Aside from the usual new observations and information incorporated from
recently aired episodes, Dmitri Brengauz gives us a humorous look at Where
is Springfield, as well, an explanation for the show's discontinuity.
Check it out.
Where is The Simpson's Springfield? [version 2.4]
First, you have to remember that nobody really believes Springfield is anywhere in particular. It's just an `Anytown, USA'. Bearing this in mind, it's still fun to see what sort of clues we're given, to find out [if] it existed, where it would be. - Raymond Chen
Matt Groening speaks
From: gupta@muddled.cso.uiuc.edu (Rohit Gupta) 16 Nov 90
I'm from Springfield, IL, and one of the local papers recently had an
interview with MG. In it he was asked about `Springfield' and he replied
that he chose it because it is one of the most common city names.
The Zen of Springfield
This scene from a preliminary script to ``Brother, Can You Spare Two Dimes''
demonstrates the proper attitude to have towards the issue.
Scene: A train station. Herbert Powell is at the ticket booth.
Herb: I want a ticket to Springfield.
Ticket Agent: Springfield, Illinois?
Herb: No.
Ticket Agent: Springfield, Massachusetts?
Herb: No, Springfield...
As Herb says the name of the state, a train whistle blows,
preventing us from hearing the answer.
"The Real Origin of Springfield and The Simpsons"
by Dmitri Brengauz
I noticed that the last line of Homer's driver's license reads:
Springfield, NT 49007. Now, it is very well know that there is no state
in the U.S. with the postal abbreviation NT, however, NT is the postal
abbreviation for Northern Territory -- the least populous region of
Australia (cap.: Darwin). Unfortunately, I know for a fact that that there
is no town with a population of over 50 people anywhere in the NT with the
name "Springfield." There is however, an interesting hypothesis which
would explain ALL of the continuity problems in the show.
The very real town of Tennant Creek, NT was said to have been founded when
a road train (a tractor trailer-trailer-trailer another Outback
phenomenon) laden with beer broke down on the road between Darwin and
Alice Springs. The drivers made themselves comfortable to enjoy their
cargo, found some ore deposits, and thereby founded the town.
Now, Homer J. Simpson of Springfield, NT (a town of 0-20 or so people) was
just such a driver, and the beer combined with the dry desert heat made
him see all sorts of wonderful messages and dreams, the contents of which
he wrote on the backs of over 200 empty beer cases. Matt Groening, on an
Australian holiday, found the truck, the corpse, and the messages. And
this was the origin of the show.
- Dmitri Brengauz
What country is the Simpson's Springfield in?
It's pretty clear the Simpson's Springfield is in the United States of
America. US flags hang everywhere. (Note the flag during the opening credits.)
[7G01] Bart & Lisa watch ``America's Most Armed and Dangerous''.
[7G02] Bart calls Homer a ``balding North American ape''.
[7G10] Bart joins the ``Future Photographers of America'' club.
[7F06] Lance Murdoch says, ``The United States of America has the best
doctor-to-daredevil ratio in the world.''
[7F07] Pauline M Muggli (pmmuggli@uokmax.ecn.uoknor.edu) observes that
Springfield is in a country that celebrates Thanksgiving, complete
with pilgrims and Indians. Also, Bart dreams of Uncle Sam.
[7F16] When Herbert Powell asks Homer what country he's from, Homer proudly
announces, ``America!''. (Just goes to show that Homer doesn't know
the name of his own country, I guess.)
[7F21] Bart says to the bank clerk, ``Americanize this, my good man.''
[7F22] Monty Burns dictates his epitaph to read, ``Charles Montgomery Burns,
American Patriot''.
[8F01] So much evidence it isn't funny.
[8F04] Homer says, ``Hey, this is the only paper in America that's not
afraid to tell the truth.''
[8F22] Homer takes part in the Fourth of July parade.
[9F02] Troy says, ``Live from beautiful Laughlin, Nevada, it's the Miss
American Girl Pageant!''
[9F06] Marge states you can see the Simpson house in the photo of TIME's
cover story: ``America's Worst City''.
[9F19] Bart says, ``That cute little character could take America by
storm.''
