 1996 |access-date=April 28, 2008}}</ref><ref name="Silverman">{{cite video |people=Silverman, David |date=2003 |title=The Simpsons The Complete Third Season DVD commentary for the episode "Mr. Lisa Goes to Washington" |medium=DVD |publisher=20th Century Fox}}</ref> This is substantiated by the state abbreviations NT and TA used within the show.<ref name="Silverman" /><ref>{{cite episode |title=Mr. Lisa Goes to Washington |episode-link=Mr. Lisa Goes to Washington |series=The Simpsons |series-link=The Simpsons |credits=Meyer, George; Archer, Wes |network=Fox |airdate=September 26, 1991 |season=03 |number=02}}</ref> As of '']'' (season 12, episode 2), the telephone ] for Springfield are ] (] and Western ])<ref>Simpsons Episode: Papa's Got a Brand New Badge (2002), First aired May 22, 2002</ref> and ] (]).
In the mid-], the city reached perhaps the pinnacle of its success when it became the home of the Aquacar, a car which could be driven in water like a boat. At this point, the city's streets were literally paved with gold. But unfortunately, as related in the ''Are We There Yet? The Simpsons: Guide to Springfield'', this economy collapsed when it was discovered that the Aquacar was prone to spontaneous explosion after 600 miles and/or knots. The town has never really recovered from this tragedy (the gold was reportedly shipped to the Sultan of ] to encase one of his many elephant herds), but some heavy industry remains in the town, including factories for Ah! Fudge chocolate, Southern Cracker, fireworks, candy, and boxes, as well as a steel mill.


To promote ''The Simpsons Movie'', various actual ] competed to hold the ].<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.lsj.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070608/NEWS01/706080333/1001/NEWS |title=Springfield hopes to host 'Simpsons' premiere |date=June 8, 2007 |access-date=June 13, 2007 |agency=Associated Press |publisher=Lansing State Journal |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070930020454/http://www.lsj.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=%2F20070608%2FNEWS01%2F706080333%2F1001%2FNEWS |archive-date=September 30, 2007}}</ref> The promotion was, whichever state sent in the most votes would be the winner and would officially be which state ] takes place in. Despite the smaller size of Vermont compared to other states, the town of ] was chosen.<ref>{{cite news |first=Clark |last=Cindy |title='The Simpsons Movie' Hometown Premiere Contest |url=https://www.usatoday.com/life/movies/simpsons-contest.htm |work=] |date=July 10, 2007 |access-date=July 10, 2007}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |first=Carry |last=McGourty |author2=Jared Weiner |url=https://abcnews.go.com/WN/story?id=3359421&page=1 |title=Peace, Granola and Now 'The Simpsons' |publisher=] |date=July 10, 2007 |access-date=July 10, 2007}}</ref> In 2016, a '']'' study of the 50 TV shows with the most ]s found that "of all the Springfields in America, is most popular in Springfields in ], ] and ], and least popular in Springfields in ], ] and ]".<ref name="katz20161227">{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2016/12/26/upshot/duck-dynasty-vs-modern-family-television-maps.html |title='Duck Dynasty' vs. 'Modern Family': 50 Maps of the U.S. Cultural Divide |last=Katz |first=Josh |date=December 27, 2016 |newspaper=The New York Times}}</ref>
Springfield was nearly chosen as the host for the Summer Olympic Games, but ]'s antics angered representatives from the ]. It was also nearly awarded an ] franchise team, but ] attacked the commissioner - mistaking him for a burgular - while he was trying to use the Simpsons' phone.


===Fictional history===
In ], Bart accidentally moons the U.S. flag, and the Simpsons appear on a talk show to explain the matter. However, the show's host makes it appear that Springfield hates America. When the rest of the U.S. reciprocates this loathing, Mayor Quimby changes the name of Springfield to "Liberty-Ville". An enormous patriotic craze ensues, wherein all items are priced at $ 17.76, even houses.
The episode "]" revealed that Springfield was founded by a group led by ] (a cover identity for notorious pirate Hans Sprungfeld) who, after misinterpreting a passage in the Bible, left Maryland trying to find "New ]".<ref name="lisatheiconoclast">{{cite episode |title=Lisa the Iconoclast |episode-link=Lisa the Iconoclast |series=The Simpsons |series-link=The Simpsons |credits=Collier, Jonathan; Anderson, Mike B. |network=Fox Broadcasting Company |airdate=February 18, 1996 |season=7 |number=16}}</ref> After he refuses to found a town where ], half of the group leave. The dissenters found the nearby town of ], named after fellow pioneer Shelbyville Manhattan, and the two cities have remained rivals ever since.<ref name="lemonoftroy">{{cite episode |title=Lemon of Troy |episode-link=Lemon of Troy |series=The Simpsons |series-link=The Simpsons |credits=Forrester, Brent; Reardon, Jim |network=Fox Broadcasting Company |airdate=May 14, 1995 |season=6 |number=12}}</ref>


Springfield reached its pinnacle in the mid-20th century when it became the home of the world's first ] factory; one-half of the U.S. was said to wear Springfield galoshes, and the city's streets were literally paved with gold.<ref name="$pringfield">{{cite episode |title=$pringfield |episode-link=$pringfield |series=The Simpsons |series-link=The Simpsons |credits=Bill Oakley and Josh Weinstein; Wes Archer |network=Fox Broadcasting Company |airdate=December 16, 1993 |season=5 |number=10}}</ref> However, the town's prosperity was short-lived. In a 1992 episode, a fictional '']'' cover story on Springfield is titled "America's Worst City", <ref>{{cite episode |title=New Kid on the Block
==Geography and climate==
|episode-link=New Kid on the Block
===Geography===
|series=The Simpsons
Springfield's geography includes mountains, gorges, giant redwood trees, a desert, a forest, lakes, rivers and a volcano. It is located on the coast of a large body of water, possibly an ocean. It has also been stated that "West Springfield" is 3 times the size of Texas, and looks exactly like Texas in shape.
|series-link=The Simpsons
|credits=Archer, Wes; O'Brien, Conan
|network=Fox Broadcasting Company
|airdate=November 12, 1992
|season=4
|number=8
}}</ref> and in a 1996 episode, '']'' called the town "America's Crud Bucket".<ref>{{cite episode |title=Summer of 4 Ft. 2 |episode-link=Summer of 4 Ft. 2 |series=The Simpsons |series-link=The Simpsons |credits=Greaney, Dan; Kirkland, Mark |network=Fox Broadcasting Company |airdate=May 19, 1996 |season=7 |number=25}}</ref>


===Topography===
Major geographic features include Springfield Gorge, Springfield National Forest, Mt. Springfield, Springfield Harbor, Springfield ], the Murderhorn (a homage to the ]), Mount Doom (an evil hideaway owned by Doctor Colussus), Springfield Glacier, Widow's Peak, and Mt. Carlmore.
Springfield's fictional geography is shown to be comically varied and includes ]s, ]s, ]s, a ], a ], ]es, ], ]s, ]s, a ], ], and ]s. Major named geographical features include the Springfield Gorge, Springfield National Forest, the volcanic Mt. Springfield, the West Springfield Desert, which is claimed to be "three times the size of ]",<ref>{{cite episode |title=Half-Decent Proposal |episode-link=Half-Decent Proposal |series=The Simpsons |series-link=The Simpsons |network=Fox Broadcasting Company |airdate=February 10, 2002 |season=13 |number=279 }}</ref> the Springfield Badlands,<ref>{{cite episode |title=Sideshow Bob's Last Gleaming |episode-link=Sideshow Bob's Last Gleaming |series=The Simpsons |series-link=The Simpsons |credits=Feresten, Spike; Polcino, Dominic |network=Fox Broadcasting Company |airdate=November 26, 1995 |season=7 |number=9}}</ref> the gigantic Murderhorn Mountain, Springfield Glacier, Mt. Useful National Park, Springfield Mesa, Springfield Monument Park, and Springfield National Park.


The town's climate is usually depicted as dry and sunny, with a bright blue sky. However, in various episodes, it has been subject to many natural disasters, including heatwaves, blizzards, avalanches, earthquakes, ], floods, hurricanes, lightning strikes, tornadoes, and volcanic eruptions.
===Cityscape===
The city is divided into a number of districts, including ], Lower East Side (a ] district), Springfield Heights, Bum Town, East Springfield, Recluse Ranch Estates, ]ville, Pressboard Estates, South Street Squidport, Little ], ], a ] district, West Springfield, ] Town, ], and a ] district. For a brief period, Springfield divided itself into two cities, Olde Springfield and New Springfield, on the basis of an ] division. Wealthy Olde Springfield, with Mayor Quimby, anchorman Kent Brockman, and bullies such as ], was separated from the rest of Springfield by a wall that was erected by poor New Springfield. Mayor Quimby maintained control of Olde Springfield while ] ran New Springfield. The cities were later re-united through a concert by ].


Springfield's environment is shown as unusually polluted. Overflowing garbage forces the whole town – population and structures — to move five miles (8km) away from the massive dump that the old town of Springfield had become.<ref>{{cite episode |title=Trash of the Titans |episode-link=Trash of the Titans |series=The Simpsons |series-link=The Simpsons |credits=Maxtone-Graham, Ian; Reardon, Jim |network=Fox Broadcasting Company |airdate=May 26, 1998 |season=9 |number=22}}</ref> Springfield is also home to the state's largest self-sustaining ], which has been burning continuously for many decades.<ref>{{cite episode |title=Homer's Paternity Coot |episode-link=Homer's Paternity Coot |series=The Simpsons |series-link=The Simpsons |credits=Anderson, Mike. B; Cohen, Joel H. |network=Fox Broadcasting Company |airdate=January 8, 2006 |season=17 |number=10}}</ref> Lake Springfield's ] almost leads to the town's destruction by an ] bomb in '']'',<ref name=":2">'']''</ref> and pollution from the ] has mutated the fish in the river, causing some to grow an extra eye.<ref name="blinky">"]"</ref> Its atmosphere is so polluted that, in one 1995 episode, it reduces a ] to a rock the size of a ]'s head.<ref>'']''</ref>
The city's ] is in a pitiful state of disrepair, owing to citizens driving along it while carrying excessively heavy weights and leaving snow chains on their tires after the snow has melted. One typical example featured ] driving with a massive grand piano strapped to the roof of his car as his chain-covered tires gouged the road, laughing "look at that pavement fly!" Some of the potholes have become so wide that entire cars and trucks can (and have) fallen into them. This includes a popcorn truck that exploded on impact making a large pile of popcorn over the pot hole.


Springfield is shown to feature a large numbered ], ranging from streets at least as low as 3rd Street and at least as high as 257th Street.<ref>'']''</ref>
Towns near Springfield (within driving distance or close enough to be included in local news) include North Haverbrook, Shelbyville, Ogdenville, Brockway and Cranford.


===Politics, religion, and media===
===Climate===
The fictional mayor of Springfield is ], a ]. In the episode "]", ] (]) runs for mayor and defeats Mayor Quimby, but Bob is later discovered to have committed ].
Springfield is located in an area that can receive rain and snow. Most of the time however, the skies are blue and mostly sunny.


] (R) represents Springfield in Congress. Previous representatives include Horace Wilcox, who dies of a heart attack while in office in "]", and Bob Arnold, who is forced to resign after Lisa exposes his corruption in "]".
Springfield is also subject to a number of natural disasters including avalanches, earthquakes, acid rain, floods, hurricanes, lightning strikes, tornados, and volcano eruptions.


