# So where do the Simpsons live? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 12, 2005, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-where-do-the-simpsons-live/335283 "2005-12-12T17:40:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![melondeca](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5a626/32.png) [@melondeca](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/melondeca)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2005, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-where-do-the-simpsons-live/335283/21 "2005-12-13T03:11:27Z")
For some reason I have always assumed that Springfield was in Illinois. I am not sure where I first heard that but it has stuck with me. ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2005, 4:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-where-do-the-simpsons-live/335283/22 "2005-12-13T04:40:45Z")
There was the episode where they go to South America to find Lisa’s penpal. When he says he couldn’t read the state on her return address, Lisa responds with something like, “Well, if you follow the clues, it’s pretty obvious.” ---
**Author:** ![Nature\_s\_Call](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nature_s_call/32/19006_2.png) [@Nature\_s\_Call](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nature_s_Call)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2005, 4:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-where-do-the-simpsons-live/335283/23 "2005-12-13T04:42:27Z")
They live [here](http://www.ebaumsworld.com/simpsonshouse.html) ---
**Author:** ![drm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a88e57/32.png) [@drm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drm)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2005, 5:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-where-do-the-simpsons-live/335283/24 "2005-12-13T05:35:52Z")
During the behind the laughter episode they say Northern Kentucky. In reruns it was changed to Missouri to add some confusion. [Here’s](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Springfield_(The_Simpsons)#Where_is_Springfield.3F) a pretty thorough rundown of the clues. ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2005, 7:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-where-do-the-simpsons-live/335283/25 "2005-12-13T07:02:19Z")
> [@drm](#): > > During the behind the laughter episode they say Northern Kentucky. In reruns it was changed to Missouri to add some confusion. That episode, along with other specials such as the Halloween ones, aren’t canon, and don’t obey the normal rules of the Simpson world. ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2005, 7:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-where-do-the-simpsons-live/335283/26 "2005-12-13T07:11:16Z")
> [@GorillaMan](#): > > That episode, along with other specials such as the Halloween ones, aren’t canon, and don’t obey the normal rules of the Simpson world. You mean like where Homer’s sitting at the controls, punching buttons wildly while singing and a sign reading “MELTDOWN” flashes in the background, but nobody cares? Even though there was that one ep where he was made a hero for doing something similar? ---
**Author:** ![Superdude](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/superdude/32/13450_2.png) [@Superdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superdude)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2005, 7:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-where-do-the-simpsons-live/335283/27 "2005-12-13T07:12:23Z")
> [@Larry Borgia](#): > > Northern Kentucky. Abe _did_ say once that he’d be long in his grave before he “recognized Missourah.” However, in the episode where Springfield was split into two area codes, the old area code was for Missouri, and the new one they got was, I think, Puerto Rico. During the Donald Sutherland episode (where he was the historian…the episode about Jebediah’s “silver tongue”), George Washington’s ghost tells Lisa, “We had quitters during the Revolution, too…we called them ‘Kentuckians’.” ---
**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:** [December 13, 2005, 7:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-where-do-the-simpsons-live/335283/28 "2005-12-13T07:22:46Z")
Ahem… Since they are fictional characters in a **friggin’ cartoon** the closest thing to an ‘official state that they live in’ would have to have been in a writers’ guide or at least in the mind of Matt Groening and/or a concensus of the head writers before the show premiered **sixteen friggin’ years ago this month!** As has already been said Groening went with only **Springfield, USA** and it is an absolute fact that, in the time since the show premiered, any ‘retconning’ of a state of residence is strictly a self-parody of the fact in and of itself. So, wait for it… _ **THAT IS THE ONLY ANSWER THERE CAN EVER BE NOW AND FOREVER!!!** _ ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2005, 7:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-where-do-the-simpsons-live/335283/29 "2005-12-13T07:27:49Z")
I think that someone needs to switch to decaf. ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Borgia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/larry_borgia/32/156_2.png) [@Larry\_Borgia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Borgia)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2005, 7:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-where-do-the-simpsons-live/335283/30 "2005-12-13T07:48:09Z")
> [@Hail Ants](#): > > Ahem… > > Since they are fictional characters in a **friggin’ cartoon** the closest thing to an ‘official state that they live in’ would have to have been in a writers’ guide or at least in the mind of Matt Groening and/or a concensus of the head writers before the show premiered **sixteen friggin’ years ago this month!** > > As has already been said Groening went with only **Springfield, USA** and it is an absolute fact that, in the time since the show premiered, any ‘retconning’ of a state of residence is strictly a self-parody of the fact in and of itself. > > So, wait for it… > > _ **THAT IS THE ONLY ANSWER THERE CAN EVER BE NOW AND FOREVER!!!** _ que? ---