[9F20] Lionel Hutz says, ``If there's one thing America needs, it's more
lawyers.''
[1F01] Homer says, ``Mmmm, sixty four slices of American cheese.''
[1F04] Neddy Devil says, ``Oh, you Americans with your due process and fair
trials.''
[1F07] Mrs. Krabappel says, ``...and in our American democracy, everyone is
innocent until proven guilty. (Bart replies, ``God bless America.'')
[1F12] Malibu Stacey promotional film: ``Malibu Stacy -- America's favourite
8 1/2 incher.''
[1F13] NASA Scientist says, ``People, we're in danger of losing our
funding. America isn't interested in space exploration any more.''
Homer frequently chants, ``U-S-A! U-S-A!''
States with Springfields (not that it matters much; Springfield is a fictional
town, so why insist there actually (be) a real town `Springfield'?)
aa588@cleveland.Freenet.Edu (Eddie Anthony): After checking my Rand-McNally road Atlas, here are your choices:
Colorado Florida Georgia Illinois Kentucky Louisiana Massachusetts Minnesota Missouri Nebraska New Jersey Ohio Oregon Pennsylvania South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Vermont Virginia
These are the only states to show a Springfield in the atlas. Many also had a Springvale, or a Springdale, or a Springbrook, but only those 19 had a Springfield.
trb@ima.isc.com (Andrew Tannenbaum): According to the geographic database at telnet martini.eecs.umich.edu 3000, the 34 following US states/possesions have at least one Springfield:
Alabama Arkansas California Colorado Florida Georgia Idaho Illinois
Indiana Kentucky Louisiana Massachusetts Maryland Maine Michigan
Minnesota Missouri North Carolina Nebraska New Hampshire New Jersey
New York Ohio Oregon Pennsylvania South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee
Texas Virginia Virgin Islands Vermont Wisconsin West Virginia
Misc Observations
TP Uschanov (uschanov@cc.joensuu.fi): I just noticed that "Bart the
Murderer" seems to indicate that the Simpsons' home state (1) has capital
punishment and (2) is by electrocution. States that do are Alabama,
Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Nebraska, Ohio, South
Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia.
Daniel Watts (watd@uhura.cc.rochester.edu): Last week I drove through
Scranton, PA. Now that's a town with serious Springfield potential!
Where Springfield isn't, in alphabetical order
Only direct evidence is permitted here. Calling upon weather conditions,
accents, or proximity to casinos doesn't count. Many of the states appear
here on the principle that you don't give the state after the city if it's the
state you're currently in.
Alabama, Minnesota, New York
-- Other states which had their own essay competitions. [8F01]
Alabama -- A store in Springfield Mall has things from this state. [7F22]
-- One of the frat brothers comes from the Alabama chapter. [8F10]
Alaska -- Krusty's guest brings an Alaskan timberwolf on his show. [9F05]
-- The family's free trip to any state didn't include Alaska. [2F08]
California -- Los Angeles is mentioned on the Michelangelo's David
coast-to-coast tour of United States. {see note below} [7F09]
Florida -- The Top Hat Channel is not available in Florida or Utah. [7F13]
-- The Winfields move there. [9F06]
-- Abe sent the family a postcard from this state. [2F06]
Hawaii -- Not within driving distance of Michigan. [7F16]
-- Horst informs SNPP drunks they'll spend six weeks at their
drying-out facility in Hawaii. [8F09]
-- Homer wants to take the whole family there. [9F17]
-- The family's free trip to any state didn't include Hawaii. [2F08]
Illinois -- Springfield is not the state capital [7F01] {dwt}
-- Chicago is mentioned on the Michelangelo's David coast-to-coast
tour of United States. {see note below} [7F09]
-- The driver's licence agency is not called `DMV' [7F15] {dwt}
Iowa -- Bart & Lisa's aptitude tests were graded in this state. [8F15]
Louisiana -- Mt. Splashmore services the tri-county area. [7F18]
Chief Wiggum located a hole-digger in Shreveport [8F11]
Maryland -- Milhouse has a Krusty trading card showing Krusty visiting
relatives in Annapolis, Maryland. [1F04]
Massachusetts-Boston is mentioned on the Michelangelo's David
coast-to-coast tour of United States. {see note below} [7F09]
Michigan -- in [7F16], they drive home, passing a sign that says,
``You are leaving Michigan''.
