For nearly a quarter of a century, fans of The Simpsons have been questioning where the wonderfully chaotic city of Springfield is located. And for a short bit of time, the world believed the answer had finally been revealed. Unfortunately, it’ hasn’t.
But here’s what happened.
Speaking with Smithsonian for their May 2012 issue, Groening spoke about the origins of the name Springfield and why he decided to use it for The Simpsons. And then the quote that set The Simpsons fan world on fire was uttered by Groening: “Springfield was named after Springfield, Oregon”
Believing that was a confirmation, the Internet exploded with the news that the Simpsons live in Springfield, Oregon. Unfortunately, Groening actually didn’t reveal anything at all – and made sure that everyone knows.
Speaking to E! Online, Groening plainly states his knowledge of Springfield’s location:
“I have no idea where the hell it is. Like all Americans, I flunked geography.”
So where did the confusion come from?
The city of Springfield on The Simpsons is, in fact, named after Springfield, Oregon – but that’s not where it’s located. Looking back through Groening’s Smithsonian interview, the answer is revealed.
In the interview, Groening cited the fact that he lived in Portland, Oregon growing up and describes watching Father Knows Best when he was younger – a series also based in a city called Springfield.
With Springfield, Oregon located near Groening’s hometown, he appropriately assumed that Father Knows Best took place there. After a few years, he realized that it was just a fictional city to represent “Anytown, USA.”
Upon creating The Simpsons, Groening wanted everyone to have the same feeling that he had as a child – believing that these characters live near you, so he decided to name it after Springfield, the most popular name for a city in the country.
Providing even more evidence for Groening’s “Anytown, USA” plans with The Simpsons, Groening had this to say about times when people come up to him and ask the location of Springfield:
I don’t want to ruin it for people, you know? Whenever people say it’s Springfield, Ohio, or Springfield, Massachusetts, or Springfield, wherever, I always go, “Yup, that’s right.”
There you have it: for one brief moment, the location of Springfield was revealed. And then it wasn’t. But hey, at least you know why it was named Springfield – that’s something, right?
And for the fans continuing to search for the location of The Simpsons illusive city, producer Al Jean provided a clue:
“In the movie we say it borders on Ohio, Nevada, Maine and Kentucky, so good luck finding that state. When you do, you’re a true Simpsons fan.”
Good luck with that.
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The Simpsons airs Sunday @8pm on Fox
Follow Anthony on Twitter @anthonyocasio
Source: E! Online; Smithsonian
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A quarter of a decade?
= 25 years
This always irritates me to know end…its a quick search away yet people always claim they know when they have no idea…A quater of a decade is 2 and a half years because a decade is 10 years…Try century (100 years) on for size, and see how it fits…Another lesson; Ignorance is popularly defined as the state of being uninformed. I will allow you to divine what you will from these facts…
side note…..it’s “to no end” not “to know end”…..just saying
Springfield, North Dakota. Because Moe said the zip code spelled BOOBS on a calculator
Yup, that’s right.
Springfield,TN because we have a Shelbyville close by also.
The Simpsons Springfield borders Ohio, Nevada, Main and Kentucky? It’s obviously Illinois. Illinois’s border touches Ohio, Nevada and Kentucky, and there’s a street in Illinois called Main Street. I believe there was a street in The Simpsons called Main Street (even though it is a common street name). And I remember seeing an episode YEARS ago where they joked about this exact issue and it strongly hinted that it was in Illinois.
Nevermind, Illinois does not touch Ohio. lol.
Illinois indeed doesn’t border Ohio, nor does it border, or is even remotely near Maine and Or Nevada. Get yourself a map : )
Also, once while traveling, the Simpsons once stopped at a landmark where FIVE corners of states met eachother. That should help anyone and everyone on their geographical hunt for the location of Springfield…
EVERYONE has a Main Street
Its in Dakota
I think people have been wondering for more than 2 and a half years…
I live in Portland, half of the characters in the Simpsons are named after streets and landmarks. This is just a ruse since Greoning kinda spilled the beans a wee bit. I could be totally wrong though.
Simply find the Springfield that is near the ocean, mountains, desert, has nuclear power plant, a NASA site, etc.
They called them a “Northern Kentucky family” in the “behind the music” parody episode. I suppose that doesn’t necessarily mean they live there now, but in all the flashback scenes they do, homer and marge grew up in springfield, so…
then again they did move the town “a few miles” down the road after the town dump was over-filled.
I guess I need a hobby.
It’s in a parallel dimension…..
Always thought it was in Illinois. But they would always go to deserts and oceans, have snowstorms and very warm Valentines Day. So who knows?
Um, it’s a Springfield in a parallel universe, or is everyone forgetting the Halloween special when Homer is brought into the live-action world with the erotic bakery?
This was just a well-planned publicity stunt
I’m pretty sure this article means “elusive,” not “illusive.” But when has screenrant ever been known for their grammar?
Not only is illusive a word, but also makes sense in the context it is used (Springfield is illusory, unreal, etc.) and therefor grammatically correct. But thanks for contributing to the discussion at hand…
Look, Springfield’s location allows for snow every winter; easy access to a beach; an ocean containing various aquatic life from around the world; a nearby desert; a large forest; and easy driving to such places as New York, Las Vegas, Florida and Canada, while at the same time requiring flights to Hollywood or Washington, DC. How can you not figure out what state Springfield is in with such seamless, carefully constructed information as that?