Springfield's state: Difference between revisions

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{{mergeto|#REDIRECT [[Springfield (The Simpsons)}}#Location]]

{{in-universe|article|date=April 2008}}

{| class="toccolours" style="float:right; clear:right; width:300px; margin-left: 1em;"

|+ style="font-size: large; margin: inherit;"|'''Springfield's state'''

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| colspan="2" align=center|[[Image:Springfield's state's flag.jpg]]

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| colspan="2" align=center|''The state flag, as seen in "[[Bart vs. Lisa vs. the Third Grade]]"''.

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|'''[[List of U.S. state capitals|Capital]]'''|| [[List of fictional places on The Simpsons#Capital City|Capital City]]

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|'''Motto'''||"Not Just Another State"<ref name=7F01>{{cite video|year=2002|title=The Simpsons The Complete Second Season "[[Two Cars in Every Garage and Three Eyes on Every Fish]]"| medium=DVD||publisher=20th Century Fox}}</ref>

|- style="vertical-align:top;"

|'''[[Governor#United States|Governor]]'''|| [[List of recurring characters from The Simpsons#Mary Bailey|Mary Bailey]] (D)<ref> {{cite episode|title = [[Two Cars in Every Garage and Three Eyes on Every Fish]]|series = [[The Simpsons]]}}</ref>

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|'''[[United States Congress|Known Congressional Representatives]]'''|| [[List of recurring characters from The Simpsons#Rich Texan|Rich Texan]] (R) ([[United States Senate|Senator]]), [[Krusty|Krusty the Clown]] (R) ([[United States House of Representatives|Congressman]]), [[Mr. Lisa Goes to Washington|Bob Arnold]] (former [[United States House of Representatives|Congressman]])

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|'''[[U.S. postal abbreviations|USPS]]''' || NT, TA, USA

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|'''State Bird'''|| Potbellied [[sparrow]]

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|'''State Pasta'''|| [[Farfalle|Bow tie]]

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'''Springfield's state''' is the [[U.S. state|state]] in which the fictional [[United States|American]] City of [[Springfield (The Simpsons)|Springfield]] in the TV show ''[[The Simpsons]]'' is located. The state capital is [[List of fictional places on The Simpsons#Capital City|Capital City]]. The exact identity of the state is a common source of speculation and a recurring joke in the show and has been referred to in many episodes.

==History==

{{Main|Springfield (The Simpsons)#History|l1=History of Springfield}}

The town of Springfield was founded by [[Jebediah Springfield]], and was believed to be the ___location of New [[Sodom and Gomorrah|Sodom]], due to misinterpreting a passage in the [[Bible]]. However, settlers heading for the New Sodom instead founded [[Springfield (The Simpsons)|Springfield]],<ref>{{cite episode | title = Lisa the Iconoclast | episodelink = Lisa the Iconoclast | series = The Simpsons| serieslink = List of The Simpsons episodes | airdate = 1996-02-18 | season = 7 | number = 16| minutes = 0}}</ref> built on [[Puritan]] values, and [[Shelbyville (The Simpsons)|Shelbyville]], built on marriage between cousins.<ref>{{cite episode | title = Lemon of Troy | episodelink = Lemon of Troy | series = The Simpsons| serieslink = List of The Simpsons episodes | airdate = 1995-05-14 | season = 6 | number = 24| minutes = 5}}</ref>

==Locations==

The state has a Springfield County in which the city of [[Springfield (The Simpsons)|Springfield]] is located. There is also a Swartzwelder County, named after Simpsons writer [[John Swartzwelder]], which borders Springfield County.<ref>{{cite episode | title = Dog of Death | episodelink = Dog of Death | series = The Simpsons| serieslink = List of The Simpsons episodes | airdate = 1992-03-12 | season = 3 | number = 19| minutes = 16}}</ref> There is also the very rural Spittle County (mentioned in several episodes), which claims to be the birthplace of the [[loogie]]. Other cities in the state include [[Shelbyville (The Simpsons)|Shelbyville]], chief rival of Springfield; [[List of fictional locations in The Simpsons#Cypress Creek|Cypress Creek]], founded by the [[You Only Move Twice#Hank Scorpio|Globex Corporation]]; and [[List of fictional locations in The Simpsons#Capital City|Capital City]]. [[The War of the Simpsons|Catfish Lake]] is known for its [[fishing]] and marriage retreats. There is also the unpopular community of Stenchburg, and towns with the scary names of Terror Lake, Cape Fear, New Horrorfield, Bloodbath Gulch, and Screamville, and towns with the chaste names of Frigid Falls, Mount Seldom and Lake Flaccid. [[Midnight Towboy|Homer became a Towtruck driver]] in the city of [[List of fictional locations in The Simpsons#Guidopolis|Guidopolis]]. Springfield's [[Pee-Wee Football]] team defeated "Victory City" in [[Bart Star]], although that does not necessarily mean it is within Springfield's state.