] is the fictional governor of Springfield's state.<ref name="blinky" />
===Pollution===
According to the ''Are We There Yet? Guide to Springfield'', visitors from elsewhere are advised to constantly wear radiation suits and carry ], since the city is perhaps the most radioactive in the U.S. This is because the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant was built during an incredibly lax period for the ] in which the plant's nuclear core was surrounded not by several layers of protective concrete and graphite but by ordinary plaster with a horseshoe hanging from a nail. It is so dangerous that Mr Burns (the owner of the Nuclear Plant) has built an escape pod in case of a nuclear meltdown. It never actualy launched in a nuclear meltdown except when Homer was in the Nuclear Training Booth. He apparently created a meltdown when there actually was no radiation in the booth. Also, management apparently gives employees benefits for storing nuclear waste in buildings; in some episodes, barrels of waste have been seen in the Simpsons' basement. Also perhaps due to this, the book reports that international law forbids shipping produce from Springfield; those who do venture into a local supermarket or farmer's market may find that it gives off a barely audible hum. Springfield is also home to the state's largest tire fire, which has been continuously burning for approximately 40 years (as of ]) which does nothing to improve the air quality.

==People and culture==
The geographic location of Springfield is never stated, but Springfield is generally considered to depict, in a lampooning manner, "bread-and-butter" ], culturally somewhere between a suburb and a small town. Springfieldians are not, for the most part, cosmopolitan, and most are of lower-middle to middle income (excluding the nefarious, extravagant ], Lindsey Naegle, Dr. Hibbert, Ranier Wolfcastle, Kent Brockman, Mayor Quimby, and the "Well, I never!" woman).

In one episode, the "small-town nastiness" of Springfield is made evident by a benighted tradition of "snake-whacking" whereby, annually, Springfieldians bludgeon snakes to death. Lisa Simpson, a proto-] disgusted by this activity, encourages the people of Springfield to quit the tradition with the aid of soul singer ].

Springfieldians have a very bad reputation. As described by Dr. Hibbert, it is a town where the smartest have no power and the stupidest run everything. ] once did a cover story on Springfield entitled "America's Worst City," and ] has referred to the city as "America's Crud Bucket." Most citizens are very stupid, ], and also quick to anger, though it should be noted that Shelbyville residents are (somehow) even more stupid and more backwards. There is a ] almost every month. Springfield also has a strange smell that is uncomfortable to new ]s. It is usually about six weeks before they adjust. (Cities near pulp mills, such as ] or ], have a similar problem.) Springfield is also the first ] city to abandon the ] system.

] has been several times a joke on the show. It is even stated in "]" that Springfield is "the world's fattest town."

===Demographics===
Springfield is home to people of many races, cultures, and creeds, including European-Americans (the Simpson, Flanders and Van Houten families), African-Americans (the Hibbert family, ]), Latinos (Bumblebee Man), South Asians (Apu and his family, "Two Guys From Kabul") and East Asians (Cookie Kwan, Akira).

There is a large gap between wealthy citizens (such as ] and ]), and poor citizens (], ]). Population is about 40,000.

===Crime===
There are a number of prisons in Springfield, including Springfield Penitentiary, Springwood Minimum Security Prison, Springfield Women's Prison, and Montgomery Burns State Penitentiary. The Springfield Police Department, led by Police Chief ], is a largely corrupt and incompetent organization. There was also a time in the town's history where the police duties were handed over from the Springfield Police Department over to Springshield which was run by ] with the help of his friends Lenny and Carl. Most organized crime in town is controlled by mob boss Fat Tony, however the Yakuza are present in smaller numbers.

===Arts & Entertainment===
Springfield boasts an opera house, an outdoor ], an arbortoreum, a vibrant jazz scene and was mentioned as the entertainment capital of its state. There is also an unusually high number of museums, including Springfield Museum (which features the world's largest cubic zirconia), Springfield Knowledgeum, Springfield Museum of Natural History, Springsonian Museum, and a stamp museum. Springfield once had the Springfield Concert Hall, but it was closed down after the first two measures of Beethoven's Fifth Symphony and turned into the Montgomery Burns State Penitentiary.

===Media===
The city paper is '']'', and the most popular TV station is ''']-TV''' (Channel 6), with ], Scott Christian and ] on the news, ] and ] doing shows, and Bill & Marty on the radio. Alternatively, ''']''' is a ]/] channel featuring ].

===Religion===
Religion and faith plays a large role in Springfieldian society. The largest church community appears to be the First Church of Springfield, a Presbylutheran church headed by Reverend Timothy Lovejoy. There is also a synagogue (led by Rabbi Hyman Krustofski), a mosque, a Catholic church (the Cathedral of the Downtown,) an Episcopal church (with vibrating pews,) and a Buddhist temple. Apu, a Hindu, has a statue of the god ] in the Kwik-E-Mart.

In the episode "]," many Springfieldians joined a cult known as Movementarianism, but soon left after it was revealed as a fraud. According to Reverend Lovejoy in "" by ], there is also an alliance of people who split off from the Presbyterians to worship an ]. ], ] and ] are practicing Buddhists. There is also a ] Lodge (currently re-named as "The Ancient Society of No-Homers,"), of which practically every male in the city (minus ]) is a member.

The town government is secular. In ], a law was passed which banned ]ing on city property. Another episode featured a convict who was imprisoned for erecting a ] on city property. In "]" ] fired Principal Ned Flanders when he overhears him saying "thank the Lord" over the ].


===Sports=== ===Sports===
There are a number of sports teams and sports arenas: the Springfield Isotopes ] ] team (which once threatened to move to ], whose real life minor league baseball eventually changed their name to the Isotopes), the Springfield Speedway, a monster truck rally (featuring Truckasaurus), the Springfield Atoms ] team, the Springfield Stun ] team, the Springfield Ice-otopes ] team, the Association of Springfield Semi-Pro Boxers, and a dog track. The town is home to a number of fictional sporting teams, including the Springfield Isotopes, a ] team which plays its home games at ] Stadium;<ref name="hungryhungryhomer">"]"</ref> the Springfield Atoms ] team at Springfield Stadium;<ref name="strangled">"]"</ref> the ]'s Springfield Excitement (formerly the Austin Celtics);<ref name="bees">"]"</ref> and the Springfield Ice-O-Topes ] team.


===Economy=== ==Businesses ==
===Kwik-E-Mart===
Springfield's economy, although at one time "on the GROW!", is now floundering. Some heavy industry remains in the town, including factories for Ah! Fudge chocolate, Southern Cracker, fireworks, candy, and boxes, as well as a steel mill. Many Springfieldians are employed by the ].
{{Main|Kwik-E-Mart}}
] 7-Eleven store transformed into a Kwik-E-Mart]]
] is a fictional convenience store run by ]. The Kwik-E-Mart first appeared in the first-season episode "]" (although mentioned in "]" as the "Quick-e-Mart"). In "]", a street sign reading "Highland" is seen outside one of the front windows, in the same blue color as is used for signs for ] in ]. Likewise, three buildings are visible that are similar to some of those that might be seen on that street: two low buildings with bars over the windows, and a third, also with barred windows, which has a mission-style roof and a sign reading "Smog Center".<ref>{{cite episode |title=Stark Raving Dad |episode-link=Stark Raving Dad |series=The Simpsons |series-link=The Simpsons |network=Fox |airdate=September 19, 1991 |season=03 |number=02 |credits=Jean, Al; Reiss, Mike}}</ref>


The episode "]" suggests that Apu is an employee of the Kwik-E-Mart and shows him travelling to the ], where the Kwik-E-Mart head office is located, to ask for his job back after being fired. However, Apu mentions at a bachelor auction that he runs his own business in "]".
Major industries include ], heavy ], ], and ].


In July 2007, convenience store chain ] converted 11 of its stores in the United States and one in Canada into Kwik-E-Marts to promote the release of '']''.<ref name="E!">{{cite news |author=Josh Grossberg |date=July 2, 2007 |title=Cowabunga! 7-Elevens Get Kwik-E Makeover |url=http://www.eonline.com/news/article/index.jsp?uuid=4082c01a-a201-4b22-8c30-1f51e4a41a5a |access-date=February 24, 2008 |publisher=]}}</ref> The locations of the renovated Kwik-E-Marts were: ]/Washington, D.C.; ]; ]; ]; ]; ]/]; ]; ]/]; New York City; ]/]; ];<ref name="FOX">{{cite news |date=July 1, 2007 |title=7-Eleven Becomes Kwik-E-Mart for 'Simpsons Movie' Promotion |url=https://www.foxnews.com/story/7-eleven-becomes-kwik-e-mart-for-simpsons-movie-promotion |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070704143203/http://www.foxnews.com/story/0%2C2933%2C287578%2C00.html |archive-date=July 4, 2007 |access-date=July 3, 2007 |publisher=]}}</ref> and ]/], Canada.<ref>{{cite news |date=October 30, 2007 |title=Oh Canada, D'oh Homer |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/oh-canada-d-oh-homer-1.668588 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071201080218/http://www.cbc.ca/news/story/2007/07/04/kwick-e-mart.html |url-status=live |archive-date=December 1, 2007 |access-date=July 4, 2007 |publisher=]}}</ref> These 12 locations, as well as the majority of other North American 7-Elevens, sold products found in ''The Simpsons'', such as "]", "]", "]s", pink frosted "Sprinklicious doughnuts", and other ''Simpsons''-themed merchandise. The Squishes were ]s that are sold in special collector cups, and the Krusty-O's were made by ].<ref name="FOX" /> The promotion resulted in a 30% increase in profits for the changed 7-Eleven stores. This can be seen during the opening of ''The Simpsons Movie''.<ref name="tieins">{{cite news |author=Gail Schiller |date=July 6, 2007 |title=D'oh! 'Simpsons' limits tie-in partners |url=http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/film/news/e3i5cd11e0c6fc24e90a897224f6f3c214d |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070708103103/http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/film/news/e3i5cd11e0c6fc24e90a897224f6f3c214d |archive-date=July 8, 2007 |access-date=July 6, 2007 |work=]}}</ref>
==Infrastructure==
===Government===
The current mayor of Springfield is ] ], a sleazy womanizing politician who once admitted to using the town treasury to fund the murder of his enemies. He was briefly thrown out in favor of ], but was later re-instated when Bob was impeached for electoral fraud. His post was threatened by a ], but none of the new candidates gained enough of the vote to oust him. {{see|Sideshow Bob Roberts}} {{see|See Homer Run}}


=== Moe's Tavern ===
When the mayor briefly skipped town due to missing lottery funds, the town's ] chapter (], ], ], ], and ]) ]. They changed clocks to ], eliminated the green lights from stoplights, and put the city on the top 300 US cities. It was 299th, above ]. {{see|They Saved Lisa's Brain}}
]


Moe's Tavern, or often simply referred to as "Moe's", is a fictional bar operated and named after the owner, ]. Moe's Tavern first appeared in the first episode of the series "]". ], ], and ] often visit the bar after a day of work at the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant. Other frequent patrons of Moe's Tavern are ], ], and ].
In the ], Springfield was represented by Congressman Bob Arnold, who was later expelled for taking bribes. However, in the episode "]," Horace Wilcox is stated to have been congressman since ]. After Wilcox's death, ] runs for Congress as a ], and wins. He is still a representative, as of the episode "]."


