Springfield (The Simpsons)

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Springfield is the fictional city in which the animated American sitcom The Simpsons is set. Springfield is a large city in an unspecified state near a large body of water. The geography of Springfield and its surroundings are flexible, changing to address whatever an episode’s plot calls for.^[4] In The Simpsons' universe, Time magazine is said to have done a cover story on Springfield entitled "America's Worst City;"^[5] Newsweek is said to have characterized the city as "America's Crud Bucket".^[6]

There are no geographical coordinates or references to US states that might identify which part of the country it represents. Nevertheless, fans have tried to determine the town's location by taking the town's characteristics, surrounding geography, and nearby landmarks as clues. Whenever an episode attempts to show or say what state it is in, the audience is somehow prevented from learning what is revealed. In one episode Lisa says that the location is a mystery and instructs the viewer to follow the clues to figure it out. As a response, the show has become intentionally evasive in regard to Springfield's location.^[7] The name "Springfield" is a common one in America and appears in over half of the states.^[8]

[edit] Creation

The name Springfield was chosen by Matt Groening, creator of The Simpsons, as the setting for the show because it is one of the most common place-names in the United States.^[9] The town was partly inspired by Melonville, the town in Second City Television, which featured a large cast of recurring characters. Groening liked the idea of a town that was its own mini-universe and partially based The Simpsons on it.^[10]

The uncertain location of Springfield is a running gag in the series. There are 34 states in the United States that have at least one community with that name.^[11] 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. There has been much speculation on the location of the state. Though the state in which Springfield appears is never actually stated, numerous episodes discuss other states, thereby implying that Springfield is not located in them. A web page discussing Springfield's location states that, due to the many contradictory clues, it is impossible for Springfield to exist in any set location.^[12]

David Silverman, a director for the Simpsons, has claimed that Springfield is in the fictional state of "North Tacoma" (or "North Takoma"). This is substantiated by the state abbreviations NT and TA used within the show. However, this has never been officially confirmed in any canonical episode of The Simpsons or by other Simpsons producers.^{[citation needed]}

In The Simpsons Movie, the idea that Springfield cannot exist for real 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, while Kentucky and Ohio border each other with no state in between.^[13] In the credits of the movie, it says 'Filmed on Location in Springfield.' To promote the movie, various towns and cities across the United States called Springfield competed to hold the premiere of the movie in their town. Springfields from many different states entered the competition.^[14] The town of Springfield, Vermont was elected to host the movie's premiere.^[15][16] In response to this, Groening revealed that he had always intended Springfield to represent Springfield, Oregon, and his hometown of Beaverton.^[17]

[edit] History

[edit] Colonial era

Springfield was founded in 1796 by Maryland settlers trying to find a course to "New Sodom" after misinterpreting a passage in the Bible. In its early days, the city was the target of many Native American raids, and to this day, many forts and trading posts remain including Fort Springfield and Fort Sensible. It was also the site of two battles during the American Civil War. Of which, the first battle of Springfield, was fought between the North, the South, and the East to keep Springfield in, out of, and next to the Union respectively.

The founder of Springfield was the pioneer Jebediah Springfield, whose deeds are immortalized with a bronze statue that mounts in the center of the city square in front of the Springfield Town Hall building. The town motto, "A Noble Spirit Embiggens the Smallest Man", is attributed to Jebediah.

[edit] Present day events

The town's name was changed temporarily to "Liberty-Ville" after Bart Simpson accidentally mooned the United States flag. As a result, Bart and his family appeared on a talk show where the host made it appear that the Simpsons, and Springfield, hate America by twisting the words of Bart's mother, Marge. When the rest of the U.S. reciprocated this affront, Mayor Joe Quimby changed the name of Springfield to "Liberty-Ville". An enormous patriotic craze ensued, wherein all items were priced at $17.76, including pizza "By the Slice" and houses.^[18]

For a brief period, Springfield divided itself into two cities because of an area code dispute. Homer Simpson, upset that he had to memorize a new area code, 939, while the rich side of town retained the familiar 636 area code, riled up the lower class citizens of Springfield to rebel and establish their side of Springfield as a separate town, to be called New Springfield. They erected a wall made of refuse dividing the two area codes and elected Homer as their new mayor. Mayor Joe Quimby maintained control of the rich side, which came to be called Olde Springfield. The two towns reunited when the band The Who, while in Springfield for a concert, suggested speed dial to solve the town's problem and agreed to play if the wall was torn down, a reference to that of the Berlin Wall.^[19]

[edit] Geography

[edit] Physical geography

Springfield's geography includes forests, meadows, a mountain range, a desert, a gorge, beaches, canyons, swamps, waterholes and waterways. Springfield is located on the coast of a large body of water, although some skyline shots of the city show no signs of a coast.