==Economy==

The state is made up of mainly agricultural land, with occasional large cities such as Capital City and small and medium-sized towns such as Springfield. The farms mainly grow [[Maize|corn]], [[livestock]], [[dairy]], [[fruit]], [[cotton]], [[tobacco]], [[tomacco]] and for a time [[hemp]], while within the cities, the main industries are [[brewing]] by the [[Duff Beer (The Simpsons)|Duff]] and Fudd beer corporations, [[coal mining]], [[casino]]s, [[manufacture]] of [[box]]es, pillows, [[food]] (including crackers), [[copper]], [[iron]], [[steel]], industrial equipment, dangerous chemicals and [[retail]]. This balance means that most of the population works in low paid jobs, mostly [[Blue-collar worker|blue collar]].

Despite this, several wealthy citizens exist, most famously [[Montgomery Burns|Charles Montgomery Burns]] (a utilities magnate), [[List of one-time characters from The Simpsons#Aristotle Amadopolis|Aristotle Amadopolis]] (another utilities magnate), [[Rich Texan]] (a business owner), [[Hank Scorpio]] (a crime lord who would later seize the Eastern Seaboard) and [[Artie Ziff]] (an [[entrepreneur]]).

The state features at least three [[international airport]]s: Springfield International, Shelbyville International and Capital City International. Springfield also has a nuclear power plant, a naval base, an army base and an air force base, providing jobs.

The state includes both areas of high wealth (the former Old Springfield, the center of [[Capital City (The Simpsons)|Capital City]]), and slum areas (Capital City outskirts, New Springfield). Because of this, the state becomes very polarized, with constant feuds between upper and lower class citizens over petty issues such as telephone area codes.

==Geography==

The state is heavily polluted due to years of lax controls, corrupt government, greedy business and [[Mafia]] influence. Toxic waste is crammed into every crack, and Lake Springfield contains mutated three-eyed fish. Despite this, the state has a wide array of wildlife, including [[grizzly bear]]s, [[bald eagle]]s, and [[manatee]]s.

The terrain of the state is varied; it is a coastal state with [[desert]] and [[badlands]], [[mountain range]]s almost as high as [[Mount Everest]], lush [[forest]], [[valley]]s, [[plains]] and huge areas of farmland.

The state is a northern state that was on the Union side during the [[American Civil War|Civil War]] - the fact that the state flag has a [[Confederate States of America|Confederate]] flag on it makes it all the more embarrassing for the state's population.

==Politics==

[[List of recurring characters from The Simpsons#Mary Bailey|Mary Bailey]], a [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democrat]], is the Governor and was first seen in "[[Two Cars In Every Garage, Three Eyes On Every Fish]]", although at least two of the state's congressional representatives (Rich Texan and Krusty the Clown) are Republican. There is also a radio show host named Birch Barlow who is a [[Republican Party (United States)|right-winger.]] Additionally, Springfield's state is seen in the season three episode "[[Mr. Lisa Goes to Washington]]" to have a corrupt Congressman named Bob Arnold, whom Lisa overhears taking a bribe for the rights to demolish Springfield Forest.

==Education==

The state follows a standard education system, with [[elementary school]]s, [[junior high school]]s and [[high school]]s. However, the state has a very low education budget; schools can only afford to buy books other schools have banned, they are forced to cancel all artistic and physical education, and must rent out classrooms as prison cells to make ends meet. The most extreme example of this is [[Springfield Elementary School]], which was moved from [[Missouri]] brick by brick after reaching bottom of the state league table. The state is also home to Springfield University, Springfield A&M (which was founded by a cow), and the unfortunately-acronymed Springfield Heights Institute of Technology.

==Real-life ___location==

<!--Please do not add speculation about individual states to this section or any other section on the page-->

The uncertain ___location of Springfield is a [[Recurring jokes in The Simpsons|recurring joke]] in the series. Springfield is meant to represent "anytown, USA" and not be a specific real city,<ref>{{cite book| last = Turner| first = Chris| title =[[Planet Simpson: How a Cartoon Masterpiece Documented an Era and Defined a Generation]]| page =30| isbn = 0-679-31318-4}}</ref> although the producers have admitted to basing the town on various locations.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.kval.com/news/8775202.html | title=Groening: Springfield is the real deal! | publisher=[[CBS]] | work=[[KVAL-TV]] | date=[[2007-07-27]] | accessdate=2007-11-19 | author=Kalkstein, Meghan}}</ref> The name was chosen because it is a common town name in the United States;<ref>{{cite web | url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/6910174.stm| title=Simpsons launch hits Springfield| accessdate=2008-04-28|date=[[2007-07-21]] | publisher=[[BBC News]]}}</ref> there are 35 states in the [[United States]] that have at least one community with that name.<ref name=AboutLocation>{{cite web | url=http://animatedtv.about.com/od/springfield/i/whrsprngfld.htm | title=Where Is Springfield on "The Simpsons?" | author=Basile, Nancy | accessdate=2007-06-13 | format=html | publisher=[[About.com]]}}</ref> Despite this, many fans still believe that Springfield is located in a real state and try to follow the clues. The search for its ___location has been described as a "riddle wrapped in an enigma that is Springfield's ___location".<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.daytondailynews.com/o/content/oh/story/opinions/columns/2007/06/11/ddn061207lifedl.html | title=Maybe this Springfield is just a state of mind | author=Stewart, D.L. | accessdate=2008-04-28 |date=[[2007-06-12]]|publisher=''[[Dayton Daily News]]''}}</ref> Due to the many contradictory clues, it is impossible for Springfield to exist in any set ___location.