===Springfield Nuclear Power Plant===
====Laws, Statutes, and Propositions====
The Springfield Nuclear Power Plant is a fictional two-unit ] ] in Springfield owned by ]. Among the plant's employees are ], ], and ], and Burns' assistant ]. The plant is shown to be the key supplier of the city of Springfield's energy, and the carelessness of Mr. Burns and the plant's employees often endangers the residents and natural environment of Springfield. ] with more than two eyes are often shown in the lake behind the power plant, which has a large pipe pumping nuclear waste into it. There is a ] or ] shown living near the Power Plant, which caws whenever an ] of the Power Plant is on screen. A running gag in earlier seasons was the poor security of the plant, with the outside security booth often going unmanned.
Gambling is legal in Springfield, as is ], trade in children and fishing with dynamite. For a brief time, ] was brought back ("spirituous beverages are hereby prohibited in Springfield under penalty of catapult").


The design of Springfield Nuclear Power Plant is often rumored to be based on the troubled ] (closed in 1993 due to defects) near ]'s hometown of ], or the ] in southeastern ]. However, Antonia Coffman, Groening's publicist, has said that the Springfield plant's design is generic and that "the Springfield Nuclear Power plant was not based on the Trojan Plant or any other power plant in the country."<ref>{{cite news |last=LaBoe |first=Barbara |url=http://www.tdn.com/articles/2006/05/14/area_news/news07.txt |title='Simpsons' keeps Trojan tower legacy alive... or does it? |publisher=] |page=A1 |date=May 14, 2006 |access-date=May 28, 2006}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.seattlepi.com/local/271084_trojan22.html |title=Tower of Oregon's only nuclear plant goes down }} {{Dead link |date=January 2012 |bot=RjwilmsiBot}}</ref>
There are a number of unusual statutes in Springfield and its town charter, including "the chief constable shall receive one pig every month and two comely lasses of virtue true," "it is illegal to mail threatening letters and to put squirrels down your pants for the purposes of gambling," and "five kicks of the same can shall be considered illegally transporting litter."


===The Android's Dungeon & Baseball Card Shop===
Proposition 24, which would deport all illegal immigrants from Springfield, passed with 95% at the end of "]." Marge and her family successfully lobby to get Proposition 242, a "Families Come First" grassroots voter initiative, passed in "]." In "]," there is a billboard put up by ] and ] advocating "yes" on Proposition 104, "Homer out of Springfield".
] of ]]]
The Android's Dungeon is a fictional comic book store owned by ]. The comic book store and its owner first appeared in the episode "]" when Bart sees a copy of the first issue of the ] comic on sale for $100.


In the episode "]", Bart and ] are given the job of running the comic book store after Comic Book Guy suffers from a stress-induced heart attack and is instructed to try and gain a social life. During their brief tenure at the store, Bart and Milhouse discover a secret room filled with bootleg videotapes of extremely rare or illegal subjects. These tapes are later confiscated during a police raid on the store.
===Education===
There are quite a number of public and private schools in Springfield, including two elementary schools (] & East Springfield Elementary School), junior high school, and high school. There are also a number of colleges, including Springfield A&M, Krusty's Clown College, the University of Springfield, and the unfortunately named Springfield Heights Institute of Technology. A full list of education institutions in Springfield can be found .


===Transportation=== ===Barney's Bowl-A-Rama===
Barney's Bowl-A-Rama is a fictional ] in Springfield. It is owned by ]'s Uncle Al. In the episode "]", Homer tells the family the story of ]'s birth. In this story, ] explains how he quit his job at ] to work at the Bowl-A-Rama, which was Homer's dream job, before returning to the plant when Maggie was born so that he could afford to care for her.
Several highways run through Springfield, including the ] Expressway (Interstate Route 401, formerly the ] Expressway), the uncompleted ] Expressway, Interstate 95, Route 202, and Rural Route 9. There is also a ], an abandoned aquaduct, and an ] to ]. There was also a ] for a brief time, which was shut down after a disastrous maiden voyage. {{see|Marge vs. the Monorail}}


===The Leftorium===
The city bus service provides ] on the route 22 bus on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday; and the 22A bus on Tuesday and Thursday. There is also another route, the 108, as seen in ]. {{see|Lost Our Lisa}}
The Leftorium is a fictional store in the Springfield Mall specializing in products for ] people. The store is owned by ], who first started the Leftorium in the episode "]".<ref name="JeanWFF">{{cite video |people=Jean, Al |date=2003 |title=The Simpsons season 3 DVD commentary for the episode "When Flanders Failed" |medium=DVD |publisher=20th Century Fox}}</ref> Although business at the store initially went very poorly, it became significantly more successful when Homer recommended it to many of his left-handed friends.


The Leftorium had challenges in subsequent years, with Flanders discussing the business in several episodes. In the season 10 episode "]", Ned mentions the competitor business "Leftopolis" next door. In the episode "]", in a parody of ], Ned mentions the new megastore "Left-Mart" is threatening his business. The season 25 episode "]" reveals that competition from the Southpaw Superstore forced Flanders to downsize to a mall cart, the "Leftorium Express", which he splits with a cosmetic saleswoman. In the season 29 episode "]", the Leftorium closes for good, leaving Flanders unemployed until he finds a new job as ]'s new teacher.<ref name="auto">{{cite web|url=https://www.avclub.com/flanders-loses-his-faith-and-an-inconsequential-simpson-1825814494|title=Flanders loses his faith and an inconsequential Simpsons tests ours|first=Dennis|last=Perkins|date=May 7, 2018 }}</ref><ref name="denofgeek.com">{{cite web|url=http://www.denofgeek.com/us/tv/the-simpsons/273252/the-simpsons-season-29-episode-19-review-left-behind|title=The Simpsons Season 29 Episode 19 Review: Left Behind|date=May 7, 2018}}</ref>
There is also a ], most likely a long distance system, to the likes of ], with a station at Third Street. The actual system has never been shown on the show.


The writers had wanted to have Flanders own a failing business and the idea for the store was suggested by ].<ref name="ReissWFF">{{cite video |people=Reiss, Mike |date=2003 |title=The Simpsons season 3 DVD commentary for the episode "When Flanders Failed" |medium=DVD |publisher=20th Century Fox}}</ref> He got the idea from a friend whose family had owned a left-handed specialty store which had failed.<ref name="VittiWFF">{{cite video |people=Vitti, Jon |date=2003 |title=The Simpsons season 3 DVD commentary for the episode "When Flanders Failed" |medium=DVD |publisher=20th Century Fox}}</ref>
==Where is Springfield?==
The location of ] is a long-running joke in the series, based in the fact that 34 states in the ] have at least one community with that name. Episodes frequently make fun of the fact that Springfield's state has never been revealed, by adding further conflicting descriptions, obscuring onscreen map representations, and interrupting conversational references. The exact geographic location of Springfield is much disputed, but many episodes make it clear that Springfield exists in some non-existent state, and not one of the actual 50 that exist in the real world. It is also possible that the fictional Springfield is set not only in a fictional state, but also in a fictional version of the United States. In the episode "]," a map shows the major city at the southeast corner of New York to be, not New York City, but Queens (in real life ] is one of the boroughs of New York City).


===Springfield Mall===
A web page discussing Springfield's location states that due to the many contradictory clues, it is impossible for Springfield to exist in any set location . However, in the episode "]", the town becomes so polluted (due to Homer's incompetence as sanitation commissioner) that its buildings are moved five miles down the road, via 'plan B'. This could allow for the city to be in more than one state with different episodes taking place before and after the move. This could also explain the discrepancies with there being a port at some times and not others.
The Springfield Mall is a fictional shopping mall that features comical fictional stores and pastiches, such as the Happy Market, Cost-Mo, Girdles N' Such, Eye Caramba, The Ear Piercery, Happy Sailor Tattoo Parlor, Love Your Computer, Gum4Less, Popular Books, the ], Nick's Bowling Shop, Stoner's Pot Palace, Bookacchino's, Moe's Express (a mini version of ]), a Mapple Store (a parody of the ]), numerous knockoff ] coffee shops, and several Krusty Burgers.


==Schools==
Regardless, the following comparisons of the Simpsons' Springfield to real locations have been made.
===Springfield Elementary School===
Springfield Elementary School is a fictional local school attended by ], ], and most other Springfield children. It teaches children from kindergarten through to sixth grade. Springfield Elementary is depicted as a grossly underfunded school that suffers from the incompetence and apathy of its administration, teachers, staff, and students. It is portrayed within the show as a satire of publicly funded schools and education in the United States, an illustrative example and parody of the lengths undertaken by some schools to overcome the burden of underfunding.


Bart's class was taught by ] until her death in season 25. In "]", the ] closes, leaving Flanders unemployed, and he returns to Springfield Elementary School, where he becomes Bart's new teacher, filling the void left by Krabappel's death.<ref name="auto" /><ref name="denofgeek.com" /> He holds that role until season 33, when Rayshelle Peyton (voiced by ]) takes the job.<ref>{{Cite web |last=April 21 |first=Dan Snierson |last2=EDT |first2=2022 at 10:45 AM |title=Kerry Washington joins 'The Simpsons' cast as Bart's new teacher — get a first look |url=https://ew.com/tv/kerry-washington-joins-the-simpsons-bart-teacher-first-look/ |access-date=August 30, 2023 |website=EW.com |language=en}}</ref> Other students in this class include ], ], ], and ]. Lisa's class is taught by ]. Notable students in this class include Lisa's best friend, Janie Powell, and ].
In one episode, where Homer starts to take marijuana, his doctor says it is legal to take marijuana for medical reasons. This narrows the search down to 11 states, all which allow this: Alaska, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Maine, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington. Not to mention in the episode "The PTA Disbands" Springfield is in the north during the civil war wearing union uniforms, and is one of the 9 states where George W. Bush senior claims residency. Also you can get ten cents for recycled bottles and michigan is the only state to give you ten cents for used bottles.


The school's principal is ]. Other staff members include janitor ], music teacher ], bus driver ], and cafeteria chef ]. The school district is overseen by Superintendent ].
===The American Civil War===
The one clue which never changes is in the references to the ]. Springfield troops are seen wearing blue uniforms of the ], placing the town north of the ].
Another clue is that in one episode the ] says that the state that Springfield is in is a Northern State.


In 1994, the naming of a new, real-life elementary school in ], was left up to the students, and the name ''Springfield Elementary'' was chosen. The school board was unaware of the connection to '']'' until a protest by one group of parents, who argued that the character of Bart Simpson was a poor role model. The name stood, and the school opened in August 1994.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C01E3DF1F3DF934A25750C0A962958260 |work=The New York Times |title=Chronicle |first=Carol |last=Lawson |date=March 17, 1994}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://simpsonsarchive.com/other/articles/briefhistory.html|title=The Simpsons Archive: "A Brief History of The Simpsons"|website=simpsonsarchive.com}}</ref>
===Oregon===
], the creator of the Simpsons, grew up in ]. From Groening's childhood perspective, ] was "the next town over". Groening also lived in ]. The show contains several references to features in Portland - Terwilliger Street (Robert Onderdonk Terwilliger a.k.a. ]), Lovejoy Street and Park (] is the pastor of the Simpsons' church; ] was a partner in the 1843 land grant that became Portland, Oregon), and Northeast Flanders St. where the signs say "NE ] St." Some people have vandalized them to say "NED Flanders St." ].


===Colleges/universities===
Many fans of ] believe ] to be ''the'' Springfield of the show. This holds some merit considering the time show creator Matt Groening spent in the area growing up and other evidence. For instance, a popular park bears a striking resemblance to the fictional Springfield's town square. Also, Springfield, Oregon has a blue collar industrial nature with several paper plants (thus the smell). This complements the adjacent "higher-brow" university town of ] as the ''real'' Shelbyville.
The fictional Springfield University is a large college which Homer attended in "]". It teaches several different courses, including nuclear physics, arts management, and the meaning of cartoons. Springfield University also has a ] with Springfield A&M University. In the episode "]", the nickname of the Springfield University football team is revealed to be the Nittany Tide—a reference to the ] and ].