Major physical features include Springfield Gorge, Springfield National Forest, Mt. Springfield, the Springfield Badlands (also known as the Alkali Flats)^[20], the Murderhorn, Springfield Glacier, Springfield Mesa and Mt. Carlmore. Springfield wildlife includes grizzly bears in the Springfield Forest, wolves, some of which prowl into the urban areas of Springfield, vultures in the Alkali Flats, and manatees south of Springfield in the waters.

[edit] Cityscape

The city is divided into many neighborhoods, including: Bum Town, Chinatown, Crackton, East Springfield, Greek Town, Junkieville, Little Bangkok, Little Italy, Little Newark, Ethnictown, Lower Eastside, Pressboard Estates, Recluse Ranch Estates, Skid Row, Springfield Harbor, Springfield Heights, Springshire, Flamer Fun Village, Tibet Town, West Springfield (which is the size of Texas), flammable district, a gay district and a Russian district.And theres a project housing in springfield call lincoln park village

[edit] Pollution

At one point, Homer Simpson was elected Sanitation Commissioner. After Homer spent the entire yearly budget in his first month of office, he was forced to take in the garbage of other cities in order to make enough money to pay the city's trash collectors. Eventually the mines that were storing the collected trash erupted and littered the entire city, prompting the entire city, population and structures, to literally move five miles (8 km) down the road to establish a “new” Springfield away from the massive dump that “old” Springfield had become.^[21]

Visitors to Springfield are advised to wear radiation suits and carry Geiger counters, since the city is perhaps the most radioactive in the United States. This is because the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant was built during an incredibly lax period for the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and the plant's nuclear core was surrounded not by several layers of protective concrete, lead and graphite but by ordinary plaster and a horseshoe hanging from a nail.^[22]

Springfield is home to the state's largest self-sustaining tire fire which has been burning continuously since 1966 or 1989 "Homer's Paternity Coot".

[edit] Government and infrastructure

[edit] Elected officials

The current mayor of Springfield is Joe Quimby (D). A Republican is Springfield’s congressional representative in the United States House of Representatives. Krusty is still a representative as of the episode "The Ziff Who Came to Dinner", though he seems to also retain his hosting duties for his eponymously named children's show.

Mayor Joe Quimby is manifestly incompetent and immoral as well as being a conspicuously corrupt and fraudulent politician. Quimby is a sleazy womanizer and has had multiple affairs on his wife. Quimby vacationed to Jamaica during a flu epidemic in Springfield and used the town treasury to fund the murder of his victims and for his acquittal when he later confessed to the crime. The citizens of Springfield are normally accepting of this conduct, except on certain issues, such as in episode “See Homer Run” when the citizens blamed Quimby for traffic jam caused by Bart Simpson - the largest in the history of the town. “Diamond” Joe, as he is called, has been the mayor of Springfield since the beginning of The Simpsons — so long that he’s gotten tired of having to be reelected — and has only during brief times not been mayor.

The Springfield Police Department, led by Police Chief Clancy Wiggum, is also corrupt and incompetent, although it manages to foil many crimes with the help of citizens.

[edit] Laws

Upon reading the town charter (in "Homer vs. The Eighteenth Amendment"), prohibition was discovered to have been a standing law that hadn't been enforced for 200 years ("Spirituous beverages are hereby prohibited in Springfield under penalty of catapult."). After a brief period of reinforcement, it was ended after further reading of the charter found that the law was repealed one year after its inception.

Gambling (since season five's "$pringfield") and same-sex marriage (since season 16's "There's Something About Marrying") are legal in Springfield.

