A good mystery has always been a draw to a crowd. One of the longest running mysteries in the television world was the location of The Simpsons hometown of Springfield. For almost 25 years now, people have been asking that very question.
Even the shows creator, Matt Groening, has been coy on the issue. Over the show’s tenure, the issue has not been directly addressed. A few times, it’s been pointed out, but when a map is shown, usually a character’s head is in the middle of the shot. This turned into one of the longest running gags on the series. That all changed in a recent interview with The Smithsonian. Groening revealed that The Simpson’s hometown of Springfield is located in the state of Oregon.
Groening reveals that he was inspired by the series “Father Knows Best”, which takes place in Springfield. Groening said: “The only reason is that when I was a kid, the TV show “Father Knows Best” took place in the town of Springfield, and I was thrilled because I imagined that it was the town next to Portland, my hometown.”
The name Springfield is one of the most common city names in the US. Groening said of using it: “In anticipation of the success of the show, I thought, ‘This will be cool; everyone will think it’s their Springfield.’ And they do.”
“I don’t want to ruin it for people, you know? Whenever people say it’s Springfield, Ohio, or Springfield, Massachusetts, or Springfield, wherever, I always go, ‘Yup, that’s right.’”
Also in the interview, Groening goes on to mention other ways the Simpsons being connected to Oregon, including The Simpsons living on Evergeen Terrace (the street Greoning lived on as a child) and many of the early background characters being named after streets in Portland. Now with that in mind, does that mean that the Simpson’s rival town, Shelbyville, may actually be Portland?