Springfield Agricultural and Mechanical (A&M) University is a rival institution of Springfield University. ] is an A&M alumnus. Springfield A&M's ] is a pig named Sir Oinks-A-Lot, who was kidnapped by Homer and his three student tutors as a prank in "]".
On the University of Oregon campus in Eugene, "Pioneer Statue" was created by sculptor Alexander Proctor in 1919, and is located between Fenton and Friendly hall. It is rumored to have inspired the fictional statue of pioneer Jebediah Springfield in the television show The Simpsons.


Springfield Heights Institute of Technology focuses on the engineering sciences. ] is a college professor at the university, and it is from where ] earned his doctorate.
In the episode, "]", Marge says that they live on the east side which would mean that the Simpsons don't live in Oregon. However, in ] Hank Scorpio writes a letter saying that "If you're ever on the East Coast, drop me a line," implying they don't live on the East side.


===Kentucky=== == Residential ==
{{more citations needed section|date=February 2020}}
In the "]" episode, a narrator describes the Simpsons as a "northern ] family." In reruns however, this was changed to southern ], deliberately adding to the confusion. There are in fact Springfields and Shelbyvilles in both Kentucky and Missouri. In the ] of Kentucky, there is a Springfield, a Shelbyville, and even a Simpsonville within twenty-five miles of each other. However, this episode featured the Simpson family as actors "playing" roles of themselves, and the events depicted on the episode are not recognized as being part of the series' set ].


===Spinster City Apartments===
In the official Simpson's Episode guide it states that in the Behind the Laughter episode, Kentucky was revealed to be Springfield's state. As it fails to mention that the episode is a non-canonical one, however, the accuracy of this is debatable.
Spinster City Apartments, sometimes referred to as Spinster Arms Apartments, is a fictional apartment building. ], along with Selma's daughter ] and their pet iguana ], live at number 1599.


===Springfield Retirement Castle===
In a later episode during season 13 (Sweets and Sour Marge), Mr. Burns states they will smuggle sugar in from south of the border to which Homer replies, "Oh, you mean Tennessee?", implying they live in Kentucky. Also, in the episode, '']'', when Homer breaks out in a singing routine, there is a star on the map on which Homer walks to California. The star is placed geographically in Kentucky.
The fictional Springfield Retirement Castle is Springfield's retirement home for the elderly. Some noted residents of the Castle include ], ], and ].


For Grampa Simpson, the Retirement Castle is a lonely place to be. He often gets mad when ] does not come and visit him. The door features a sign reading 'Thank you for not discussing the outside world'. The most interesting way to pass time at the home is to "stake yourself out a good spot at the starin' window",<ref>Writer: ]; Director: ] (April 20, 1997). "]". '']''. Season ]. Episode 174. ]. " stake yourself out a good spot at the starin' window."</ref> which overlooks nothing but a barren tree, and ] (the prize being a ]). The staff of the home has little to no respect for the residents, doing things like vacuuming their hair during "nap time", or switching their ] with their ] bags when the former is empty, and the latter is full. In the episode "]", Grampa inherits $106,000 from his girlfriend Beatrice "Bea" Simmons. He uses both this money and his winnings from a gambling junket to refurbish and redecorate the home and has the dining hall renamed in Bea's honor.
In the episode "]", the Capitol City Goofball mascot and delegate says "It is time to address our state's flag. This Confederate symbol is an outrage, particularly because we are a northern state." However, this does not mean that the Simpsons could not live in Kentucky, because it was not part of the Confederacy; rather, it was a border state (i.e. a slave state that remained part of the Union during the Civil War).


== Government ==
Even though this information rules out Kentucky as being a possibility, another factor is yet to be considered. Springfield's rival city, Shelbyville, is a less common name for a city and only appears in five states that also have a Springfield. Those states are Tennessee, Missouri, Kentucky, Indiana, and Illinois. The state that has the shortest distance between these two cities is Kentucky, coming in with the distance of approxamitely 53.4 miles. It would be mere coincidence if this were the only connection, but Shelbyville, KY is even in the same county (Shelby) as Simpson, KY. Kentucky is also home to Simpson county, located in the southern portion of the state. The county is named after Captain John Simpson, an officer who fought in Battle of Fallen Timbers during the Northwest Indian War, and died in the Battle of River Raisin during the War of 1812. It is likely that Jebediah Springfield may have even been loosely based on the idea of John Simpson.
{{more citations needed section|date=February 2020}}


===Florida=== === Springfield City Hall ===
The fictional City Hall of Springfield serves as the workplace of ] and the City Government. It is often the site of ]s, where the citizens hold a vote to approve proposals in an attempt to fix an issue facing the city. These proposals generally cause havoc and create even more problems for the town to later deal with. The building is based on the ] public library due to longtime ''The Simpsons'' background designer Lance Wilder, being a former Chelmsford resident.<ref>{{cite web |author=Barrett, Heather |date=July 3, 2007 |title=Meet the man behind 'The Simpsons' |url=http://www.wickedlocal.com/chelmsford/fun/entertainment/x1278147194 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131012143205/http://www.wickedlocal.com/chelmsford/fun/entertainment/x1278147194 |archive-date=October 12, 2013 |access-date=January 3, 2011 |publisher=Chelmsford Independent}}</ref>
According to the video game '']'', the town of Springfield is in Florida, but this could be ruled out in the episode "]", in which a sign in Springfield shows the distance to ] too far for Springfield to be in the same state. There is also evidence to disprove this point in the episode "]", in which the family vacations to Florida (which Homer refers to as "America's ]") and is prohibited from returning. After the Simpsons are expelled from ], Marge and Homer mark that state on a map, which shows only two states remaining that still welcome the Simpsons: ] and ].


== Landmarks ==
In the ] segment "Starship Poopers," where it is revealed that the alien Kang is Maggie's father, a zoom-out sequence places Springfield in Florida. It should be noted that the Treehouse of Horror episodes have no continuity with the rest of the series and are not considered ].
{{more citations needed section|date=February 2020}}


===Five Corners===
Another important factor to consider is the mediterranean climate area of Florida. A town in Florida would not have the large amounts of snowfall we see during the Christmas episodes. The absence of any palm trees in Springfield also indicates that the show takes place outside Florida, as palm trees are indigenous to the state.
Five Corners is a fictional location, imagined as "the only geographic location in the US where five states meet". A ] indicates the exact spot. In reality, no such place exists in the US; the location is a spoof of ]. While on their road trip to ], the Simpsons visit Five Corners, where they each "stand in five different states while holding hands". The location is visited again in "]", where ] plots to kill Bart at the marker where the location's unique property would result in a lack of ], explaining it as: "I can stand in one state, fire a gun in a second state, the bullet will travel through the third, hitting you in the fourth, so you fall dead in the fifth. No single act is against any law, but their sum total is the greatest murder..."<ref name="bob">{{Cite episode |title=The Bob Next Door |episode-link=The Bob Next Door |series=The Simpsons |series-link=The Simpsons |credits=Writer: ]; Director: ] |network=] |airdate=May 16, 2010 |season=] |number=463 |quote=I can stand in one state, fire a gun in a second state, the bullet will travel through the third, hitting you in the fourth, so you fall dead in the fifth. No single act is against any law, but their sum total is the greatest murder...}}</ref>


==Other towns==


===New Jersey=== ===Shelbyville===
The fictional city of Shelbyville is Springfield's rival. It was founded in 1796 by Shelbyville Manhattan, who advocated ] among his followers, causing a split between himself and Jebediah Springfield. An intense ] between the two cities continues today, especially in the sixth-season episode "]", in which Shelbyville residents steal a prized lemon tree from Springfield. In several episodes, "Lemon of Troy" in particular, it is suggested that Shelbyville is to an extent a parallel version of Springfield. Shelbyville is also the city where Luann van Houten grew up. It also has at least one ] restaurant, a Speed-E-Mart, Joe's Tavern, and a school. Per "]", Shelbyville was at least briefly called "Morganville" during Abe Simpson's youth. According to '']'', Shelbyville is west of Springfield. It is the home of the button fly.
In one episode, ] writes a letter ], and the letter is sent to C. Montgomery Burns, ].


Shelbyville was ranked 10th in "The 10 Best ]s" in the December 2005 issue of '']''.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.wired.com/2005/12/the-10-best-dystopias/ |title=The 10 Best Dystopias |accessdate=December 12, 2007 |magazine=Wired |first=Jeremy Adam |last=Smith |date=December 2005}}</ref>
In the episode "My Sister, My Sitter, and in ] video game, there is a shopping complex named "Squidport", having a metal (the metalwork much like an overhead traffic sign) arch sign with the name "Squidport" shaped into an arch. Peculiar enough, the complex is almost identical to a shopping center ], the ], bearing an almost identical sign, same font in the lettering sign (same exact style), a similar name, and the two shopping centers have slightly similar architecture.


===Midwest=== ===Capital City===
Capital City (often spelled Capitol City in early episodes) is the fictional capital and largest city in the state in which the show is set. It is represented as a major urban center, hosting major sports events, conventions, and ] conferences. Its nickname is ''The Windy Apple'' (a joke by the show's writers, combining the nicknames of New York City's "The Big Apple" and ]'s "The Windy City"). Landmarks include a ] brewery, possibly mimicking the Anheuser-Busch brewery in St. Louis, the Cross-town ] resembling San Francisco's ], the Capital City Stadium, the Capital City Amphitheatre (featuring ]), and the intersection of 4th Street and Avenue D. '']'' places Capital City just to the north of Springfield.
One of the couch gags (which cannot be considered ]) zoomed out and showed the Simpsons' house in ]. While Springfield, Illinois has a Shelbyville 50 miles to the southeast, and a nuclear power plant 40 miles to the northeast, there has not been any indication that it is 'the' Springfield, and could be coincidental. However, ''The Simpsons'' does make a direct reference to the Illinois city; in the episode where Homer is in a graveyard at night digging a plot, discarded dirt covers up the grave of ] (a prominent Illinois politician and 2-time US presidential candidate, buried in ], 50 miles to the northeast). This theory is ruled out in the episode "]", as when asked by a ticket agent if he wants tickets to Springfield, Illinois, ] says no, meaning that - at least for that episode - that Springfield is not in Illinois.


===Brockway===
The couch gag sequence of ''The Simpsons'' episode entitled "]" again left the location of Springfield something of a mystery. The sequence featured a "zooming out" from the Simpson household to a satellite view, then a solar system view, and so on in a parody of the 1977 documentary short ]. The sequence contained plenty of cloud cover, but put Springfield somewhere in the ], probably near the ]. The latter location is also suggested in the episode "]" in which Lisa tries to protect the oldest tree in Springfield. To do so, she climbs a giant ] tree to prevent a team from cutting it down. When looking down on Springfield she sees a structure resembling the ] in ] (but also the Needle in ]). A large river can also be seen.
The fictional town of Brockway is mentioned by ] (voiced by ]) as the municipality to which he has sold ] systems ("]").


Brockway, Ogdenville, and North Haverbrook are also mentioned in episode 18 of the TV series '']'' by ], as locations of past ] activity.
In the episode "]", ] salesman Lyle Lanley proclaims "I've sold monorail systems to Brockway, Ogdenville, and North Haverbrook! And, boy, it put them on the map!" He then holds up a map of the U.S. where Brockway, Ogdenville and North Haverbrook are the only cities shown. Marge then later drives to nearby North Haverbrook (where everybody resents there being a monorail there, despite the sign at the city limits saying "Where the Monorail is KING!"). The map shows North Haverbrook in the Midwest, approximately Iowa. In The episode "]", When it is Lisa's turn to speak, it shows a map where
Springfield is in "]" so it 75% that it is in Illinois.


