Difference between revisions of "Springfield's state"

Revision as of 13:09, July 25, 2007

Springfield's state, the name of which is never mentioned, is the state in which the fictional American town of Springfield in the TV show The Simpsons is located. 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. ^{[citation needed]}

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.

What state is Springfield in?

Template:Cleanup-restructure

The uncertain location of Springfield is a running gag in the series, based on the fact that 34 states in the United States have at least one community with that name; and several have more than one. 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. 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. [1] Perhaps it is best to say that the fictional Springfield is set in a fictional state with an exact location in the United States which will vary from episode to episode.

States

Ohio

In one episode when Marge and Lisa do a project with eggs, the feet are missing. Marge calls the number on the box to order them. The person on the phone(recording) asks for their address. She resbonds by saying "742 Evergreen Terrace, Springfield, Oh hia Maude, come on in! So if Maude did not come, Marge would have said Ohio. No other episode resents that. In Nightmare On Elm Street, Springwood, sounding like Springfield is in Ohio

Oregon

Matt Groening, the creator of the Simpsons, grew up in Eugene, Oregon. From Groening's childhood perspective, Springfield, Oregon was "the next town over". Groening also lived in Portland, Oregon, where he graduated from Lincoln High School. The show contains several references to features in Portland - Terwilliger Boulevard (Robert Underdunk Terwilliger a.k.a. Sideshow Bob is a recurring villain). Reverend Timothy Lovejoy, named after Portland's Lovejoy Street, is the pastor of the Simpsons' church. Portland is also home to 'Northeast Flanders St.' The signs for this street, naturally, say 'NE Flanders St.' Some people have vandalized them to say 'NED Flanders St.' One of the juvenile delinquents in the show is named Kearney in honor of Portland's Kearney Street. Bart's best friend, Milhouse Van Houten, got his surname from Portland's Van Houten Avenue. Also Mayor Quimby is named for Quimby St in Portland. And Willamette Week, a Portland weekly paper, suggests that Portland's late TV children's show host "Ramblin' Rod" may be the inspiration for Krusty the Clown.[2] But, in DVD commentary Krusty is revealed to be based on another Oregon children's show host, "Rusty Nails"

On the University of Oregon campus in Eugene, a "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. Also, Eugene boasts a popular landmark, a hill which overlooks the city, called "Skinner's Butte."

In the episode, "Mr. Spritz Goes to Washington", Marge says that they live on the east coast which would mean that the Simpsons don't live in Oregon. However, in "You Only Move Twice" Hank Scorpio writes a letter saying that "If you're ever on the East Coast, drop me a line," implying they don't, in fact, live on the East coast. Several scenes throughout the series show the sun setting over the ocean, adding weight to the West Coast theory.

In one episode, Marge pumps her own gas. It is illegal to pump one's own gas in Oregon.

In another episode, Homer Simpson has to undergo a mandatory waiting period before he purchases a handgun. Oregon does not require a waiting period.

According to the Simpsons Hit & Run videogame, Springfield is near a harbor. The Oregon Springfield is by the McKenzie River and has a few docks there (this however dissatisfies the Springfield Squidport, as squid are exclusively saltwater animals). This Springfield also has a power plant. However, in the episode "We're on the Road to D'ohwhere", Homer drives Bart to Portland, Oregon, and the show seems to imply that their trip is a cross-country, or at the very least, cross-state, journey, however the specific distance is not specified in the episode, so it's unclear as to whether this is outside of the state or within. In the episode, "Simpson Tide", Homers nuclear submarine takes off from Springfield Harbour and go North-West to Russia. The Harbour appears to be somewhere in the North West, possibly Seatle or Oregon. This adds to the speculation of Oregon, Groening's home state, as the state that Springfield is in.

Kentucky

In the "Behind the Laughter" episode, a narrator describes the Simpsons as a "northern Kentucky family." In reruns however, this was changed to southern Missouri, deliberately adding to the confusion. There are in fact Springfields and Shelbyvilles in both Kentucky and Missouri. In the Bluegrass region of Kentucky, there is a Springfield, a Shelbyville, and even a Simpsonville within 50 air miles of each other, and Shelbyville and Simpsonville are even in the same real-life county. 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 continuity.

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.

In "The Italian Bob", Homer gives an old, Italian woman a mug with the word "Kentucky" printed on it, offending the woman (according to the woman in Italian Kentucky means whore).

