The Simpson family has resided in the American town of Springfield for nearly three decades. But despite millions of fellow Americans watching their lives every week, nobody has ever figured out where their āSpringfieldā actually is. The town name is extremely popular in this country and the familyās creator, Matt Groening, has never quite revealed its true location.
So by this point, with āThe Simpsonsā entering its 28th season and still officially maintaining the mystery, any clue as to where the real Springfield is could be noteworthy.
During a press conference call promoting the seriesā new season that began last Sunday, a reporter from MyNewYorkEye bluntly asked executive producer Al Jean, āWhere is Springfield? Do you want to tell which state Springfield is in?ā
Jean began his answer by saying the team behind āThe Simpsonsā could never actually reveal that, but then continued with a hint that was more or less an admission.
āI would say just judging by the street names and locations, itās closer to Springfield, Oregon, where Matt Groening is from, than any other Springfield,ā said Jean.
If you still have any energy left after waiting for an answer over the course of all these years, begin to !!!!!!!!!!
The Simpsons basically live in Springfield, Oregon.
Groening has actually said in the past that the Springfield in the show was named after Springfield, Oregon, but didnāt go so far as to admit āstreet names and locationsā were, as well.
In 2012, Smithsonian Magazine titled a piece āMatt Groening Reveals the Location of the Real Springfield.ā Hereās part of the piece that gets into the Oregon connection:
OK, why do the Simpsons live in a town called Springfield? Isnāt that a little generic?
Springfield was named after Springfield, Oregon. The only reason is that when I was a kid, the TV show āFather Knows Bestā took place in the town of Springfield, and I was thrilled because I imagined that it was the town next to Portland, my hometown. When I grew up, I realized it was just a fictitious name. I also figured out that Springfield was one of the most common names for a city in the U.S. In anticipation of the success of the show, I thought, āThis will be cool; everyone will think itās their Springfield.ā And they do.
Youāve never said it was named after Springfield, Oregon, before, have you?
I donāt want to ruin it for people, you know? Whenever people say itās Springfield, Ohio, or Springfield, Massachusetts, or Springfield, wherever, I always go, āYup, thatās right.ā
This article led to quite a bit of backtracking from both Groening and Jean as they then claimed the location of the town still remained a mystery. The show responded to the article with a chalkboard gag where Bart Simpson repeatedly wrote, āThe true location of Springfield is in any state but yours.ā
Jean told TV Guide at the time that Smithsonian Magazine āmisinterpreted something [he has] heard [Groening] say for at least 10 or 20 years.ā Jean continued, āHe was inspired by growing up in Portland, but itās really an every town. Itās really funny. Matt grew up in Oregon and parts of āThe Simpsonsā were definitely inspired by his childhood. But there is no specific state that Springfield is in, and we will never reveal that secret.ā
Further trying to dispel that Groening revealed the location, Jean reminded TV Guide readers that āThe Simpsons Movieā hinted that the town's true whereabouts are geographically impossible.
āIn the movie we say [Springfield] borders on Ohio, Nevada, Maine and Kentucky,ā said Jean. āSo good luck finding that state. When you do, youāre a true āSimpsonsā fan.ā
For what itās worth, Ohio has a city named Oregon. The state of Oregon does border Nevada. The city of Portland, Oregon, was named after the city of Portland, Maine. And there is an unincorporated community that calls itself āOregonā in Kentucky.
In a way (however tenuous), all of those named states from the movie have geographical connections to Oregon. āThe Simpsonsā Springfield = Springfield, Oregon. The homepage of the official website for the Oregonian city even claims, āYes, this is the ārealā Springfield from āThe Simpsons.āā
Of course, even if this is true, Jean and Groening will likely never fully admit it. Jean continued his answer about Springfield, Oregon, during the press conference by saying, āBut the great thing about [the showās city] is itās universal. I grew up in Michigan, and I can totally relate to it. Anybody, wherever youāre from, has a Springfield near them.ā
The people of Oregon are just especially close.
Hereās a walkthrough of Universal Studiosā recreation of Springfield:
UPDATE: HuffPost reader Andrew Stebbins wrote us to note another instance the show hinted at the true location of Springfield. In the fourth season episode, āSelmaās Choice,ā the show flashes a Springfield driverās license with the zip-code 90701. Thatās the area code for Artesia, California.
Further complicating matters though is that there actually is an Oak Grove Drive just on the outskirts of Springfield, Oregon.
Hereās the license: