After over two decades of teasing, Simpsons creator Matt Groening has finally revealed the whereabouts of the real-life Springfield which inspired one of the most iconic sitcoms in history.
The ‘city’ of Springfield, Oregon (does 52,000 inhabitants constitute a city?) sits 100 miles south of Groening’s home-town of Portland (see below map). He explained that he got the idea for Homer & Co when he was watching ‘Father Knows Best’ a show also set in Springfield, which he mistakenly assumed was the one down the road from his house.
“When I grew up, I realised it was just a fictitious name” he told The Smithsonian magazine. “I also figured out that Springfield was one of the most common names for a city in the US. I thought ‘This will be cool; everyone will think it’s their Springfield’ ..and they do.”
Which state the fictional town of Springfield resides in has always been a running joke for Simpsons writers and they have teased viewers by showing the town on a map of the US but putting Bart’s head in the way and having Marge explain that Springfield is actually located in “Ohi-there Maude”.
The people of Springfield, Oregon claimed that their town was the inspiration for the Fox comedy when Groening visited in the run-up to the 2007 movie, but this is the first time the writer has confirmed the truth. Apparently when asked about any similarities between his city and that of The Simpsons, no-mark Springfield, Oregon resident Neil Laudati explained that “we don’t like to dwell on bad stuff”.