Additionally, there are frequent mentions throughout Simpsons episodes of the nearby fictional town of "Capital City." Indeed, the capital of Kentucky, Frankfort, has an airport which is called "Capital City Airport" and is located within hour's drive of Springfield, Shelbyville, and Simpsonville. When Bart and Lisa go on a field trip to Capital City, they get lost and meet a bunch of hobos/rednecks, a common stereotype of people in Kentucky.

A factor that could rule out Kentucky is the fact that Springfield's state borders an ocean, which Kentucky does not.

When discussing the state flag and the appearance of the Confederate battle flag on it, Lisa notes that it is especially embarrassing due to Springfield being in a northern state. However, it also must be noted that Kentucky never seceded from the Union during the American Civil War, although the state's loyalties were bitterly divided and a rump Confederate government was established in the western portion of the state.

Kentucky was officially ruled out in the trailer to The Simpsons Movie, in which it is revealed - along with Ohio, Nevada, and Maine - to border Springfield

Florida

According to the video game The Simpsons Hit & Run, the town of Springfield is in Florida ^{[citation needed]}, but this could be ruled out in the episode "Special Edna", in which a sign in Springfield shows the distance to Orlando too far for Springfield to be in the same state. There is also evidence to disprove this point in the episode "Kill the Alligator and Run", in which the family vacations to Florida (which Homer refers to as "America's wang") and is prohibited from returning. After the Simpsons are expelled from Florida, Marge and Homer mark that state on a map, which shows only two states remaining that still welcome the Simpsons: Arizona and North Dakota, but Homer crosses out Arizona because "It smells funny" and it is announced mockingly the Simpsons are to visit North Dakota- but logically the only remaining state on a map would have to be the state in which the Simpsons reside.
Additional evidence in favour of Springfield being in Florida arrises in the Halloween episode Starship Poopers where Maggie's signal is clearly shown coming from Florida.

However, it frequently snows in Springfield, which overwhelmingly rules out the state as being the Simpsons' home.

Texas

In "Marge in Chains" a road sign at the Springfield city limit lists a distance of 648 miles to Mexico City. Thus, Springfield would be located in southern Texas.

There is an episode where Bart plays football, in which Nelson is the quarterback and Springfield is crushing Arlen. In a crossover bit, Hank Hill is seated in the bleachers telling Peggy,"I didn't drive 200 miles for this."

New Jersey

In one episode, Lisa writes a letter to Mr. Burns, and the letter is sent to C. Montgomery Burns, Springfield, New Jersey. ^{[citation needed]} However, in one episode, Marge pumps her own gas. It is illegal to pump one's own gas in New Jersey. IN another episode, Marge is griving and sees a car that is very slow from New Jersey, and Marge said to go back to New Jersey so they couldn't live in New Jersey.

California

In the episode "Principal Charming" and "Selma's Choice", Hans Moleman's driver's license shows a ZIP code of 90701. That is in fact the ZIP code for Artesia, California.

In the episode "Ice Cream of Margie (With the Light Blue Hair)", Snake commandeers a helicopter after a high-speed police chase, then flies next to Kent Brockman's news chopper. When Brockman asks him about the traffic below, Snake mentions a pileup on the "101/405 interchange," a real highway crossroads located in Sherman Oaks, California.[3]This possibly hints that Springfield may be in the Los Angeles Metropolitan Area.

Michigan

In the episode "Duffless", Homer's driver's license shows an address of "Springfield NT 49007". ZIP code 49007 belongs to Kalamazoo, Michigan.

In the episode "3 Men and a Comic Book" bart attempts to redeem a bottle deposit. the change back is a dime. the only possible place it could be (for a can) is michigan (As Outlined by Captain Cool at : http://captain-of-cool.blogspot.com/2007/03/what-state-are-simpsons-from.html)

Nebraska

In Burns Baby Burns, Montgomery Burns's long lost son recognises his father on a train but is unable to board it before it moves away. He asks an attendant standing on the final carriage where it is going and is told "Springfield". The son says: "Yeah, but what state?" The guard's reply is almost inaudible, but ends in the syllable "-aska". This suggests that Springfield could be in Nebraska or Alaska.

Connecticut

In the episode "Revenge is a Dish Best Served Three Times", the man on whom Homer wishes to seek revenge tells Bart that Homer and himself have buried the hatchet because the two are both from Connecticut. It has previously been revealed that Homer was born in Springfield.

Alaska

In Burns Baby Burns, Montgomery Burns's long lost son recognises his father on a train but is unable to board it before it moves away. He asks an attendant standing on the final carriage where it is going and is told "Springfield". The son says: "Yeah, but what state?" The guard's reply is almost inaudible, but ends in the syllable "-aska". This suggests that Springfield could be in Nebraska or Alaska.