===Ogdenville===
In the episode "]", ] tells ] that there has been "another unsubstantiated ] sighting in the heartland of America", referring to Homer's close encounter with an alien; so, for that episode, Springfield was presumably somewhere in the Midwest.
The fictional city of Ogdenville was first mentioned in "]", when Lyle Lanley claimed to have sold a monorail to Ogdenville. Ogdenville has also been mentioned in other episodes such as "]", "]" and "]". In "]", Maya is from Ogdenville. Ogdenville has an outlet mall and is separated from Springfield by a rocky desert. In "]", Ogdenville is a town of barley producing farms that are shut down due to tainted barley being used in a new, vegetarian ]. Ogdenvillians are composed of ] immigrants with thick Norwegian accents. They also are big fans of the ] due to the heavy incidence of Norwegian immigrants in the state of Minnesota. As a small ], during a ] outbreak in Springfield, the hospital only received schemas in Norwegian, which was later confirmed via close-up. Series creator ]'s background is Norwegian and German, which he has described as "two of the unfunniest ethnic groups in the history of the world".


===North Haverbrook===
Homer suggests that Springfield is within a state bordering the Great Lakes. He said:
The imagined North Haverbrook was first mentioned by ] in "]". ] arrives in North Haverbrook and finds a desolate ], where the faulty monorail derailed, causing a disaster, chasing away most of their residents and scaring away investors. The remaining North Haverbrook locals have since denied the monorail's existence, presumably blaming Lanley for the whole thing that ruined their town's reputation. Marge is met with hostility by the locals, including a woman who works at the 'Monorail Cafe'. She orders Marge to leave her town at once and never speak of the monorail anymore. A resident scientist from Germany, Sebastian Cobb, was the only one willing to help Marge out and save the passengers on the Springfield Monorail from suffering the same fate as North Haverbrook. Lanley is later attacked by the citizens of the town after his plane makes an unscheduled stop there.
<blockquote>''Oh, why did I take it off? ... Oh, right! To see if I could skip it across ].''</blockquote>


North Haverbrook also appeared in "]". After ] is awarded a ], he gets sick of countless errands and goes for a drive and eventually finds North Haverbrook, and falls in love with a girl named Darcy. In this episode, the town appears to have recovered well from the monorail disaster, as it is now changed from a ] to a thriving community with multiple businesses that Bart enjoys. It has a romantic reputation. All signs of the monorail have also disappeared.
===Where Springfield isn't===
Mississippi, as Principal Skinner notes that selling kids is only legal in Springfield and Mississippi.
Also, in the episode "Homer Badman" Grampa Simpson, when hanging a flag with only 49 stars, says, "I'll be deep in the cold, cold ground before I recognize Missouri."
In the episode "And Maggie makes Three," Homer talks to a young shoeshiner that works at his "dream job," or the Bowling Alley. He promises that the young boy will someday make it to California. Also, in the episode "Homie the Clown", Krusty lists places with humerous names, including Seattle, which Homer laughs at.


It also appears on a road sign as Snake drives towards Mexico with the Kwik-E-Mart on a flatbed trailer during "]".


===Cypress Creek===
In summary, Springfield is not in: Mississippi, Missouri, California, Seattle...
In the world of the Simpsons, Cypress Creek is a ] created for the workers of the Globex Corporation. It appears in the episode "]". It is an affluent town and is home to many ]s (to which ] is allergic). The city is an obvious parody of ] or the master-planned communities often built by major corporations.


===West of the Mississippi=== ===Guidopolis===
In the episode "]", Homer initially goes for a bottle of milk in a little town near Springfield named Guidopolis, where he then subsequently becomes a ] driver and is introduced to the ] sector. The town is primarily inhabited by ] ].
In several episodes the radio and television stations in Springfield use the ] ]. All radio and television station call signs west of the ], except for few grandfathered stations, begin with the letter K while stations east of the Mississippi River begin with the letter W. This implies then that Springfield must be west of the Mississippi River because its television station uses the call sign KBBL, television being non-existent at the time of creation of the K and W call sign system, unless the stations in question operate on a dual-license arrangement (an owner of a grandfathered radio station that later received a license for a sister television station), as in KYW-AM radio station and KYW-TV/KYW-DT television stations, in Philadelphia, and KDKA-AM and KDKA-TV in Pittsburgh, both of which in Pennsylvania.


===Little Pwagmattasquarmsettport===
===East Coast===
Little Pwagmattasquarmsettport is a fictional seaside town close to Springfield's State, where the Simpsons went for the Fourth of July in the Flanders's holiday home; the town appears in the episode "]". Nicknamed "Little Pwag", the town contains many beaches and a large boardwalk section, and a fun fair open every summer.
] is referenced by the "Springfield Memorial Bridge" which separates Springfield from West Springfield in the cartoon and in Massachusetts. Another Massachusetts reference is that ] and his political machine have similarities to the powerful ].


==References==
In episode 3FO6, Mother Simpson, Homer discovers that the tombstone he always thought belonged to his mother actually belongs to ] (causing Homer to pummel said tombstone and curse "], my ass!"). Walt Whitman is buried in Harleigh Cemetery, in ].
'''Informational notes'''
{{reflist|group=notes}}


'''Citations'''
In the episode "]", the character Fat Tony drives into downtown Springfield past a highway identification sign that very closely resembles United States Interstate signs, and bears the route number 95. The real ] is a major north-south route along the east coast of the United States. It should be noted however, that this was a parody of '']'', which takes place in New Jersey, through which I-95 runs. However, ''The Simpsons'' cannot take place in New Jersey, as Homer and Bart must drive extensively to reach the ]. In the episode ], the Amish build a treehouse for the Simpsons, indicating that Springfield is in either Ohio or Pennsylvania. Also, Milhouse's mother mentions Mechaniscsburg; there is a Mechanicsburg in both Ohio and Pennsylvania.
{{Reflist}}


'''Bibliography'''
In one episode, Bart's Comet is threatening to strike Springfield. Professor Frink devises a plan in which a rocket is fired at the comet. The rocket is shown being launched from the Springfield Armory, which was established in Springfield, MA during the Revolutionary War, and still exists as a historical museum.
*{{cite book |last=Turner |first=Chris |author-link=Chris Turner (author) |title=] |others=Foreword by ]. |edition=1st |year=2004 |location=Toronto |publisher=] |oclc=55682258 |isbn=978-0-679-31318-2}}

A ] ] of the series '']'' places Springfield in ].

In the episode "]", L.T. Smash is able to drive an aircraft carrier to New York City.

Shown in various episodes inside of Android's Dungeon Comics & Baseball Card Shop is a Boston Red Sox pennant, a hometown baseball team in Springfield, Massachusetts.

===West Coast===
There is a strong case for the non-existent state being west of the Mississippi River, particularly somewhere on the west coast. This is supported by the facts that:
# Springfield sits on the ocean, and
# it has various features that only the west coast has
#*redwood tree(s)
#*mesas
#*a TV station that starts with a K (assuming that the ] of the Simpsons' universe mirrors the real world FCC.)
#*sunsets over the ocean

Springfield's local radio station uses the ] ]. In the episode "]", the town also has a country music radio station KUDD. "K" as the first call letter usually indicates a radio station west of the Mississippi River, whereas "W" as the first call letter usually indicates a radio station east of the Mississippi River. Most of the exceptions to the rule (such as station KDKA in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, KYW in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, WOW in Omaha, Nebraska, or WHB in Kansas City, Missouri) were assigned call letters before this convention was established. It should be noted that in "]", the lobby of Rancho Relaxo (located in the Springfield Mountains) plays the radio station "Coma", whose call letters are WKOMA. It is also possible that if the town was located next to the Mississippi River, they could also receive "W" stations on their radio.

Several episodes indicate that Springfield has an ocean coastline. One episode showed ] washing up on Springfield Beach. In another episode Bart, Homer, and the Junior Campers float out to sea during a rafting trip. They are rescued by floating towards an unmanned oil rig which nevertheless features a failing Krusty Burger restaurant. Offshore oil rigs in the United States are found off the coasts of the Gulf of Mexico and California. The episode "]" established that oceangoing warships visit and dock at Springfield's harbor.
The episode "]" also shows that the submarine Homer is commanding travels west out of the Springfield Harbor into Russian Waters.

The zip code of Springfield on ]'s drivers' license is 90701, which would place Springfield near ]. In the episode "]" the Simpson's mail contains the zip code 192005.


Springfield is also served by the ].

===Other places===
Springfield is near a junction of five states (in real life, no such junction exists), yet it borders the ocean; it has a canyon, a desert, and mountains, including the tallest mountain in the United States. (In the episode "]", Bart claims the Murderhorn is more than four miles higher than Springfield's elevation. The actual tallest mountain in the United States, ] in Alaska, rises less than four miles above sea level.) Plus, the city is vulnerable to every sort of ], which no one area would have. Sometimes it snows in Springfield, the town once experienced a hurricane, its ocean coast has an oil platform close offshore, and Springfield's western side (which is three times the size of ]) is a vast ]. Springfield is also 2,000 miles away from ], which ] said in a brief cameo. A road sign seen in another episode showed Springfield is 678 miles away from ]. That would place Springfield within ] territory or in the southern most tip of ]. Skinner drives Willie's car from Springfield to ] and passes a sign saying Orlando, 2653 miles. The Springfield in this episode has to be in ] or ].

The revelation that Springfield was once entirely in the ] 636 and that chaos erupted when half the town was switched to the new area code 939 does not clarify the situation; area code 636 is in ], while 939 is in ]. In another episode, ] refers to ] as "the most dilapidated in all of Missouri", and shocks everyone (viewers and characters alike) by this disclosure, before continuing with "and that's why it was shut down and moved here, brick by brick." There also happens to be a Lake Springfield in Missouri.

There is also evidence that the Simpsons live in Louisiana. During one of the Halloween specials, it is proposed that Kang, a space alien, is the real father of Maggie. When Kang initiates telepathic contact with Maggie, baby Maggie responds by transmitting a signal with her pacifier. As the camera pans away from earth, the concentric radio signals are shown to be emanating from Louisiana. Furthermore, Marge is of French ancestry, so maybe she's ].

In one episode, ] reported his location by noting the exact moment when the Sun was directly over his position, suggesting that the state lies at least partly in the ]. (] is the only tropical U.S. state, but the show has invented new states.)
In an episode where the Simpsons visit a Prep school Homer says to Lisa that he will pay for her to attend any college in South Carolina.

In the episode where Lisa goes to work with Homer he points out Springfield Power Plant's location on a map of the USA, it appears to be in a fictional state south of Florida and is given as a place which would really be in the ocean.

A central highway called Highway 401 is mentioned in several episodes. There is a central highway named ] in the Province of ], ], that passes through the City of ]. This has also lead to speculation of ] being the inspiration to Springfield (or of ] being the show's location); however as mentioned above, the countless pieces of evidence of Springfield being in the United States automatically disprove this theory. However, Springfield has been shown to be close to the Canadian border, as the Simpsons have made day-trips into Canada, and everybody in Springfield knows the ].