-- The Box factory boxes are not assembled in Springfield, but in
Flint, Michigan. [1F11]
Mississippi - Krusty started out as a street mime in Tupelo. [7G12]
Missouri -- Marge mentions the bowling museum in
``Saint Looee, Missouri'' [7F15] {dwt}
-- Abe mentions his state, [2F06]
Nevada -- Burns asks Homer if he's aware of the state's usury laws.
Nevada has none. [8F06] {sg2}
New Jersey -- Leon says ``I'm a bricklayer from Paterson, New Jersey.'' [7F24]
New York -- New York is mentioned on the Michelangelo's David
coast-to-coast tour of United States. {see note below} [7F09]
Ohio -- There are no Kwik-E-Marts in Ohio. [1F10]
Texas -- Bea says, ``I'm haunting a family in Texas'' [7F17]
Utah -- The Top Hat Channel is not available in Florida or Utah. [7F13]
Washington D.C.
-- An executive at the Malibu Stacey factory calls in a favour
from Washington. [1F12]
West Virginia
-- Lisa wails for the West Virginia coal-miner. [7G06]
{Note: It could be said that Springfield might be in the same state is one
of the other four cities mentioned by the artist in [7F09].}
Evidence, in numerical order
[title sequence] Springfield is hilly. {ls} It is small enough to have only
one elementary school, namely, `Springfield Elementary School'.
[7G07] Springfield was founded by a bear-fighting woodsman. {ls}
[7G13] Springfield has its own International Airport. {ls}
[7F01] The state flag has three horizontal bands, green above white above
red (maybe orange). The state motto is `Not just another state'.
{kcc} Springfield is north of (or uphill of) the state capital.
[7F02] Homer's social security number is 568-47-0008, and the 568 prefix is
typically issued in California.
[7F03] Springfield is far enough north to get snow (and for the residents
to have plenty of snow-related equipment), but south enough that six
inches of snow will close the schools.
[7F05] The Springfield Topes faced teams from Shelbyville, Salem, and
Burlington. These would be towns and small cities from the same
area as Springfield. {kcc}
[7F06] Bart attempted to jump Springfield gorge (a la Evel Knievel) on his
skateboard. Typically, gorges are cut either by glacial action or
fast rushing rivers (see the Grand Canyon). {rd}
[7F08] Springfield is located west of the Mississippi River since the call
letters of the radio station begins with a `K'. {ck} There are some
exceptions to the `K/W' rule, though.
[7F09] The Springfield television station is big enough to have affiliates.
[7F12] Artie says, ``Woe unto Shelbyville, should they underestimate our
strength in dramatic interpretation,'' and later Marge says, ``You
(knew) the city forensics finals are tomorrow, and you kept me here
until 1am pretending to be stupid?'' What does this mean? Possible
explanations can be found in the capsule for 7F12.
[7F15] Selma was wearing a `Springfield U' sweatshirt. The agency that
distributes driver's licences is called the `DMV'. The ZIP codes
(90701 and 90702) correspond to Artesia, California.
[7F16] The family drove to Detroit, Michigan within one week.
[7F17] Grampa has to cross the state border to reach a casino, so
Springfield must be in a state that borders Nevada or New Jersey.
But it can't be New Jersey because New Jersey allows casino gambling
only in Atlantic City, which isn't a border town.
[7F18] The address on the letter is ``Marge Bouvier, Springfield, USA.'' {rc}
[7F24] Springfield has a garage/shop called `Smog Check' or something
similar. It is the background when Apu is talking on the phone,
finding out about Michael's visit. So Springfield must be in a
state that actually enforces emissions laws. {sg}
Route 401 passes through the city. (The highway reappears in [8F17]
and [8F21].)