However, when offered free air travel to any US State, the Simpsons are told "except Alaska and Hawaii. The freak states."

South Dakota

Based on the episode “Lisa goes to Washington” (season 3, episode 2) it is easy to argue that the Simpson’s are from South Dakota.

Midway through this episode we see Congressmen Bob Arnold offered and accepting a bribe from a logging company which wants to clear-cut "Springfield National Forest."

Congressmen Bob Arnold also poses for a photo shoot with Lisa Simpson (it is presumed that he takes part in the photo shoot to boost his popularity in his district – and that the only reason he is seeing Lisa is because she is from this very same district). After the photo shoot the picture is shown back in Springfield in the “Springfield Shopper” newspaper which Moe reads to Barney (additional evidence that Congressmen Bob Arnold is Springfield’s congressman). In response, Barney says, “If I ever vote it’ll be for him [Congressmen Bob Arnold].”

The “proof” that the Simpsons are from Springfield, South Dakota comes toward the end of the episode.

An FBI agent, in a successful attempt to set up Congressmen Bob Arnold, poses as an “oil company" executive who wants to drill for oil in Teddy Roosevelt’s head on Mount Rushmore and offers Congressmen Bob Arnold a bribe to get permission to do so. Just so there is no confusion there is an amusing picture showing what this might look like. On the one hand, it would seemingly make sense to be bribing the congressman that actually represents the district which includes Mount Rushmore, thereby placing Springfield in South Dakota. However, South Dakota can also be ruled out since congressman Bob Arnold could be on a natural resources committee in congress and simply knows the lay of the land. Still this doesn't change the fact that the Simpsons are in Congressman Arnold's district.

Regions

Midwest

One of the couch gags (which cannot be considered canon) zoomed out and showed the Simpsons' house in Springfield, Illinois. 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 an indirect 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 Adlai Stevenson (a prominent Illinois politician and two-time US presidential candidate, buried in Bloomington, Illinois, 50 miles to the northeast). In the episode "G.I. D'oh", the Squeaky-voiced Teen quits his job to go work at "Jolly Tamale" which is a small but somewhat popular Mexican restaurant in Springfield, Illinois. The Simpsons' street, Evergreen Terrace, is a notoriously poor section of Springfield, Illinois.

The couch gag sequence of The Simpsons episode entitled "The Ziff Who Came to Dinner" 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 Powers of Ten. The sequence contained plenty of cloud cover, but put Springfield somewhere in the Midwest, probably near the Mississippi River (Iowa, or maybe Missouri). The latter location is also suggested in the episode "Lisa the Tree Hugger" in which Lisa tries to protect the oldest tree in Springfield. To do so, she climbs a giant sequoia tree to prevent a team from cutting it down. When looking down on Springfield she sees a structure resembling the Gateway Arch in St. Louis, Missouri (but also the Space Needle in Seattle, Washington). A large river can also be seen.

In the episode "Marge vs. the Monorail", monorail 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 in Iowa.

In the episode "Scenes from the Class Struggle in Springfield", the Simpsons go to the Ogdenville outlet mall to get a new television. The sign in Springfield indicates that it is only '90 miles' to Ogdenville. When Lyle Lanley holds up the map, Ogdenville is in New Mexico (by the way, Brockway appears to be in South Carolina).

In the episode "Mr. Lisa Goes to Washington", when it is Lisa's turn to speak, it shows a map where Springfield is in "Illinois".

In the episode "The Springfield Files", Mulder tells Scully that there has been "another unsubstantiated UFO 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.

Homer suggests that Springfield is within a state bordering the Great Lakes. He said:

Oh, why did I take it [the wedding ring] off? ... Oh, right! To see if I could skip it across Lake Michigan.

However, this is only slightly relevant - he could have been visiting the state at the time.

The Simpsons address, 742 Evergreen Terrace, is an actual address in Savannah, Missouri.

West of the Mississippi

In several episodes the radio and television stations in Springfield use the call sign KBBL. All radio and television station call signs west of the Mississippi River, 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, KDKA-AM and KDKA-TV in Pittsburgh, both of which are in Pennsylvania, and WDAY-FM, WDAY-AM, and WDAY-TV/WDAY-DT in Fargo and WDAZ-TV/WDAZ-DT in Grand Forks, North Dakota.

Also, when the Simpsons get to Delaware on a train, they pass the Mississippi River, meaning they live somewhere west of it.