**Author:** ![Seven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Seven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Seven)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2005, 7:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-where-do-the-simpsons-live/335283/31 "2005-12-13T07:48:58Z")
I always figured because Matt Groening is from Portland Oregon, Springfield was first based on Kalama Washington- with the Trojan Nuclear Plant just across the river. Over the years it has soft of mutated into something else. I thought this was interesting. [http://www.portlandtribune.com/simpsons/](http://www.portlandtribune.com/simpsons/) ---
**Author:** ![Bytegeist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/9dc877/32.png) [@Bytegeist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bytegeist)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2005, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-where-do-the-simpsons-live/335283/32 "2005-12-13T15:40:45Z")
> [@melondeca](#): > > For some reason I have always assumed that Springfield was in Illinois. I am not sure where I first heard that … Middle school geography class, probably. It is of course the state capital of Illinois, and the most prominent _real_ Springfield. This is also what rules out Illinois as the Simpson’s home state, because they _don’t_ live in their state’s capital. Their capital city is Capital City, and it’s anywhere from 30 to 200 miles away. ---
**Author:** ![chrisk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@chrisk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chrisk)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2005, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-where-do-the-simpsons-live/335283/33 "2005-12-13T15:46:01Z")
> [@Bytegeist](#): > > Middle school geography class, probably. It is of course the state capital of Illinois, and the most prominent _real_ Springfield. > > This is also what rules out Illinois as the Simpson’s home state, because they _don’t_ live in their state’s capital. Their capital city is Capital City, and it’s anywhere from 30 to 200 miles away. On the other hand, is (Homer’s Springfield) IS “the entertainment capital of… this state!” 😃 Just felt I had to throw that in ---
**Author:** ![elmwood](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmwood/32/3060_2.png) [@elmwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elmwood)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2005, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-where-do-the-simpsons-live/335283/34 "2005-12-13T18:34:18Z")
The various Springfields throughout the UNited States all seem to have the same feel; metro population about 100,000 to 200,000, somewhat off the beaten path, a working-class “seen better days” atmosphere, and somewhat boring. I like to think it’s either Springfield, Ohio or Springfield, Missouri. ---
**Author:** ![Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troy_mcclure_sf/32/4150_2.png) [@Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Troy_McClure_SF)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2005, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-where-do-the-simpsons-live/335283/35 "2005-12-13T18:44:04Z")
I knew I should’ve asked someone before I got run out of town. PS- **Hail Ants** , go take a nap. Sheesh. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2005, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-where-do-the-simpsons-live/335283/36 "2005-12-13T19:51:27Z")
The Simpsons live in \*\*Toontown! DUH!\*\* ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2005, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-where-do-the-simpsons-live/335283/37 "2005-12-13T19:59:25Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > The Simpsons live in \*\*Toontown! > > DUH!\*\* That would explain Mayor Quimby’s plan to build that freeway. ---
**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2005, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-where-do-the-simpsons-live/335283/38 "2005-12-13T21:40:48Z")
IIRC in Sunday’s episode they showed an active volcano in/near Springfield. It’s basically Anytown, USA. Whatever is convenient for the plot. I’d say it’s a blend of Portland, OR and Springfield, IL. ---
**Author:** ![sleeepy2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9a140/32.png) [@sleeepy2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sleeepy2)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2005, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-where-do-the-simpsons-live/335283/39 "2005-12-14T00:11:56Z")
> [@Hail Ants](#): > > Ahem… > > Since they are fictional characters in a **friggin’ cartoon** the closest thing to an ‘official state that they live in’ would have to have been in a writers’ guide or at least in the mind of Matt Groening and/or a concensus of the head writers before the show premiered **sixteen friggin’ years ago this month!** > > As has already been said Groening went with only **Springfield, USA** and it is an absolute fact that, in the time since the show premiered, any ‘retconning’ of a state of residence is strictly a self-parody of the fact in and of itself. > > So, wait for it… > > _ **THAT IS THE ONLY ANSWER THERE CAN EVER BE NOW AND FOREVER!!!** _ No, it’s real. [Here’s](http://www.mapofspringfield.com/map/index.html) a map. ---
**Author:** ![mobo85](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b19c9b/32.png) [@mobo85](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mobo85)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2005, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-where-do-the-simpsons-live/335283/40 "2005-12-14T00:15:34Z")
> [@Troy McClure SF](#): > > PS- **Hail Ants** , go take a nap. Sheesh. I, for one, welcome our new insect overlords. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-where-do-the-simpsons-live/335283.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-where-do-the-simpsons-live/335283.md?page=3)