Episodes frequently make fun of the fact that Springfield's state has never been revealed, by adding further conflicting descriptions, obscuring onscreen map representations, and interrupting conversational references. In the episode "[[Blame It on Lisa]]", when asked about Springfield's ___location, [[Lisa Simpson|Lisa]] replies, "it's a bit of a mystery, yes. But if you look at the clues, you can figure it out."<ref>{{cite book | last = McCann | first = Jesse L. |authorlink=Jesse McCann | coauthors =[[Matt Groening]]| title = [[The Simpsons One Step Beyond Forever!: A Complete Guide to Our Favorite Family ...Continued Yet Again]] | publisher = [[HarperCollins]]| date = 2005 | pages=42–43| isbn = 0-06-081754-2}}</ref> [[David Silverman]], a director for the Simpsons, has claimed that Springfield is in the fictional state of "North Takoma".<ref name="NT">{{cite news|author=Laura Lee Davies |url=http://www.snpp.com/other/interviews/oakley.silverman.html|title=Bill Oakley & David Silverman|publisher=''[[Time Out]]''|date=[[1996-09-25]]|accessdate=2008-04-28}}</ref><ref name="Silverman">{{cite video | people=Silverman, David|year=2003|title=The Simpsons The Complete Third Season DVD commentary for the episode "Mr. Lisa Goes to Washington"| medium=DVD||publisher=20th Century Fox}}</ref> This is substantiated by the state abbreviations NT and TA used within the show.<ref name="Silverman"/><ref>{{cite episode |title=Mr. Lisa Goes to Washington|episodelink=Mr. Lisa Goes to Washington |series=The Simpsons |serieslink=The Simpsons |credits=Meyer, George; Archer, Wes|network=Fox |airdate=1991-09-26 |season=03 |number=02}}</ref> However, this has never been officially confirmed in any [[Canon (fiction)|canonical]] episode of ''The Simpsons'' or by other Simpsons producers. Homer's driver license displays the state as NT and the ZIP code as 49007,<ref>{{cite episode |title=Duffless|episodelink=Duffless |series=The Simpsons |serieslink=The Simpsons |credits= Stern, David M.; Reardon, Jim|network=Fox |airdate=1993-02-18 |season=04 |number=16}}</ref> which is [[Kalamazoo, Michigan]].<ref>[http://www.kalamazoocity.org/portal/government.php?page_id=281 Kalamazoo Zip Code]</ref>, although the area codes for Springfield have also been stated as [[Area code 636|636]] (East-Central [[Missouri]]) and [[Area code 939|939]] ([[Puerto Rico]]). The couch gag for [[The Ziff Who Came to Dinner]] suggests it is in the area of the [[Great Lakes]].

In ''[[The Simpsons Movie]]'', the idea that the state cannot exist in reality is further emphasized when [[Ned Flanders]] identifies the four bordering states as [[Ohio]], [[Nevada]], [[Maine]], and [[Kentucky]], most of which are vastly separated from each other.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/film/features/e3i8b30e2fc7d99d5a4e04b1f219f212c3e | title=Springfield of dreams | publisher=[[The Hollywood Reporter]] | date=[[2007-05-11]] | author=Richmond, Ray | format=html | accessdate=2007-06-13}}</ref> To promote the movie, various towns and cities across the [[United States]] called [[Springfield (toponym)|Springfield]] competed to hold the [[premiere]] of the movie in their town. Springfields from many different states entered the competition.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.lsj.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070608/NEWS01/706080333/1001/NEWS | title=Springfield hopes to host 'Simpsons' premiere | date=[[2007-06-08]] | accessdate=2007-06-13 | author=[[Associated Press]] | publisher=Lansing State Journal | format=html}}</ref> The town of [[Springfield, Vermont]], was elected to host the movie's premiere.<ref>{{cite news|first=Clark|last=Cindy|title='The Simpsons Movie' Hometown Premiere Contest|url=http://www.usatoday.com/life/movies/simpsons-contest.htm|publisher=[[USA Today]]|date=[[2007-07-10]]|accessdate=2007-07-10}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|first=Carry|last=McGourty|coauthors=Jared Weiner|url=http://abcnews.go.com/WN/story?id=3359421&page=1|title=Peace, Granola and Now 'The Simpsons'|publisher=[[ABC News]]|date=[[2007-07-10]]|accessdate=2007-07-10}}</ref>

<!--Please do not add speculation about individual states to this section or any other section on the page-->

==See also==

*[[List of fictional places on The Simpsons]]

==References==

{{reflist}}

{{The Simpsons}}

[[Category:Fictional U.S. states]]

[[Category:The Simpsons locations]]

[[es:North Takoma]]