East coast

Springfield, Massachusetts is referenced by the "Springfield Memorial Bridge" which separates Springfield from West Springfield in the cartoon and in Massachusetts. Another Massachusetts reference is that Mayor Quimby and his political machine have similarities to the powerful Kennedy family, including the mayor and his family's thick Boston accent. Of Simpsons writers and producers, more of them attended college in Massachusetts than any other state. A segment on WFXT revealed that Springfield's city hall is actually copied from that of Chelmsford, Massachusetts.

In the episode "Mother Simpson", Homer discovers that the tombstone he always thought belonged to his mother actually belongs to Walt Whitman (causing Homer to pummel said tombstone and curse "Leaves of Grass, my ass!"). Walt Whitman is buried in Harleigh Cemetery, Camden, New Jersey.

In the episode "Bart the Fink", when Bart questions the local bankers about the check he gave to Krusty, a phone call is made to New York at 2:01 PM, then to Cayman Islands at 2:02 PM. Afterwards, a fax is made to Washington D.C at 2:03 PM, and Krusty is arrested in Springfield at 2:04 PM. The first three places are all in UTC-5 time zone when the Northern Hemisphere is in winter, when the episode was first aired. And assuming the sequence of events is meant to show how quickly the authority reacts to tax evasion, that would put Springfield in the North American Eastern Time Zone.

In the episode "Lisa the Iconoclast", it is revealed that settlers founded Springfield in 1796, which was before the Louisiana Purchase. Therefore, Springfield must be east of the Mississippi River.

In the episode "Papa's Got a Brand New Badge", 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 I-95 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 The Sopranos, 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 Edison National Historic Site. In the episode "Old Yeller Belly", the Amish build a treehouse for the Simpsons, indicating that Springfield is in either Ohio or Pennsylvania. Also, Milhouse's mother mentions Mechanicsburg; there is a Mechanicsburg in both Ohio and Pennsylvania.

There is a Springfield in Virginia through which I-95 runs; while there is no Mechanicsburg in Virginia, there are four communities named Mechanicsville.

In the episode "Bart of War", a Mohican says his tribe's land stretched from "Krusty Burger to Gary's Waterbed Warehouse" while he indicated parts of Springfield.

In one episode, "Bart's Comet", a 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, Massachusetts during the Revolutionary War, and still exists as a historical museum.

In the episode "New Kids on the Blecch", 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:

1. Springfield sits on the ocean, and
2. 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 Federal Communications Commission of the Simpsons' universe mirrors the real world FCC.)
   • sunsets over the ocean

Springfield's local radio station uses the call letters KBBL. In the episode "Colonel Homer", 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, WFAA in Dallas, Texas, WOAI in San Antonio, Texas, WOW in Omaha, Nebraska, WDAY in Fargo, North Dakota, or WHB in Kansas City, Missouri) were assigned call letters before this convention was established. It should be noted that in "Homer Alone", 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 jellyfish washing up on Springfield Beach.

In another episode, "Boy-Scoutz N the Hood", 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. Earlier when they were still on the river, the Krusty Burger map shows two locations at two oil rigs, one off each coast. However, when the stranded group discovered the near by restaurant, Homer points at the east coast oil rig.

The episode "New Kids on the Blecch" established that oceangoing warships visit and dock at Springfield's harbor.

The episode "Simpson Tide" also shows that the submarine Homer is commanding travels west out of the Springfield Harbor into Russian waters.

Springfield is also served by the Union Pacific Railroad.

In one episode, the Simpsons were going to Delaware, while on a train they had to cross the Mississippi, meaning they came from the west.

In "Ice Cream of Margie (With the Light Blue Hair)" Snake Jailbird reports a traffic jam at the 101-405 interchange, both of which run up the Pacific Coast of the United States. Their interchange is in the San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles, California.

In the episode El Viaje Misterioso de Nuestro Jomer, Marge notes that Springfield slopes down in a westward direction, lending more credibility to the West Coast theory.

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 "King of the Hill", Bart claims the Murderhorn is more than four miles higher than Springfield's elevation. The actual tallest mountain in the United States, Mount McKinley in Alaska, rises less than four miles above sea level.) Plus, the city has a vulnerability to every sort of natural disaster, 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 Texas) is a vast oil field. Springfield is also 2,000 miles away from Arlen, Texas, which Hank Hill said in a brief cameo ("We drove 2,000 miles for this?). Arlen, Texas, interestingly enough, is just as fictional and mysterious as Springfield.

"Bart After Dark" establishes that the series is set near Baby Seal Beach, which a television reporter says is on the West Coast, which would place the Springfield in that episode in California or Oregon.

Additionally, in "Boy-Scoutz N the Hood" there is a scene in which Bart, Homer, Flanders, Rod and Todd are almost killed by a tidal wave, which would imply they live on either the West or East coasts.

