# Simpsons: Springfield is where? Post your guess **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 1, 2002, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simpsons-springfield-is-where-post-your-guess/101267 "2002-04-01T21:00:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Cat\_Fight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/90ced4/32.png) [@Cat\_Fight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Fight)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2002, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simpsons-springfield-is-where-post-your-guess/101267/21 "2002-04-02T02:56:28Z")
Don’t they, in the “Behind the Laughter” episode say that the family is from Kentucky? Obviously not near an ocean, but… Yeah, isn’t there an episode where they announce the state Springfield is in at the end? I swear I saw that, and then, in a repeat, they changed the name? Am I right? sometimes I fall asleep in front of the TV and dream up parts of television shows. ---
**Author:** ![PigBoy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/97f17d/32.png) [@PigBoy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PigBoy)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2002, 3:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simpsons-springfield-is-where-post-your-guess/101267/22 "2002-04-02T03:23:44Z")
I could be crazy but… Does anyone remember a recent episode in which someone mentions “south of the border” and Homer replies “you mean Tennessee?” If I heard correctly, that would be more evidence for Kentucky. That could also mean Virginia or Missouri, though. However I guess I’ll have to go with “nonexistent” since there are plenty of hints in various episodes to contradict that. ---
**Author:** ![Mighty\_Maximino](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e95f7d/32.png) [@Mighty\_Maximino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mighty_Maximino)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2002, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simpsons-springfield-is-where-post-your-guess/101267/23 "2002-04-02T03:54:31Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Cat Fight \* > **Don’t they, in the “Behind the Laughter” episode say that the family is from Kentucky?** They did, and then upon rerunning the episode, the voiceover was changed to “Missouri”, so as not to clear up the confusion. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2002, 7:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simpsons-springfield-is-where-post-your-guess/101267/24 "2002-04-02T07:30:16Z")
Nobody is able to figure out what state Springfield is in for the most obvious of reasons; Springfield isn’t in a state. Springfield is actually located in the middle of Yennan province in the People’s Republic of China. The town was created in the 1950’s as a training camp for Chinese intelligence agents to learn how to function in a typical American setting without blowing their cover. In a nation with over a billion citizens, it’s a trivial matter to run a false town with a few thousand. The “Simpsons” are in fact unaware that they’ve lived their whole lives in China; they believe they are Americans. But in reality they are just small props in a huge lie. This explains a number of things: the inability to pinpoint exactly where Springfield is; the way people enter and leave town with no apparent explanation; the stupidity and confusion of so many town residents (a product of brainwashing drugs in the water supply); the undercurrents of subversive mockery towards institutions like government, business, religion, and legal authority; the way so many facets of American culture appear slightly off-kilter in this town; and the fact that every one in town has yellow skin. ---
**Author:** ![Tretiak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a88e57/32.png) [@Tretiak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tretiak)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2002, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simpsons-springfield-is-where-post-your-guess/101267/25 "2002-04-02T17:26:16Z")
No one has mentioned all the times the Simpsons have made in-jokes about not know ing where Springfield is. Like the episode where they are coming to Springfield to film Radiation Man 😉 (I’m stetting you guys up here, don’t fail me) “Get me two plane tickets to the state that Springfield is in.” Or when Apu is studying to be a US citizen and they ask him to find Springfield on the map and Bart’s head gets in the way. ---
**Author:** ![Umbriel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/9de053/32.png) [@Umbriel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Umbriel)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2002, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simpsons-springfield-is-where-post-your-guess/101267/26 "2002-04-02T18:01:08Z")
… or the time Marge gave her mailing address over the phone (I think it was to order replacement egg feet from Vincent Price in the Super Bowl episode): “… Evergreen Terrace… Springfield, O…Hiya Maude!” ---
