Difference between revisions of "Springfield's state"

Revision as of 17:34, August 15, 2008

Springfield's state, Illinois, is the state that the city of Springfield in the The Simpsons is located in. The state capital is Capital City. It is bordered by Maine, Kentucky, Nevada, and Ohio.

History

The state was founded by circus freaks, and was believed to be the location of New Sodom, due to misinterpreting a passage in the Bible. Settlers heading for the New Sodom instead however founded Springfield, built on Puritan values, and Shelbyville, built on marriage between cousins.

The state has a Springfield County in which the city of Springfield is located. There is also a Swartzwelder County which borders Springfield County. There also the very rural Spittle County, which claims to be the birthplace of the loogie. Other cities in the state include: Cypress Creek, founded by the Globex Corporation; Ogdenville, famous for its outlet malls and monorail; Little Pwagmattasquarmsettport, allegedly America's scrod basket; and Capital City, apparently the largest city in the state. Catfish Lake is known for its fishing and marriage retreats. There is also the unpopular community of Stenchburg. There are also the towns with the scary names of Terror Lake, Cape Fear, New Horrorfield, and Screamville. Also there are towns with the chaste names of Frigid Falls, Mount Seldom and Lake Flaccid.

Economy

The state is made up of mainly agricultural land, with occasional large cities such as Capital City and small and medium-sized towns such as Springfield. The farms mainly grow corn, livestock, dairy, fruit, cotton, tobacco, and tomacco, while within the cities, the main industries are brewing by the Duff and Fudd beer corporations, coal mining, casinos, manufacture of boxes, pillows, food, copper, iron, steel, industrial equipment, dangerous chemicals and retail. This balance means that most of the population works in low paid jobs, mostly blue collar.

Despite this, several wealthy citizens exist, most famously Charles Montgomery Burns (a utilities magnate), Aristotle Amadopoulos (another utilities magnate), Hank Scorpio (a crime lord who would later seize the Eastern Seaboard) and Artie Ziff (an entrepreneur).

The state features at least two international airports: Springfield Airport and Capital City Airport. Springfield also has a nuclear power plant, a naval base, an army base and an air force base, providing jobs.

The state includes both areas of high wealth (the former Old Springfield, the center of Capital City), and slum areas (Capital City outskirts, New Springfield). Because of this, the state becomes very polarized, with constant feuds between upper and lower class citizens over issues as petty as telephone area codes.

Geography

The state is heavily polluted due to years of lax controls, corrupt government, greedy business and Mafia influence. Toxic waste is crammed into every crack, and Lake Springfield contains mutated three-eyed fish. Despite this, the state has a wide array of wildlife, including grizzly bears, bald eagles, and manatees.

The terrain of the state is varied; it is a coastal state with desert and badlands, mountain ranges almost as high as Mount Everest, lush forest, valleys, plains and huge areas of farmland.

The state is a northern state that was on the Union side during the Civil War - the fact that the state flag has a Confederate flag on it makes it all the more embarrassing for the state's population.

Politics

The matriarchal and revered Mary Bailey, first seen as the incumbent Governor in "Two Cars In Every Garage, Three Eyes On Every Fish", could be seen as loosely based on 1980s Kentucky Democratic Governor Martha Layne Collins. The current Mayor is Joe Quimby (Diamond Joe). He is woman-izing, scandalous, bribe-taking politician. Joe will help anyone who has a few bucks to put toward his "campaign". He is often accompanied by dumb stacked blondes. His catch-phrase is "vote Quimby". Joe has a very "Kennedy-esque" voice.

Education

The state follows a standard education system, with elementary schools, junior high schools and high schools. However, the state has a very low education budget; schools can only afford to buy books other schools have banned, they are forced to cancel all artistic and physical education, and must rent out classrooms as prison cells to make ends meet. The most extreme example of this is Springfield Elementary School, which was moved from Missouri brick by brick after reaching bottom of the state league table. The state is also home to Springfield University, Springfield A&M (which was founded by a cow), and the unfortunately-acronymed Springfield Heights Institute of Technology.

Transport

The state has a comprehensive Interstate Highway system, linking to Oregon, Michigan, New Jersey, Texas and "some other state." Interstate 95 was depicted in one of the episodes. The area also has a good rail network, with both passenger and freight services. The area's several international airports also provide a strong transport link with destinations in the state, other US states, and the world.