Various other episodes show travelling characters:
*The episode "]" establishes that Springfield is only a few minutes' sail from New York City by ship.
*The episode "]" (and other episodes in which characters visit Las Vegas) establishes that Springfield is within an easy day's drive of Las Vegas by car.
*The family has been to New York City and Canada by bus.
*In an episode where Homer joins the US Navy reserve, a map shows his submarine's route leaving Springfield on the US Pacific coast.
*Marge is seen driving to Ogdenville, which was shown in the southwest, approximately Arizona.
*Homer is shown driving into Montana, presumably on a short trip.
*The family is shown driving over the Mississippi River en route to Washington, D.C.
*Ned Flanders falls for one of Homer's pranks by going to Montana to meet Jesus.

===Springfield's State===
{{main|Springfield's State (The Simpsons) }}

The flag of Springfield's state showed (prior to a redesign contest) a ] ] floating on (or sinking into) a body of water in front of a sunrise, paralleling the controversies surrounding the state flags of ] and ]. (The flag had to be redesigned because they live in a "northern state".) The state bird is the potbellied sparrow; the state pasta is bowtie. The state slogan is "Not Just Another State", and the longtime ] is Mary Bailey. The capital of Springfield's state is named "Capital City", and boasts its own ] team.

While the name of the state has never been mentioned, ]'s driver's license shows that the state's abbreviation is "NT". According to producer/director ], Springfield is in the made-up state of "North Takoma" (a play on ], perhaps as well as the north end of the city of ]). The two-letter abbreviation NT is legally used to refer to ]'s ], or ]'s ], but it is clear Springfield is in the ]. U.S. flags are everywhere in Springfield: note the flag in the opening credits. The episode "Mr. Lisa Goes to Washington" supplies not only the abbreviation NT for the state, but also the abbreviation TA (on mail addressed to the Simpsons), and in that same episode it is revealed that Springfield's zip code 192005.
===A Reasonable Conclusion ?===
Springfield as a city, and its state, does not actually exist; rather Springfield and its incisively observed cross section of people may be seen as an allegory of The United States itself as a whole. Springfield is, in fact, modern America.

==See also==
*]
*]
*]


==External links== ==External links==
* from the fan-maintained "The Simpsons Archive"
*
* (an influence on the fictional history of Springfield)
*
*, location of The Simpsons being determined by elimination
*


{{The Simpsons}}
==Further reading==
{{italic disambiguation}}
{{cite book
{{Authority control}}
| last = Tropiano
| first = Stephen
| year = 2000
| title = TV Towns
| publisher = TV Books L.L.C.
| location = New York, NY
| id = ISBN 1-57500-127-6
}}


] ]
] ]
] ]
]
]
]
]
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]

Latest revision as of 02:26, 29 December 2024

Fictional city in animated TV sitcom The Simpsons "Springfield, USA" redirects here. For real-world places, see Springfield § United States.

Springfield
The Simpsons location
A panoramic view of Springfield, as seen in The Simpsons Movie (2007)
First appearance"Good Night" (1987)
Created byMatt Groening
Based onSpringfield, Oregon (name)
Portland, Oregon (design)
GenreAnimated sitcom
In-universe information
RulerJoe Quimby (Mayor)
LocationSpringfield County, United States (fictional)
Locations742 Evergreen Terrace
Kwik-E-Mart
DemonymSpringfieldianite

Springfield is the primary fictional setting of the American animated sitcom The Simpsons and related media. It is an average-sized, fictional city within an unknown state in the United States. The fictional city's geography, surroundings, and layout are flexible, often changing to accommodate the plot of any given episode.

Springfield was inspired by a number of real-life locations, including creator Matt Groening's hometown of Portland, Oregon and the nearby town of Springfield, Oregon. However, in order to emphasize it as an example of "Anytown, USA", the location of the fictional Springfield remains a mystery. "Clues" regarding Springfield's climate, geology, history, distance from real cities, or political alignment, which are found in numerous episodes of the series, are intentionally contradictory.

Creation

The fictional city of Springfield was intended to represent "Anytown, USA", and not be derived from any specific real-life location. However, the producers acknowledge deriving inspiration from numerous locations, including The Simpsons creator Matt Groening's hometown of Portland, Oregon, and Mike Scully's hometown, Springfield, Massachusetts.

Springfield was named after Springfield, Oregon, which, as a child, Groening had believed to be the fictitious Springfield featured in the 1950s sitcom Father Knows Best. Groening did not intend to place the fictional Springfield in Oregon, contrary to a 2012 interview with him in Smithsonian magazine; he instead adopted the name for the setting of The Simpsons in the hope that "everyone will think it's their Springfield." Al Jean explained that the magazine "misinterpreted something I've heard him say for at least 10 or 20 years. He was inspired by growing up in Portland, but it's really an every town".

Groening liked Second City Television's setting of Melonville, a town with a large cast of recurring characters, and used it as inspiration for The Simpsons. He said, "I also figured out that Springfield was one of the most common names for a city in the U.S. In anticipation of the show's success, I thought, 'This will be cool; everyone will think it's their Springfield.' And they do".

Location

"The true location of Springfield is in any state but yours"

Chalkboard gag, "Beware My Cheating Bart"

Because of the many contradictory statements made regarding Springfield in the show, the town cannot exist in a specific state. In The Simpsons Movie, Ned Flanders tells Bart that the state where Springfield is located is bordered by the states of Ohio, Nevada, Maine, and Kentucky – only Ohio and Kentucky are neighboring states in reality, and Nevada and Maine are at opposite sides of the US.

The fictional city's unknown geography is a recurring joke in the series; the Dayton Daily News called it the "riddle wrapped in an enigma that is Springfield's location." Episodes frequently make fun of the fact that Springfield's state is unidentifiable, by adding further conflicting descriptions, obscuring onscreen map representations, and interrupting conversational references.

David Silverman, who directed the movie and various episodes of the series, joked that Springfield is located in the fictional state of "North Takoma". This is substantiated by the state abbreviations NT and TA used within the show. As of A Tale of Two Springfields (season 12, episode 2), the telephone area codes for Springfield are 636 (St. Charles County and Western St. Louis County, Missouri) and 939 (Puerto Rico).

To promote The Simpsons Movie, various actual towns and cities across the U.S. called Springfield competed to hold the premiere. The promotion was, whichever state sent in the most votes would be the winner and would officially be which state The Simpsons takes place in. Despite the smaller size of Vermont compared to other states, the town of Springfield, Vermont was chosen. In 2016, a New York Times study of the 50 TV shows with the most Facebook Likes found that "of all the Springfields in America, is most popular in Springfields in Virginia, Minnesota and New Jersey, and least popular in Springfields in Louisiana, Arkansas and Georgia".

Fictional history

The episode "Lisa the Iconoclast" revealed that Springfield was founded by a group led by Jebediah Springfield (a cover identity for notorious pirate Hans Sprungfeld) who, after misinterpreting a passage in the Bible, left Maryland trying to find "New Sodom". After he refuses to found a town where men are free to marry their cousins, half of the group leave. The dissenters found the nearby town of Shelbyville, named after fellow pioneer Shelbyville Manhattan, and the two cities have remained rivals ever since.

Springfield reached its pinnacle in the mid-20th century when it became the home of the world's first Aquacar factory; one-half of the U.S. was said to wear Springfield galoshes, and the city's streets were literally paved with gold. However, the town's prosperity was short-lived. In a 1992 episode, a fictional Time cover story on Springfield is titled "America's Worst City", and in a 1996 episode, Newsweek called the town "America's Crud Bucket".

Topography

Springfield's fictional geography is shown to be comically varied and includes forests, meadows, mountain ranges, a desert, a glacier, beaches, badlands, canyons, swamps, a harbor, waterholes, and waterways. Major named geographical features include the Springfield Gorge, Springfield National Forest, the volcanic Mt. Springfield, the West Springfield Desert, which is claimed to be "three times the size of Texas", the Springfield Badlands, the gigantic Murderhorn Mountain, Springfield Glacier, Mt. Useful National Park, Springfield Mesa, Springfield Monument Park, and Springfield National Park.

The town's climate is usually depicted as dry and sunny, with a bright blue sky. However, in various episodes, it has been subject to many natural disasters, including heatwaves, blizzards, avalanches, earthquakes, acid rain, floods, hurricanes, lightning strikes, tornadoes, and volcanic eruptions.

Springfield's environment is shown as unusually polluted. Overflowing garbage forces the whole town – population and structures — to move five miles (8km) away from the massive dump that the old town of Springfield had become. Springfield is also home to the state's largest self-sustaining tire fire, which has been burning continuously for many decades. Lake Springfield's pollution almost leads to the town's destruction by an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) bomb in The Simpsons Movie, and pollution from the nuclear power plant has mutated the fish in the river, causing some to grow an extra eye. Its atmosphere is so polluted that, in one 1995 episode, it reduces a comet to a rock the size of a chihuahua's head.

Springfield is shown to feature a large numbered grid plan, ranging from streets at least as low as 3rd Street and at least as high as 257th Street.

Politics, religion, and media

The fictional mayor of Springfield is Joe Quimby, a Democrat. In the episode "Sideshow Bob Roberts", Sideshow Bob (R) runs for mayor and defeats Mayor Quimby, but Bob is later discovered to have committed electoral fraud.

Krusty the Klown (R) represents Springfield in Congress. Previous representatives include Horace Wilcox, who dies of a heart attack while in office in "Mr. Spritz Goes to Washington", and Bob Arnold, who is forced to resign after Lisa exposes his corruption in "Mr. Lisa Goes to Washington".

Mary Bailey is the fictional governor of Springfield's state.

Sports

The town is home to a number of fictional sporting teams, including the Springfield Isotopes, a minor league baseball team which plays its home games at Duff Stadium; the Springfield Atoms football team at Springfield Stadium; the NBA's Springfield Excitement (formerly the Austin Celtics); and the Springfield Ice-O-Topes hockey team.

Businesses

Kwik-E-Mart

Main article: Kwik-E-Mart
A Seattle 7-Eleven store transformed into a Kwik-E-Mart

Kwik-E-Mart is a fictional convenience store run by Apu Nahasapeemapetilon. The Kwik-E-Mart first appeared in the first-season episode "The Telltale Head" (although mentioned in "Bart the General" as the "Quick-e-Mart"). In "Stark Raving Dad", a street sign reading "Highland" is seen outside one of the front windows, in the same blue color as is used for signs for Highland Avenue in Los Angeles. Likewise, three buildings are visible that are similar to some of those that might be seen on that street: two low buildings with bars over the windows, and a third, also with barred windows, which has a mission-style roof and a sign reading "Smog Center".

The episode "Homer and Apu" suggests that Apu is an employee of the Kwik-E-Mart and shows him travelling to the Himalayas, where the Kwik-E-Mart head office is located, to ask for his job back after being fired. However, Apu mentions at a bachelor auction that he runs his own business in "The Two Mrs. Nahasapeemapetilons".

In July 2007, convenience store chain 7-Eleven converted 11 of its stores in the United States and one in Canada into Kwik-E-Marts to promote the release of The Simpsons Movie. The locations of the renovated Kwik-E-Marts were: Bladensburg, Maryland/Washington, D.C.; Burbank, California; Chicago; Dallas; Denver; Henderson/Las Vegas; Los Angeles; Mountain View/San Francisco; New York City; Orlando/Lake Buena Vista, Florida; Seattle; and Vancouver/Coquitlam, British Columbia, Canada. These 12 locations, as well as the majority of other North American 7-Elevens, sold products found in The Simpsons, such as "Buzz Cola", "Krusty-O's", "Squishees", pink frosted "Sprinklicious doughnuts", and other Simpsons-themed merchandise. The Squishes were Slurpees that are sold in special collector cups, and the Krusty-O's were made by Malt-O-Meal. The promotion resulted in a 30% increase in profits for the changed 7-Eleven stores. This can be seen during the opening of The Simpsons Movie.