[8F01] Springfield is near the south-east corner of a state that is
landlocked on the South-east corner. Moreover, that corner is common
to three other state corners, and there is only one Four Corners in
the USA, suggesting Utah. Unfortunately, the borders at the corners
are crooked, whereas in the real USA, they're straight. And {ag}
points out that that region of Utah is VERY desolate.
The state abbreviation on the map was `NT', {cpc} although the
address on the junk mail was `TA'. {rm}
They flew into Dulles.
[8F04] The map on which the TV reporters have marked the lethality zones
clearly shows Springfield to be a city on the West side of the mouth
of a river which flows South. {dg2}
v[8F14] The radio station's call letters are WKxxx. Spanish conquistadors
roamed the Rancho Relaxo area.
[8F17] The state Springfield is in has a lottery, for which the odds of
winning are 1 in 380,000,000. (I.e., choose 6 of 83.) The state
also contains Swartzwelder County.
[8F20] Sideshow Bob and Selma walk along an ocean beach.
[8F21] Otto's driver's licence looks a hecukvalot like the California
driver's licence. Complete with the useless dot in the corner.
(Yes, I know it's not useless.)
[8F22] Samantha says they moved from Phoenix, but doesn't say ``Arizona''.
So they might be in Arizona...
[8F24] Krusty drives Bart & Lisa to Tijuana.
[9F01] Homer drives his car off a dock in Springfield Harbour, only to learn
the garbage barge he landed on is headed to Garbage island.
[9F02] Lisa welcomes a boatload of immigrants in Springfield Harbour, only
to learn that they're being deported.
[9F07] Springfield is in a part of the country where snow is common.
[9F08] Captain McAllister is attacked by a shark on a house boat.
[9F10] Marge drives to North Haverbrook, a city in the mid-west.
Kent says Springfield's zip code is 90201. TP Uschanov
(uschanov@cc.joensuu.fi) points out that 90201 is also used for
Cerritos, CA, not just Artesia, and that 90701 is Cudahy, Bell and
Bell Gardens, CA. All these towns are in Los Angeles county.
[1F06] Homer, Ned, Bart and Todd drift towards an offshore oil rig. This
oil rig is shown on Krusty Burger fun map to be near NY.
[1F08] Springfield has a boardwalk.
[1F17] In this ep, we saw that OFF's neighbourhood and Martin's have fenced-in
backyards without alleys, endemic to the southern California suburbs.
{th}
[1F18] Springfield is near an ocean.
[2F01] The family drove to Itchy & Scratchy Land.
[2F02] In this episode, Springfield Prison appears to be on an island that
is similar to Alcatraz Island.
Springfield is within driving distant of Archie's Riverdale.
[2F04] Springfield has a lighthouse commanded by Captain McAllister.
[2F07] Abe shows Homer the place where he grew up. Sources place Homer's
birthplace in North Carolina, so Springfield could be in NC. {bw}
[2F08] Homer search for a new watering hole leads him to the Cheers Bar --
which is in Boston, Massachusetts.
The airplane that Homer and Marge were in crashes into the ocean on
take off.
Things in Springfield
Springfield Elementary School [title sequence]
Springfield Nuclear Power Plant [title sequence]
Springfield State Prison [title sequence]
Springfield Tire Yard [title sequence]
Springfield Arts [7G06]
Springfield Museum of Natural History [7G06,7F19]
First Church of Springfield [7G07]
Springfield Downs [7G08]
Springfield Primate Institute [7G09]
Springfield Mall [7G11,8F12,8F14]
Springfield International Airport [7G13]
Springfield Kozy Kourt Motel [7F05]
Springfield Savings [7F05]
Springfield War Memorial Stadium [7F05,8F08]
home of the Springfield Isotopes (minor league baseball)
Springfield Center for the Performing Arts [7F06]
Springfield General Hospital [7F06,9F09,1F02]
Springfield Gorge [7F06,9F12]
Springfield Speedway [7F06]
Springfield Plasma Center [7F07]
Springfield Retirement Home (Castle) [7F07]
Springfield High School [7F12,9F16]
Springfield Department of Motor Vehicles [7F15,8F21]
Springfield Revolving Restaurant [7F15]
Springfield Tower [7F15]
Springfield University [7F15,2F06]
Springfield Mystery Spot [7F17,8F13]
Springfield Art Museum (Burns Wing) [7F18]
Springfield Community College [7F18]
Springfield Museum [7F19,1F09]
Springfield Post Office [7F22]
(The painting in the Springfield Post Office suggests that
the post office has been around since at least the Depression.)