**Author:** ![lno](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/a8b319/32.png) [@lno](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lno)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2002, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simpsons-springfield-is-where-post-your-guess/101267/27 "2002-04-02T18:14:58Z")
And it’s not in Vermont or Washington state, because socialite Evelyn Peters will only eat food flown in overnight from those two states. Implying that they’re not there, of course. ---
**Author:** ![Great\_Dave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/46a35a/32.png) [@Great\_Dave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Great_Dave)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2002, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simpsons-springfield-is-where-post-your-guess/101267/28 "2002-04-02T19:54:34Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Mr. Miskatonic \* > \*\*Its not in Mississippi, that where they dragged Springfield Elementary from since it was the “worst school in Mississippi”. \*\* Close, but not quite. It was the worst school in Missouri. ---
**Author:** ![rjung](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/45deac/32.png) [@rjung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rjung)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2002, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simpsons-springfield-is-where-post-your-guess/101267/29 "2002-04-02T20:51:50Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Little Nemo \* > Springfield is actually located in the middle of Yennan province in the People’s Republic of China. The town was created in the 1950’s as a training camp for Chinese intelligence agents to learn how to function in a typical American setting without blowing their cover. In a nation with over a billion citizens, it’s a trivial matter to run a false town with a few thousand. The “Simpsons” are in fact unaware that they’ve lived their whole lives in China; they believe they are Americans. But in reality they are just small props in a huge lie. Not to be a wet blanket, but you do realize you’re veering close to some unpleasant Asian stereotypes there, hmmmm? 🙂 In any event, my vote for where Springfield is located goes to “a microscopic culture living in a petri dish in Matt Groening’s bathroom.” Not unlike that _Treehouse of Horror_ episode with Lisa’s tooth. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2002, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simpsons-springfield-is-where-post-your-guess/101267/30 "2002-04-02T22:57:40Z")
I thought that it was settled long ago, that Springfield is in the state of North Tacoma, hence the “NT” abbreviation. ---
**Author:** ![Fouccalt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/df788c/32.png) [@Fouccalt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fouccalt)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2002, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simpsons-springfield-is-where-post-your-guess/101267/31 "2002-04-03T00:09:26Z")
As much as I wish it was in IL its not. Shelbyville IL is quite a ways from Springfield…Springfield is like 2 hours west from where I live and shelbyville is like an hour or 2 south… ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2002, 12:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simpsons-springfield-is-where-post-your-guess/101267/32 "2002-04-03T12:02:21Z")
> [@](#): > > Not to be a wet blanket, but you do realize you’re veering close to some unpleasant Asian stereotypes there, hmmmm? I’d say those particular comments were more political stereotyping than racial. The “yellow skin” comment in the next paragraph was where I veered close to racism. ---
**Author:** ![DocCathode](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doccathode/32/18773_2.png) [@DocCathode](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DocCathode)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2002, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simpsons-springfield-is-where-post-your-guess/101267/33 "2002-04-03T15:36:56Z")
Chronos is correct. It’s on Homer’s license. As previously stated, the postal abbreviation is NT. RE-Springfieldians discusssing “other” states Skinner never says the school was moved out of Missouri. He only says “It was moved here.”. He provides no evidence that Springfield is not IN Missouri. It’s entirely possible Springfield fought on the wrong side in the Civil War. After all Springfieldians are mostly idiots-except for the Mensans, especially Professor Frink with his lab and robots and the glayvin! The comment about having food flown in is, evidence. The wording clearly states that food is moved out of those states, and brought to Springfield. Unless, the speaker is completely ignorant of geography. Considering that these women can not pump their own gas and can barely microwave a bowl of soup, it’s possible that they don’t know what state they live in. Evelyn doesn’t think she lives in Washington or Vermont, but she could be wrong. ---