Moe's Tavern

Moe's Bar in Concepción, Chile, based on images from The Simpsons

Moe's Tavern, or often simply referred to as "Moe's", is a fictional bar operated and named after the owner, Moe Szyslak. Moe's Tavern first appeared in the first episode of the series "Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire". Homer Simpson, Lenny Leonard, and Carl Carlson often visit the bar after a day of work at the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant. Other frequent patrons of Moe's Tavern are Barney Gumble, Sam, and Larry Dalrymple.

Springfield Nuclear Power Plant

The Springfield Nuclear Power Plant is a fictional two-unit pressurized water reactor nuclear power plant in Springfield owned by Charles Montgomery Burns. Among the plant's employees are Homer Simpson, Lenny Leonard, and Carl Carlson, and Burns' assistant Waylon Smithers. The plant is shown to be the key supplier of the city of Springfield's energy, and the carelessness of Mr. Burns and the plant's employees often endangers the residents and natural environment of Springfield. Mutated fish with more than two eyes are often shown in the lake behind the power plant, which has a large pipe pumping nuclear waste into it. There is a crow or raven shown living near the Power Plant, which caws whenever an establishing shot of the Power Plant is on screen. A running gag in earlier seasons was the poor security of the plant, with the outside security booth often going unmanned.

The design of Springfield Nuclear Power Plant is often rumored to be based on the troubled Trojan Nuclear Power Plant (closed in 1993 due to defects) near Matt Groening's hometown of Portland, Oregon, or the Hanford Site in southeastern Washington. However, Antonia Coffman, Groening's publicist, has said that the Springfield plant's design is generic and that "the Springfield Nuclear Power plant was not based on the Trojan Plant or any other power plant in the country."

The Android's Dungeon & Baseball Card Shop

The Android's Dungeon & Baseball Card Shop, as seen in the Springfield section of Universal Studios Hollywood

The Android's Dungeon is a fictional comic book store owned by Comic Book Guy. The comic book store and its owner first appeared in the episode "Three Men and a Comic Book" when Bart sees a copy of the first issue of the Radioactive Man comic on sale for $100.

In the episode "Worst Episode Ever", Bart and Milhouse are given the job of running the comic book store after Comic Book Guy suffers from a stress-induced heart attack and is instructed to try and gain a social life. During their brief tenure at the store, Bart and Milhouse discover a secret room filled with bootleg videotapes of extremely rare or illegal subjects. These tapes are later confiscated during a police raid on the store.

Barney's Bowl-A-Rama

Barney's Bowl-A-Rama is a fictional bowling alley in Springfield. It is owned by Barney Gumble's Uncle Al. In the episode "And Maggie Makes Three", Homer tells the family the story of Maggie's birth. In this story, Homer explains how he quit his job at Springfield Nuclear Power Plant to work at the Bowl-A-Rama, which was Homer's dream job, before returning to the plant when Maggie was born so that he could afford to care for her.

The Leftorium

The Leftorium is a fictional store in the Springfield Mall specializing in products for left-handed people. The store is owned by Ned Flanders, who first started the Leftorium in the episode "When Flanders Failed". Although business at the store initially went very poorly, it became significantly more successful when Homer recommended it to many of his left-handed friends.

The Leftorium had challenges in subsequent years, with Flanders discussing the business in several episodes. In the season 10 episode "Thirty Minutes over Tokyo", Ned mentions the competitor business "Leftopolis" next door. In the episode "Home Away from Homer", in a parody of Wal-Mart, Ned mentions the new megastore "Left-Mart" is threatening his business. The season 25 episode "White Christmas Blues" reveals that competition from the Southpaw Superstore forced Flanders to downsize to a mall cart, the "Leftorium Express", which he splits with a cosmetic saleswoman. In the season 29 episode "Left Behind", the Leftorium closes for good, leaving Flanders unemployed until he finds a new job as Bart Simpson's new teacher.

The writers had wanted to have Flanders own a failing business and the idea for the store was suggested by George Meyer. He got the idea from a friend whose family had owned a left-handed specialty store which had failed.

Springfield Mall

The Springfield Mall is a fictional shopping mall that features comical fictional stores and pastiches, such as the Happy Market, Cost-Mo, Girdles N' Such, Eye Caramba, The Ear Piercery, Happy Sailor Tattoo Parlor, Love Your Computer, Gum4Less, Popular Books, the Leftorium, Nick's Bowling Shop, Stoner's Pot Palace, Bookacchino's, Moe's Express (a mini version of Moe's Tavern), a Mapple Store (a parody of the Apple Store), numerous knockoff Starbucks coffee shops, and several Krusty Burgers.

Schools

Springfield Elementary School

Springfield Elementary School is a fictional local school attended by Bart Simpson, Lisa Simpson, and most other Springfield children. It teaches children from kindergarten through to sixth grade. Springfield Elementary is depicted as a grossly underfunded school that suffers from the incompetence and apathy of its administration, teachers, staff, and students. It is portrayed within the show as a satire of publicly funded schools and education in the United States, an illustrative example and parody of the lengths undertaken by some schools to overcome the burden of underfunding.

Bart's class was taught by Edna Krabappel until her death in season 25. In "Left Behind", the Leftorium closes, leaving Flanders unemployed, and he returns to Springfield Elementary School, where he becomes Bart's new teacher, filling the void left by Krabappel's death. He holds that role until season 33, when Rayshelle Peyton (voiced by Kerry Washington) takes the job. Other students in this class include Milhouse van Houten, Nelson Muntz, Martin Prince, and Sherri and Terri. Lisa's class is taught by Elizabeth Hoover. Notable students in this class include Lisa's best friend, Janie Powell, and Ralph Wiggum.

The school's principal is Seymour Skinner. Other staff members include janitor Groundskeeper Willie, music teacher Dewey Largo, bus driver Otto Mann, and cafeteria chef Lunchlady Doris. The school district is overseen by Superintendent Gary Chalmers.

In 1994, the naming of a new, real-life elementary school in Greenwood, South Carolina, was left up to the students, and the name Springfield Elementary was chosen. The school board was unaware of the connection to The Simpsons until a protest by one group of parents, who argued that the character of Bart Simpson was a poor role model. The name stood, and the school opened in August 1994.

Colleges/universities

The fictional Springfield University is a large college which Homer attended in "Homer Goes to College". It teaches several different courses, including nuclear physics, arts management, and the meaning of cartoons. Springfield University also has a fierce rivalry with Springfield A&M University. In the episode "Faith Off", the nickname of the Springfield University football team is revealed to be the Nittany Tide—a reference to the Penn State Nittany Lions and Alabama Crimson Tide.

Springfield Agricultural and Mechanical (A&M) University is a rival institution of Springfield University. Carl Carlson is an A&M alumnus. Springfield A&M's mascot is a pig named Sir Oinks-A-Lot, who was kidnapped by Homer and his three student tutors as a prank in "Homer Goes to College".

Springfield Heights Institute of Technology focuses on the engineering sciences. Professor Frink is a college professor at the university, and it is from where Apu Nahasapeemapetilon earned his doctorate.

Residential

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Spinster City Apartments

Spinster City Apartments, sometimes referred to as Spinster Arms Apartments, is a fictional apartment building. Patty and Selma Bouvier, along with Selma's daughter Ling and their pet iguana Jub-Jub, live at number 1599.

Springfield Retirement Castle

The fictional Springfield Retirement Castle is Springfield's retirement home for the elderly. Some noted residents of the Castle include Abraham "Grampa" J. Simpson, Jasper Beardley, and Old Jewish Man.

For Grampa Simpson, the Retirement Castle is a lonely place to be. He often gets mad when his family does not come and visit him. The door features a sign reading 'Thank you for not discussing the outside world'. The most interesting way to pass time at the home is to "stake yourself out a good spot at the starin' window", which overlooks nothing but a barren tree, and bingo (the prize being a banana). The staff of the home has little to no respect for the residents, doing things like vacuuming their hair during "nap time", or switching their IV bags with their catheter bags when the former is empty, and the latter is full. In the episode "Old Money", Grampa inherits $106,000 from his girlfriend Beatrice "Bea" Simmons. He uses both this money and his winnings from a gambling junket to refurbish and redecorate the home and has the dining hall renamed in Bea's honor.

Government

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Springfield City Hall

The fictional City Hall of Springfield serves as the workplace of Mayor Quimby and the City Government. It is often the site of town meetings, where the citizens hold a vote to approve proposals in an attempt to fix an issue facing the city. These proposals generally cause havoc and create even more problems for the town to later deal with. The building is based on the Chelmsford, Massachusetts public library due to longtime The Simpsons background designer Lance Wilder, being a former Chelmsford resident.

Landmarks

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Five Corners

Five Corners is a fictional location, imagined as "the only geographic location in the US where five states meet". A boundary marker indicates the exact spot. In reality, no such place exists in the US; the location is a spoof of Four Corners. While on their road trip to Itchy & Scratchy Land, the Simpsons visit Five Corners, where they each "stand in five different states while holding hands". The location is visited again in "The Bob Next Door", where Sideshow Bob plots to kill Bart at the marker where the location's unique property would result in a lack of extraterritorial jurisdiction, explaining it as: "I can stand in one state, fire a gun in a second state, the bullet will travel through the third, hitting you in the fourth, so you fall dead in the fifth. No single act is against any law, but their sum total is the greatest murder..."

Other towns

Shelbyville

The fictional city of Shelbyville is Springfield's rival. It was founded in 1796 by Shelbyville Manhattan, who advocated cousin marriage among his followers, causing a split between himself and Jebediah Springfield. An intense rivalry between the two cities continues today, especially in the sixth-season episode "Lemon of Troy", in which Shelbyville residents steal a prized lemon tree from Springfield. In several episodes, "Lemon of Troy" in particular, it is suggested that Shelbyville is to an extent a parallel version of Springfield. Shelbyville is also the city where Luann van Houten grew up. It also has at least one McDonald's restaurant, a Speed-E-Mart, Joe's Tavern, and a school. Per "Last Exit to Springfield", Shelbyville was at least briefly called "Morganville" during Abe Simpson's youth. According to The Simpsons Movie, Shelbyville is west of Springfield. It is the home of the button fly.

Shelbyville was ranked 10th in "The 10 Best Dystopias" in the December 2005 issue of Wired.

Capital City

Capital City (often spelled Capitol City in early episodes) is the fictional capital and largest city in the state in which the show is set. It is represented as a major urban center, hosting major sports events, conventions, and United Nations conferences. Its nickname is The Windy Apple (a joke by the show's writers, combining the nicknames of New York City's "The Big Apple" and Chicago's "The Windy City"). Landmarks include a Duff brewery, possibly mimicking the Anheuser-Busch brewery in St. Louis, the Cross-town suspension bridge resembling San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge, the Capital City Stadium, the Capital City Amphitheatre (featuring Krusty the Clown), and the intersection of 4th Street and Avenue D. The Simpsons Movie places Capital City just to the north of Springfield.

Brockway

The fictional town of Brockway is mentioned by Lyle Lanley (voiced by Phil Hartman) as the municipality to which he has sold monorail systems ("Marge vs. the Monorail").

Brockway, Ogdenville, and North Haverbrook are also mentioned in episode 18 of the TV series Supernatural by Sam Winchester, as locations of past Shtriga activity.