Springfield Collection Agency [7F23]
Michael Jackson Expressway [7F24,8F17]
Springfield National Forest [8F01]
Veterans of Popular Wars building [8F01]
Springfield County Courthouse [8F03] (maybe not in Springfld)
Old Springfield Library [8F05, 8F15]
Springfield Lower East Side [8F05]
Olde Springfield Towne [8F10,9F18]
Mount Springfield [8F12]
Springfield Public Library [8F12]
Fort Springfield [8F13,9F02]
Springfield Heights [8F13]
Springfield Memorial Stadium [8F13]
Springfield Trade Center [8F13]
The Springfield Trade Center had the base of the World Trade Center
and the top of the Empire State Building (or was it the Chrysler
Building?) which proves once and for all that Springfield is New York
City... {sg}
Springfield Animal Hospital [8F17]
Springfield Dog Pound [8F17]
Springfield River [8F17]
Springfield Barber College [8F17,9F03]
Springfield Googolplex Theatres [8F19,8F22]
Springfield Coliseum (hockey rink) [8F21]
Springfield Tire Yard [8F21]
Springfield Civic Center [8F23,9F16]
Springfield Harbor [9F01,9F19]
Springfield Wax Museum [9F02]
Springfield's forbidding Widow's Peak [9F07]
Springfield Medical Library [9F09]
Springfield Escalator to Nowhere {jw} [9F10]
Popsicle Stick Skyscraper {jw} [9F10]
Springfield Sperm Bank [9F11]
Springfield-X theatre [9F13]
Springfield Grapplarium [9F15]
Springfield Hardware [9F17]
Christian fundamentalist school {jw} [9F18]
Springfield Women's Prison [9F20]
Springfield A&M University {jw} [1F02]
Springfield College [1F02]
Springfield Men's Shelter [1F05]
Springfield Lake [1F14]
Springfield Arboretum [1F15]
Springfield Tar Pits [1F15]
Springfield Palace Hotel [1F19]
Springfield Community Center [2F02]
Springfield Hall of Records [2F02]
Springfield Skating Rink [2F05]
Springfield Youth Center [2F05]
That's a lot of stuff for a small suburban town to have...
Things in nearby towns:
Shelbyville Orphanage [7F16]
Mount Splashmore [7F18]
New Bedlam Rest Home for the Emotionally
Interesting [7F24]
Shelbyville Nuclear Power Plant [8F04]
Swartzwelder County [8F17]
Spittle County [8F19]
Duff Gardens [9F11]
North Haverbrook Elementary [1F11]
Shelbyville Elementary [1F11]
Spittle County Elementary [1F11]
Contributors
cpc - Chuck Collins (cpc@cpc.Eng.Sun.COM)
kcc - Ken Cox (kcc@wucs1.wustl.edu)
rc - Ron Carter (rcarter@nyx.cs.du.edu)
dgb - Dmitri G. Brengauz (dbrngz@freenet.scri.fsu.edu)
rd - Richard Dale (richard.dale@sound.com)
ag - Andrew Gerber (gerber@solbourne.com)
sg - Sean Graves (sean@cs.tamu.edu)
sg2- Sarang Gupta (sgupta@coral.cs.unm.edu)
dh2- David Hyatt (dhyatt@leland.Stanford.EDU)
th - Tony Hill (tony.hill@msbbs.mn.org)
ck - Chris Krieg (chris@pterodactyl.cis.ohio-state.edu)
rm - Rich McGee (mcgee@nic.csu.net)
ls - Lorenzo Sadun (sadun@acf9.nyu.edu)
dwt - David Tamkin
bw - Breck Witte (witte@hawthorne.cul.columbia.edu)
jw - Jonathan Whatley (Jonathan_Whatley@galaxy.com)
Last updated December 31, 1994. og@digimark.net.
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