Another, less orthodox system is the monorail system installed in Springfield, Brockway, Ogdenville and North Haverbrook, since closed for safety reasons.

Where Springfield isn't

Note: Some evidence is based on presuming the convention that one does not say the state name when mentioning a city in the same state that they reside.

• Alabama: In the episode "I Married Marge", one of Homer's competing job applicants said he was from the Alabama chapter of Alpha Tau. It is unlikely someone would say that if Springfield were in Alabama, although since the applicant is talking about his college experience this could refer to the University of Alabama rather than the state. In one episode where Lisa joins MENSA, Dr. Hibert says "I'm moving back to Alabama" implying that Springfield is not in Alabama.

• Alaska: In the episode "Marge on the Lam", when Marge and Ruth are chased by the police, a road sign is seen with "State line 2 miles". Alaska, Hawaii, and the insular areas are the only places where driving to other states directly is not possible. In the episode "Fear of Flying", Kwazy Klown Airlines offers the Simpsons free tickets to anywhere in the United States, excluding Alaska and Hawaii, "the freak states." And when Homer told his family about the "good news", Bart asks to go to Alaska and Lisa to Hawaii. In the episode "Home Sweet Homediddly-Dum-Doodily", Homer says "We leave you the kids for three hours, and the county take 'em away?" to Grandpa. Alaska and Louisiana are the two states that do not divide into counties, but boroughs and parishes respectively. IN the simpsons movie the simpsons move to Alaska.

• Arizona: Homer reveals that Springfield observes daylight saving time. At the time when this episode was first aired (November 5, 1995), Hawaii, most of Arizona, and a large portion of Indiana did not observe daylight saving time. However, Springfield could be in the area of Arizona that doesn't observe daylight savings time, which would mean they lived on an reservation. In the episode "Kill the Alligator and Run", Arizona is one of the only two states the The Simpsons are allowed in (the other one is North Dakota), but Homer says Arizona smells funny and Marge crosses Arizona off the chart. This implies they do not live in Arizona. Also, there is no place in Arizona called Springfield.

• California: 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.

• Connecticut: In the episode "Homer Simpson, This is Your Wife," Marge says to a member of her family, "What are you doing in the Nutmeg State." The Nutmeg State is Connecticut, and if Marge is surprised that someone has traveled into the Nutmeg State, it therefore follows that the Simpsons do not live in Springfield, Connecticut.

• Delaware: In the episode "Simpsons Tall Tales", the family is going on a trip to Delaware, and when Homer shakes a fist at the airport ticketholder, the family is kicked out of the airport and opts for train travel. So Springfield isn't in Delaware either.

• Florida: In the episode Bart vs. Australia, Homer tells Bart that next time he should commit a crime in Orlando, Florida - indicating that Springfield isn't in Florida.

• Hawaii: In the episode So It's Come to This: A Simpsons Clip Show, Homer offers to take his family to Hawaii. Therefore, Springfield cannot be in Hawaii. Also, in the episode "Burns Verkaufen der Kraftwerk", Horst tells Springfield Nuclear Power Plant alcoholic employees that they'll spend six weeks at their drying-out facility in Hawaii. In the episode "Fear of Flying", Kwazy Klown Airlines offers the Simpsons free tickets to anywhere in the United States, excluding Alaska and Hawaii, "the freak states." And when Homer told his family about the "good news", Bart asks to go to Alaska and Lisa to Hawaii. So Springfield is not in either of these states. Also the Simpsons have easily driven to various parts of the Continental United States, impossible to do in Hawaii. In the episode "King-Size Homer", Homer reveals that Springfield observes daylight saving time. At the time when this episode was first aired (November 5, 1995), Hawaii, most of Arizona, and a large portion of Indiana did not observe daylight saving time.

• Iowa: In the episode "Moaning Lisa", Lisa wails for the Iowa farmer whose land has been taken away by uncaring bureaucrats, and the West Virginia coal-miner. Mr. Largo explains that "none of these unpleasant people are going to be at the recital next week", which could imply that Springfield isn't in Iowa or West Virginia.

• Louisiana: In the episode "Radio Bart", Chief Wiggum mentions a piece of machinery in Shreveport, Louisiana, so Springfield is not in Louisiana. Also, in the episode "Home Sweet Homediddly-Dum-Doodily", Homer says "We leave you the kids for three hours, and the county take 'em away?" to Grandpa. Alaska and Louisiana are the two states that do not divide into counties, but boroughs and parishes respectively.