In an earlier episode "Kamp Krusty", it is established that Tijuana is just a day trip away, meaning that the Springfield in this episode could logically be in California, New Mexico or Arizona.

In "You Only Move Twice", a newspaper is seen indicating that Hank Scorpio has taken control of the East coast. In that same episode, Cypress Creek (the community where the Simpsons move, which is said to be upstate) is shown with mountains. The Springfield in this episode has to be in one of the mountain states.

The revelation that Springfield was once entirely in the telephone area code 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 Missouri, while 939 is in Puerto Rico. In another episode, Superintendent Chalmers refers to Springfield Elementary School 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 (her maiden name is Bouvier), so maybe she is Cajun.

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 Highway 401 in the Province of Ontario, Canada, that passes through the City of Toronto. This has also lead to speculation of Toronto being the inspiration to Springfield (or of Springfield, Ontario 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 Canadian Anthem.

In the episode "Mr. Lisa Goes to Washington" the Simpson's mail contains the ZIP code 192005, a made-up ZIP code obviously, as real ZIP codes are 5 digits.

In the episode "Lisa the Beauty Queen", Lisa greets a boatload of immigrants to be deported. Springfield must have access to the coasts via a river or lake.

Various other episodes show traveling characters:

• In the episode where the Simpsons go to New York City, Homer has a flash back from a time when he stopped in NYC on a bus trip to Harrisburg (presumably PA). The fact that Homer was traveling through New York to get to Harrisburg woudl seem to suggest that he had to travel south to get to Pennsylvania, thus placing Springfield in either New York or New England.
• The episode "Old Money", Abraham Simpson had to cross the state border to reach a casino.

• When Snake steals Kwik-E-Mart in the episode Marge in Chains, a road sign says "63 miles to North Haverbrook and 678 miles to Mexico City". That would place Springfield within Mexican territory or in the southern most tip of Texas. However, the very same road sign contradicts with the established location of North Haverbrook somewhere between South Dakota and Nebraska, as seen in "Marge vs. the Monorail".
• The episode "Viva Ned Flanders" (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 episode "New Kids on the Blecch" establishes that Springfield is only a few minutes' sail from New York City by ship.
• 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 by Bus.
• Skinner drives Willie's car from Springfield to Orlando, Florida and passes a sign saying Orlando, 2653 miles. The Springfield in this episode has to be on the west coast, and possibly Idaho or Nevada.

In "Boy Scouts N The Hood", Homer pulls out a map of Krusty Burger locations in the US. The map clearly indicates that there are KB's in the following states/areas:

1. Northwestern Nevada on the border of SE Oregon and NE California;
2. SE Border of Utah;
3. SE Corner of Arizona;
4. SE border area of Texas or possibly the eastern border of Louisiana;
5. Midpoint connection of Missouri, Arkansas, Mississippi, Tennessee, and Kentucky;
6. A point around the Alabama, Georgia and Florida connecting borders;
7. and a spot looking like Northern Kentucky, which touches Indiana, Ohio, and Virgina.

In the episode "The Old Man and the Key", Abraham Simpson states that Springfield is 1000 km from Branson, Missouri. A circle of exactly 1000 km would sweep (clock-wise) southwestern Texas, eastern New Mexico, mid-eastern Colorado, northwestern Nebraska, center-southeastern South Dakota, central Minnesota, northern Wisconsin, central Michigan, central Ohio, southwestern West Virginia, a very small and uninhabited segment in the east most tip of Kentucky, southeastern Virginia, eastern Tennessee, western North Carolina, northwestern South Carolina, central Georgia, and northwestern Florida.

In the most recent trailer for The Simpsons Movie (as of 20/02/07), Ned Flanders and Bart hike to the top of a mountain, where Flanders states that from the summit "you can see the four states that border Springfield: Ohio, Nevada, Maine and Kentucky." These states are, in fact, nowhere near each other and are not linked to each other, thus they cannot be linked to Springfield. However it should be noted that all of the states Flanders indicates have "Springfields" in them, except for Nevada (though ironically Nevada is the only place an official, life-sized, scale replica of the Simpsons house can be found).

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", Cwazy Clown 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.

• 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.

• 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.

• 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", Cwazy Clown 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,^{[citation needed]} 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.

• 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 Goofball 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.

Plan B?

As seen in Trash of the Titans, a "Plan B" exists that lets the city move. it is possible that Springfield's state has been in a constant state of flux over the years considering the amount of pollution it theoretically creates and diversity of animal life shown.