**Author:** ![Fingolfin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/eada6e/32.png) [@Fingolfin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fingolfin)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2002, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simpsons-springfield-is-where-post-your-guess/101267/34 "2002-04-03T15:50:21Z")
**I vote for Central California** 🙂 \*[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} [There are Shelbyvilles in AR, IL, IN, KY, MI, MO, TN and TX.] ``` Capital City is (at least) 220 miles away. ``` [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 licenses 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} [7F21] Michigan is the only state that gives dime refunds (bear in mind that it is a very large bottle, though) [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. ``` [8F02] [Raymond Chen] Lisa was watching the Carson show, despite having a hard time staying up until midnight (c.f. [8F05]). Perhaps this is the Central/Mountain time zone? [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} [8F14] 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 license looks a hecukvalot like the California driver’s license. 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. [9F05] The Simpsons’ house faces south. [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. ``` [9F14] [HndsomPete] Homer’s license has his zip code as 49007. This is the zip code for Kalamazoo, MI. [9F18] The following states have ``rattlesnake roundups’’: TX KS PA OK AL GA FL [Does anyone have a full list?] [9F20] Springfield is 648 miles from Mexico City. ``` There are Brockways in: CA, CT, MD, MI, MT, NY, OH, OR, PA. There are no Ogdenviles or North Haverbrooks, though. ``` [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. The border states already have killer bees.{th} [Compare to [2F19]] ``` [2F10] They go to the beach. [2F13] The plane trip took 22 hours (minus time difference). {ddg} (FYI, a trip (direct) from LA to Sydney takes 14 hours. {jac} [and Philly to Seattle takes 12 hours --ed]) [2F15] [Aaron Varhola]: The airport they fly into is the National Airport in Washington. [2F16] ``[Springfield is] not in one of the states which once belonged to Mexico, since in those states, the mineral rights belong to the state.’’{th} ``` ``[Grampa's earthquake preparedness] suggests that Springfield is along the Pacific Rim, or perhaps in southeastern Missouri.''{th} ``` [2F19] ``Fort Springfield was the site of a Civil War battle, suggesting it’s in the southeast quadrant of the U.S.’’{th} ``` ``...the architecture at the fort suggests its more of the type of Great Plains fort used in wars against American Indians. It was a Union fort since its troops wore blue.''{th} ``killer have arrived in Springfield, suggesting its in one of the states which borders Mexico.''{th} [Compare to [2F08]] ``` [2F21] Medfly spraying is done only in California.{th} [2F22] ``Lemons only grow in the southern parts of the U.S., and overland settlers generally came from the east.’’{th} ``` Springfield borders Shelbyville. ``` [2F31] Jay Sherman takes a plane from New York City to Springfield. [2F32] ``…The hospital looks like the right size for a city of about 50,000; or perhaps a smaller city with a large tributary area.’’{th} [3F02] According to: [http://everest.ento.vt.edu/~idlab/vegpests/vegfs/cpb.html](http://everest.ento.vt.edu/~idlab/vegpests/vegfs/cpb.html), the Colorado potato beetle is not in California or Nevada, and mainly concentrates on the eastern portion of the US. [3F04] Norman Vincent Peale’s birthplace was destroyed. He was born in Bowersville, Ohio.{th} ``` [Greg R Hasty] The Simpsons go to Pennsylvania. ``` [3F05] Homer’s state has daylight savings time. Some mountain zone states do not. (Anyone know which ones?) [3F06] [Dave Kathman] ``Walt Whitman is buried in Harleigh Cemetery in Camden, New Jersey…’’ ``` [Dominik Halas] ``The bird that lands on Homer's head is an American White Pelican; they are generally not found east and north of the Mississippi River valley and Florida.'' ``` [3F07] ``The Port Authority…is a significant agency only in New York City-Northeastern New Jersey.’’{th} ``` ``Mrs. Van Houten said Mechanicsburg without naming a state, suggesting that it's the same state that Springfield is in, probably Pennsylvania.''{th} [There's a Mechanicsburg in IL, IN, MS, OH, PA, and WV. But Mechanicsburg, PA is probably popular enough not to need the state.] ``` [3F08] Springfield has alkali flats and badlands. [3F08] George Bush lived in the following states: Massachusetts, Connecticut, Ohio, Texas, Virginia, Maine. [Benjamin Robinson] ``` You might be able to add the following: NJ (Princeton), DC (not a state, but might count), NY (longshot. Bush lived in a suburb of New York City and met Barbara there.) ``` [3F10] ``[Springfield] appears to be in one of the states where dress codes are legal.’’{th} [3F11] ``Japanese internment camps were almost all in California.’’{th} ``` Lisa infers that Ogdenville has a sales tax. [But it's also at least 341 miles from Springfield. That's far enough to be out of state. --ed] ``` [3F13] [Mark Richey] ``The 1796 founding date would seem to put it somewhere between the Appalachian Mountains and the Louisiana territory, probably in the Kentucky/Ohio/Indiana 0region. However, as far as I know, they didn’t have buffalo that far east.’’ ``` Springfield was created before the Louisiana purchase.