• Maryland: In the episode "Lisa the Iconoclast", it is revealed that settlers left Maryland and founded Springfield. Therefore, Springfield is not in Maryland.

• Massachusetts: In the episode "Sideshow Bob's Last Gleaming", Sideshow Bob dismisses the air show as "butt-cut Alabamians spewing colored smoke from their whizz jets", and Homer tells Sideshow Bob to "go back to Massachusetts". In the episode "We're on the Road to D'ohwhere," in which Homer drives Bart to Portland, Oregon to attend a discipline camp, the two make reference to Massachusetts' laws on gay marriage by saying, "Did you know that in Massachusetts it's legal for a guy to marry his son?". Also, in one episode, Otto used corporal punishment on Bart, after wrecking the bus and Skinner said, No corporal punishment, and Massachusetts allows corporal punishment. Also, in "The Regina Monologues," they get trapped in a London roundabout, a type of intersection prevalent in Massachusetts, without knowing how to exit it.

• Michigan: In the episode "Take My Wife, Sleaze", when Homer is calling Chief Wiggum to report the Hell's Satans kidnapping Marge, Wiggum says: "Well, We have a little saying around here: Let Michigan handle it"

• Mississippi: as Principal Skinner notes that selling kids is only legal in Springfield and Mississippi in the episode Simpsoncalifragilisticexpiala(Annoyed Grunt)cious.

• Missouri: as Superintendent Chalmers says that Springfield was voted the Worst Elementary School in Missouri ("Lisa Gets an A"), so they tore it up and moved it to the current location. In addition, during the episode when Abe Simpson regains his driver's license, and drives to Branson, Missouri. Lisa remarks "Branson is a thousand miles from here," which rules out any place in Missouri, counting out the fact the expression could have been an exaggeration. In "Homer: Bad Man," Abe hangs a 49-star American flag because he won't recognize Missouri.

• New Mexico: In the episode "Boy-Scoutz N the Hood", Homer looks at the Krusty Burger map and says "Hey, there's a new Mexico!" Assuming that Homer is smart enough to know his home state, Springfield is not in New Mexico. The same joke appears in the episode Homer vs. Dignity, where Mr. Burns is surprised to learn there is a New Mexico.

• New York: In the episode 22 Short Films About Springfield, Principal Skinner makes up the word "steamed hams" and claims that it is a "regional dialect" of upstate New York. Many people also believed that Springfield was not in New York state because in one episode, The City of New York vs. Homer Simpson, Homer loathes New York. However, Homer only mentions loathing the city of New York, meaning that Springfield could very well be in another part of the state of New York. Many residents of upstate New York, in fact, do share a loathing of New York City and its suburban areas.

• North Carolina: In the episode Bart-Mangled Banner, Mayor Quimby compares the national hatred of Springfield caused by Bart's mooning of the U.S. flag to that of "Hitler City, North Carolina" before it changed its name to Charlotte.

• North/South Dakota: In one episode the family discuss where they are still welcome in America, and one of the states is North Dakota. Bart then says "Alright! I've always wanted to see Mount Rushmore!" Marge then tells him that that's South Dakota, proving they don't live in South nor North Dakota.

• Ohio: In the episode "Homer and Apu", Apu said that Kwik-E-Mart is known as Stop-O-Mart in Ohio.

• Rhode Island: In the episode "Pygmoelian", referring to Moe's liquor license, Lenny says the license is only good in Rhode Island; Moe replies by saying "I've been meaning to get that updated, uh, for this state".

• Texas: In the episode Raging Abe Simpson and His Grumbling Grandson in "The Curse of the Flying Hellfish", Grandpa Van Houten says he won a chili cook-off in Beaumont, Texas. In the episode "Who Shot Mr. Burns? (Part Two)", Chief Wiggum says to Mr. Burns "No jury in the world's gonna convict a baby. Hmm, maybe Texas". Therefore, Springfield cannot be in Texas. In the episode "Old Money", the ghost of Bea says, "They've got me haunting a family in Texas". Therefore, Springfield cannot be in Texas. Texas is also too small to contain Springfield, as West Springfield is "three times the size of Texas", according to the episode "Half-Decent Proposal". In "Bart Star," Hank Hill says "We drove 2000 miles for this?" suggesting they drove out of Texas to get to Springfield.