Ogdenville

The fictional city of Ogdenville was first mentioned in "Marge vs. the Monorail", when Lyle Lanley claimed to have sold a monorail to Ogdenville. Ogdenville has also been mentioned in other episodes such as "Saddlesore Galactica", "Scenes from the Class Struggle in Springfield" and "To Surveil with Love". In "Eeny Teeny Maya Moe", Maya is from Ogdenville. Ogdenville has an outlet mall and is separated from Springfield by a rocky desert. In "Coming to Homerica", Ogdenville is a town of barley producing farms that are shut down due to tainted barley being used in a new, vegetarian Krusty Burger. Ogdenvillians are composed of Norwegian immigrants with thick Norwegian accents. They also are big fans of the Minnesota Vikings due to the heavy incidence of Norwegian immigrants in the state of Minnesota. As a small easter egg, during a flu outbreak in Springfield, the hospital only received schemas in Norwegian, which was later confirmed via close-up. Series creator Matt Groening's background is Norwegian and German, which he has described as "two of the unfunniest ethnic groups in the history of the world".

North Haverbrook

The imagined North Haverbrook was first mentioned by Lyle Lanley in "Marge vs. the Monorail". Marge arrives in North Haverbrook and finds a desolate ghost town, where the faulty monorail derailed, causing a disaster, chasing away most of their residents and scaring away investors. The remaining North Haverbrook locals have since denied the monorail's existence, presumably blaming Lanley for the whole thing that ruined their town's reputation. Marge is met with hostility by the locals, including a woman who works at the 'Monorail Cafe'. She orders Marge to leave her town at once and never speak of the monorail anymore. A resident scientist from Germany, Sebastian Cobb, was the only one willing to help Marge out and save the passengers on the Springfield Monorail from suffering the same fate as North Haverbrook. Lanley is later attacked by the citizens of the town after his plane makes an unscheduled stop there.

North Haverbrook also appeared in "Little Big Girl". After Bart is awarded a driver's license, he gets sick of countless errands and goes for a drive and eventually finds North Haverbrook, and falls in love with a girl named Darcy. In this episode, the town appears to have recovered well from the monorail disaster, as it is now changed from a ghost town to a thriving community with multiple businesses that Bart enjoys. It has a romantic reputation. All signs of the monorail have also disappeared.

It also appears on a road sign as Snake drives towards Mexico with the Kwik-E-Mart on a flatbed trailer during "Marge in Chains".

Cypress Creek

In the world of the Simpsons, Cypress Creek is a model town created for the workers of the Globex Corporation. It appears in the episode "You Only Move Twice". It is an affluent town and is home to many wildflowers (to which Lisa is allergic). The city is an obvious parody of Silicon Valley or the master-planned communities often built by major corporations.

Guidopolis

In the episode "Midnight Towboy", Homer initially goes for a bottle of milk in a little town near Springfield named Guidopolis, where he then subsequently becomes a tow truck driver and is introduced to the vehicle recovery sector. The town is primarily inhabited by Italian-American greasers.

Little Pwagmattasquarmsettport

Little Pwagmattasquarmsettport is a fictional seaside town close to Springfield's State, where the Simpsons went for the Fourth of July in the Flanders's holiday home; the town appears in the episode "Summer of 4 Ft. 2". Nicknamed "Little Pwag", the town contains many beaches and a large boardwalk section, and a fun fair open every summer.

References

Informational notes

  1. One of the contradictory identifications takes place in Lisa the Iconoclast (season 7, episode 16) in which the grave of Democratic Presidential candidate and later UN ambassador under President John Fitzgerald Kennedy, Adlai Stevenson II, is shown to be located in Springfield's cemetery. The actual grave is in Evergreen Cemetery in Bloomington, Illinois. Like his father, Vice President Adlai Stevenson I, and his son, Senator Adlai Stevenson III, Stevenson was strongly connected to Illinois, having been Governor of the state from 1949 to 1953. The Stevenson grave is thus a "clue" pointing to Springfield being in Illinois.

Citations

  1. ^ Turner 2004, p. 30.
  2. ^ Kalkstein, Meghan (July 27, 2007). "Groening: Springfield is the real deal!". KVAL-TV. CBS. Archived from the original on October 5, 2007. Retrieved November 19, 2007.
  3. ^ De La Roca, Claudia (May 2012). "Matt Groening Reveals the Location of the Real Springfield". Smithsonian Magazine. Retrieved December 6, 2021.
  4. ^ Richmond, Ray (May 11, 2007). "Springfield of dreams". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on May 16, 2007. Retrieved June 13, 2007.
  5. ^ Potts, Kimberly (April 16, 2012). "'The Simpsons' Reveals Where Springfield Isn't". The Wrap. Retrieved June 23, 2020.
  6. Hamilton, Don (July 19, 2002). "Matt Groening's Portland". Portland Tribune. Archived from the original on October 16, 2015. Retrieved April 24, 2013.
  7. De La Roca, Claudia (May 2012). "Matt Groening Reveals the Location of the Real Springfield". Smithsonian Magazine. Retrieved September 23, 2020. Moe's Tavern is actually based on 'Max's Tavern' in the neighboring town, Eugene. It is iconic for its pickled eggs on its counters and the television in the top right corner of the room.
  8. Groening, Matt (2006). The Simpsons The Complete Eighth Season DVD commentary for the episode "Homer vs. The Eighteenth Amendment" (DVD). 20th Century Fox.
  9. Simpsons launch hits Springfield BBC News. Retrieved July 21, 2007.
  10. Stewart, D.L. (June 12, 2007). "Maybe this Springfield is just a state of mind". Dayton Daily News. Retrieved April 28, 2008.
  11. Laura Lee Davies (September 25, 1996). "Bill Oakley & David Silverman". Time Out. Retrieved April 28, 2008.
  12. ^ Silverman, David (2003). The Simpsons The Complete Third Season DVD commentary for the episode "Mr. Lisa Goes to Washington" (DVD). 20th Century Fox.
  13. Meyer, George; Archer, Wes (September 26, 1991). "Mr. Lisa Goes to Washington". The Simpsons. Season 03. Episode 02. Fox.
  14. Simpsons Episode: Papa's Got a Brand New Badge (2002), First aired May 22, 2002
  15. "Springfield hopes to host 'Simpsons' premiere". Lansing State Journal. Associated Press. June 8, 2007. Archived from the original on September 30, 2007. Retrieved June 13, 2007.
  16. Cindy, Clark (July 10, 2007). "'The Simpsons Movie' Hometown Premiere Contest". USA Today. Retrieved July 10, 2007.
  17. McGourty, Carry; Jared Weiner (July 10, 2007). "Peace, Granola and Now 'The Simpsons'". ABC News. Retrieved July 10, 2007.
  18. Katz, Josh (December 27, 2016). "'Duck Dynasty' vs. 'Modern Family': 50 Maps of the U.S. Cultural Divide". The New York Times.
  19. Collier, Jonathan; Anderson, Mike B. (February 18, 1996). "Lisa the Iconoclast". The Simpsons. Season 7. Episode 16. Fox Broadcasting Company.
  20. Forrester, Brent; Reardon, Jim (May 14, 1995). "Lemon of Troy". The Simpsons. Season 6. Episode 12. Fox Broadcasting Company.
  21. Bill Oakley and Josh Weinstein; Wes Archer (December 16, 1993). "$pringfield". The Simpsons. Season 5. Episode 10. Fox Broadcasting Company.
  22. Archer, Wes; O'Brien, Conan (November 12, 1992). "New Kid on the Block". The Simpsons. Season 4. Episode 8. Fox Broadcasting Company.
  23. Greaney, Dan; Kirkland, Mark (May 19, 1996). "Summer of 4 Ft. 2". The Simpsons. Season 7. Episode 25. Fox Broadcasting Company.
  24. "Half-Decent Proposal". The Simpsons. Season 13. Episode 279. February 10, 2002. Fox Broadcasting Company.
  25. Feresten, Spike; Polcino, Dominic (November 26, 1995). "Sideshow Bob's Last Gleaming". The Simpsons. Season 7. Episode 9. Fox Broadcasting Company.
  26. Maxtone-Graham, Ian; Reardon, Jim (May 26, 1998). "Trash of the Titans". The Simpsons. Season 9. Episode 22. Fox Broadcasting Company.
  27. Anderson, Mike. B; Cohen, Joel H. (January 8, 2006). "Homer's Paternity Coot". The Simpsons. Season 17. Episode 10. Fox Broadcasting Company.
  28. The Simpsons Movie
  29. ^ "Two Cars in Every Garage and Three Eyes on Every Fish"
  30. Bart's Comet
  31. Bart Sells His Soul
  32. "Hungry, Hungry Homer"
  33. "Love Is a Many Strangled Thing"
  34. "The Burns and the Bees"
  35. Jean, Al; Reiss, Mike (September 19, 1991). "Stark Raving Dad". The Simpsons. Season 03. Episode 02. Fox.
  36. Josh Grossberg (July 2, 2007). "Cowabunga! 7-Elevens Get Kwik-E Makeover". E! News. Retrieved February 24, 2008.
  37. ^ "7-Eleven Becomes Kwik-E-Mart for 'Simpsons Movie' Promotion". Fox News. July 1, 2007. Archived from the original on July 4, 2007. Retrieved July 3, 2007.
  38. "Oh Canada, D'oh Homer". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. October 30, 2007. Archived from the original on December 1, 2007. Retrieved July 4, 2007.
  39. Gail Schiller (July 6, 2007). "D'oh! 'Simpsons' limits tie-in partners". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on July 8, 2007. Retrieved July 6, 2007.
  40. LaBoe, Barbara (May 14, 2006). "'Simpsons' keeps Trojan tower legacy alive... or does it?". The Daily News. p. A1. Retrieved May 28, 2006.
  41. "Tower of Oregon's only nuclear plant goes down".
  42. Jean, Al (2003). The Simpsons season 3 DVD commentary for the episode "When Flanders Failed" (DVD). 20th Century Fox.
  43. ^ Perkins, Dennis (May 7, 2018). "Flanders loses his faith and an inconsequential Simpsons tests ours".
  44. ^ "The Simpsons Season 29 Episode 19 Review: Left Behind". May 7, 2018.
  45. Reiss, Mike (2003). The Simpsons season 3 DVD commentary for the episode "When Flanders Failed" (DVD). 20th Century Fox.
  46. Vitti, Jon (2003). The Simpsons season 3 DVD commentary for the episode "When Flanders Failed" (DVD). 20th Century Fox.
  47. April 21, Dan Snierson; EDT, 2022 at 10:45 AM. "Kerry Washington joins 'The Simpsons' cast as Bart's new teacher — get a first look". EW.com. Retrieved August 30, 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  48. Lawson, Carol (March 17, 1994). "Chronicle". The New York Times.
  49. "The Simpsons Archive: "A Brief History of The Simpsons"". simpsonsarchive.com.
  50. Writer: John Swartzwelder; Director: Mark Kirkland (April 20, 1997). "The Old Man and the Lisa". The Simpsons. Season 8. Episode 174. Fox Broadcasting Company. " stake yourself out a good spot at the starin' window."
  51. Barrett, Heather (July 3, 2007). "Meet the man behind 'The Simpsons'". Chelmsford Independent. Archived from the original on October 12, 2013. Retrieved January 3, 2011.
  52. Writer: John Frink; Director: Nancy Kruse (May 16, 2010). "The Bob Next Door". The Simpsons. Season 21. Episode 463. Fox Broadcasting Company. I can stand in one state, fire a gun in a second state, the bullet will travel through the third, hitting you in the fourth, so you fall dead in the fifth. No single act is against any law, but their sum total is the greatest murder...
  53. Smith, Jeremy Adam (December 2005). "The 10 Best Dystopias". Wired. Retrieved December 12, 2007.

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