{jh} [Mark Richey]: Buffalo were mostly on the plains, although it's too wooded to be there. Settlers mistook a phrase in the bible and headed west from Maryland. Kearney talks about the tall ships as being unusual. From my (limited) experience, most port towns have tall ships fairly frequently. There's a Stenchburg(?) in the state. (There's no Stenchburg, but there's a Stinking Bay, AR and a Stinking Creek, TN) ``` [3F15] Route 18 is mentioned. [3F17] [Jose Lafaurie] Springfield appears to be on Pacific Daylight time (or Mountain Standard). ``` ``Bart and the kids started their trip in a state with a lot of cornfields and prairies, which indicates a Midwestern state.''{jh} ``If they visited Branson, MO, along the way, Springfield's state probably wouldn't be east of the Mississippi since they took an easterly (or southerly, at some point) route.''{jh} ``` [3F20] Springfield does not appear to be in a coastal state when Lisa points to it.{jh} [3F21] Springfield is no less than 30 mi from Capitol City. [3F22] [Aaron Varhola] ``We can also assume OFF didn’t go through Ohio or South Carolina, the fireworks capitals of America, on their trip.’’ ``` [I'm not sure about South Carolina, but in Ohio, it is illegal for Ohio residents to purchase fireworks (you also can't transport them across state lines), so ALL fireworks would be illegal.] ``` [3F23] Hank tells Homer to call him if he’s ever on the East Coast. ``` Redwood trees (apparently endemic to Cypress Creek) are only found in the Pacific Northwest. Cypress Creek is ``upstate,'' suggesting a vertical state. ``` [3F24] [Dale G. Abersold]: Springfield slopes toward the west, where there is a harbor, perhaps implying the west coast? ``` There are Cypress Creeks in: FL, LA, MD, NC, SC, TX. ``` [3G01] Springfield is in the nations heartland. [3G03] According to the July 10, 1998 News of the Weird (Copyright 1998 by Universal Press Syndicate), the following states have engaged in child sales: MD, AZ, FL [4F03] Springfield is in a state founded by circus freaks. {hl} [4F05] The conductor doesn’t initially mention the state that Springfield is in, so presumably it’s in the same state as the Harvard-Yale game. Larry offers ``local cactus.’’ [4F06] [Dominik Halas] Lisa said she wanted to clean an otter at the beach; sea otters are only found on the west coast, indicating that Baby Seal Beach is on the west coast, and thus Springfield, in this episode, is near the west coast. [4F07] Hurricanes are most likely to strike the east coast, typically beween NC and FL. {bjr} ``` Ned talks about people ``back east.'' ``` [4F08] [Dale G. Abersold] Presumably not in Oklahoma or New York (both states referred to). [4F10] [Dale G. Abersold] Mt. Useful resembles many of the larger moutains in the Pacific Northwest. [4F11] Lupe Velez (who died in Los Angeles) bought her toilet in Springfield. [4F14] If OFF’s house does indeed face south, the Springfield river is to the East. [4F15] Jake Schultz notes that there are many references to Massachusetts and Boston in this episode. [4F16] Bart’s area code may be one of the following: 112 {jh}, 503 {db}, 513, 518, 613, 618 [4F17] The following states have 5 cent refunds: CT, IA, ME, MA, NY, OR, and VT{av} ``` [Mike Rumerman] Burns catches some whales in his omni-net. ``` [4F18] [Marc Wasserman] The Tokyo plant is open when the library is open, suggesting that there is a difference of less than 14 hours if the library is open 8-5. [4F21] [Joseph J. Barder] ``…Springfield’s either in California or a state nearby. Otherwise, why would they believe they’re going to Disneyland by car…?’’\* Whoa… ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2002, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simpsons-springfield-is-where-post-your-guess/101267/35 "2002-04-03T20:21:16Z")
> [@](#): > > [I’m not sure about South Carolina, but in Ohio, it is illegal for Ohio residents to purchase fireworks (you also can’t transport them across state lines), so ALL fireworks would be illegal.] Not true. In Ohio, it’s legal to buy fireworks, but not to set them off. The official rationale is that people might buy them in Ohio and transport them to other states where they’re legal. The real reason is that the fireworks laws are absolutely never enforced, so locals just buy them and set them off in their own backyard. ---
**Author:** ![Hail\_Ants](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/dc4da7/32.png) [@Hail\_Ants](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hail_Ants)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2002, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simpsons-springfield-is-where-post-your-guess/101267/36 "2002-04-04T00:35:20Z")
As others have said, there is no answer to this. Not only is it fictional but the creators were sort of kidding when they said there were clues in each episode. Yes, there are **totally conflicting** clues. Its become part of the whole self-derpricating in-joke. Marge saying, “Springfield, Oh Hi-ya Maude” being an overtly obvious example. For what its worth, Matt Groening once said that he chose ‘Springfield’ because that’s where ‘Father Knows Best’ was set (he felt that The Simpsons was their evil twin). [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simpsons-springfield-is-where-post-your-guess/101267.md?page=1)