• Utah: In the episode "Bart's Comet", when Principal Skinner discovers Bart is responsible for the balloon prank, Bart says "race you to Utah" to Milhouse. Therefore, Springfield must not be in Utah. Also, in the episode "Homer vs. Lisa and the 8th Commandment", Bart is watching the Top Hat Channel. That channel is not available in Utah or Florida.

• Washington, D.C.: In the episode "Mother Simpson", it is shown that there is a state college. This means that Springfield is in a state, not in the District of Columbia nor in any of the insular areas.

• Wisconsin: In the episode Bart of War after Bart said "Hey! some jerks cleaned our field!" Nelson said "It's awful! It looks like Wisconsin!" so Springfield could not be in Wisconsin.

• West Virginia: In the episode "Moaning Lisa", Lisa wails for the Iowa farmer whose land has been taken away by uncaring bureaucrats, and the West Virginia coal-miner. Mr. Largo explains that "none of these unpleasant people are going to be at the recital next week", which could imply that Springfield isn't in Iowa or West Virginia.

The South: In the episode "The PTA Disbands!", a historical re-enactment has the American Civil War soldiers of Fort Springfield wearing Union blue, "heroically" massacring wounded Confederate soldiers in grey uniforms who have come to surrender. As such, Springfield cannot have been in one of the states that sided with the Confederate States of America. Springfield is also not in the South because when Carl and Lenny are handling nuclear waste in the episode "Marge vs. the Monorail", Lenny wonders where they dump it. Carl says,"Probably in one of those southern states where the governor's a crook." In "Bart vs. Lisa vs. The Third Grade," the Capitol City Governor states that the state flag, which contains a Confederate flag in it, "is an embarrassment, particularly as we are a northern state."

Georgia, Missouri, Tennessee, California, Nevada, Utah: In the episode "Bart on the Road", Nelson says "I've always wanted to see Macon, Georgia". When the boys arrive in Branson, Missouri, Bart refers to the place with "Missouri";. They are also seen entering the border of Tennessee explicitly. When Homer replaces the light bulbs on the nuclear plant map, California, Nevada, and Utah are shown with all their plants and none is Springfield. These would eliminate 6 states.

Florida, Arizona, North Dakota: In the episode, "Kill the Alligator and Run", the family marks on a map that they are no longer welcome in Florida, which leaves Arizona (ruled out because it smells funny) and North Dakota, and, of course Springfield.

Connecticut, Kansas, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania: The Kwik E Mart sells beer and in the episode "Simpson Safari" Bart attempts to buy wine in a supermarket therefore Springfield can't be in; Colorado, Connecticut, Kansas, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, or Utah as none of these states allow the sale of wine in grocery stores.

Patty and Selma work at the Department of Motor Vehicles. The authority is known by various alternate names in Arizona, Florida, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Texas and Washington.

In the episode "Much Apu About Nothing", there are also several clues as to where Springfield isn't

• On Homer's weekly paycheck, it is shown that the state withholds income tax. Therefore, this rules out Alaska, Florida, Nevada, New Hampshire, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Washington, and Wyoming.
• Fat Tony told Apu that his false identity was born in Green Bay, Wisconsin. So Springfield isn't in Wisconsin.
• When Homer is coaching Apu for immigration test, Homer first points to Chicago, but Lisa corrects him saying "you're not pointing anywhere near Springfield" and points out the correct location. At this time, Bart walks in and blocks the view. In this screenshot, we know that Springfield isn't in Washington, Oregon, California, Idaho, Nevada, Utah, Arizona, Montana, or Wyoming. In another screenshot, we know Springfield isn't in Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, and the District of Columbia.

The general list seems to leave as "possibilities" : Arkansas, Illinois, Nebraska, Oregon, South Carolina, Virginia, or a fictional state. However, this exclusion list may not be complete.

North Tacoma?

David Silverman, a director for the Simpsons, has claimed that Springfield is in the fictional state of "North Tacoma" (or "North Takoma"). This is substantiated by the state abbreviations NT and TA used within the show. However, this has never been officially confirmed in any canonical episode of The Simpsons or by other Simpsons producers. And on Homer's Driver License the state is NT and the zip code is 49007, which is a Kalamazoo, Michigan zip code.