[edit] Crime

Most of the organized crime in Springfield is run by mob boss Fat Tony and his henchmen, Louie, Legs and Johnny Tightlips. They have paid off the civil servants of Springfield such as in episode "Homer vs. The Eighteenth Amendment" when they paid a bribe to police officers Eddie and Lou to smuggle alcohol into the city during the reinstating of prohibition.

Other prominent criminals in Springfield include "Sideshow" Bob Terwilliger, Snake aka Jailbird & Jimmy The Scumbag.

Springfield is located in a state that retains the death penalty by an electric chair, the guillotine,^[23] and a gas chamber. Penitentiaries located in Springfield are The Charles Montgomery Burns State Penitentiary, Springfield City Jail, Springfield Correctional Institute, Springfield Juvenile Correctional Facility, Springfield Juvenile Hall, Springfield Penitentiary, Springfield Prison, Springwood Minimum Security Prison, Springfield State Penitentiary, Springfield State Prison, Springfield Women's Prison and the re-opened (after being condemned for 30 years) Morningwood Penitentiary (despite it being completely run-down).

[edit] Education

Main article: Education in The Simpsons

Superintendent Gary Chalmers is the current superintendent of Springfield’s school district. Public educational institutions in Springfield are Springfield Elementary School run by Principal Seymour Skinner, West Springfield Elementary, Springfield High School, a junior high school, the Enriched Learning Center for Gifted Children, Springfield Magnet School for the Gifted and Troublesome and Rommelwood Military Academy. Public college institutions are Springfield Community College Extension Center, Springfield U, Springfield A & M and Springfield Heights Institute of Technology.

Private institutions are Springfield Christian School, Ayn Rand School for Tots (run by Ms. Sinclair), Saint Sebastian's School for Wicked Girls, Miss Tillingham's School for Snotty Girls and Mama's Boys, Eastside Ruff-Form School, Springfield Preparatory School, and Springfield Extension School.

[edit] People and culture

[edit] Arts and entertainment

Springfield boasts an opera house, an outdoor amphitheatre, an arboretum, a vibrant jazz scene and was once mentioned^{[attribution needed]} as the entertainment capital of its state. There is also an unusually high number of museums, including Springfield Museum (which features the world's largest cubic zirconia), Springfield Knowledgeum, Springfield Museum of Natural History, The Museum of Swordfish, Springsonian Museum, and a stamp museum. It was also once home to a concert hall designed by Frank Gehry which promptly became a prison.

[edit] Media

Main article: Media in The Simpsons

• KBBL Broadcasting Inc. serves as the major media outlet, owning at least three radio stations and one television station:

• Television station KBBL-TV (Channel 6), features Kent Brockman, Scott Christian, and Arnie Pye ('in the Sky') on the news. It also airs a children's show featuring Krusty the Clown and Sideshow Mel.
• Bill & Marty host the morning show on KBBL-FM 102.5.
• KBBL 970 AM carries a talk format including conservative host Birchibald "Birch" T. Barlow.
• QueBBL 640 AM carries a Spanish-language format.

• KUDD 570 AM is a Country radio station located in Spittle County, which can also be heard in Springfield.
• KZUG 530 AM
• Channel Ocho is a Spanish-language television station whose most notable personality, Bumblebee Man, stars in a slapstick soap-opera.
• The Springfield Shopper is a city newspaper.

[edit] Sports

[edit] Baseball

The town is home to the Springfield Isotopes, a AA minor league baseball team. Home games are played at Duff Stadium. The Springfield Isotopes were the inspiration for the new name of the Florida Marlins' AAA affiliate, the Albuquerque Isotopes, when they relocated to Albuquerque, New Mexico from Calgary. ^[24] The plot of the "Hungry, Hungry Homer" episode revolves around Homer Simpson's attempts to thwart a planned move by the team to Albuquerque.

[edit] Other sports

Springfield has a basketball and hockey arena, which is home to the Springfield Ice-O-Topes hockey team. The town may also have a WNBA franchise which also plays at the facility. Springfield also has a large soccer field. At one time, the Portuguese and Mexican soccer teams played in that arena in a match. Other sports venues in Springfield include the Springfield Speedway, Springfield Downs (a horse racing track), and a dog track. There is also an Association of Springfield Semi-Pro Boxers.

[edit] Rivalry with Shelbyville

There is a strong rivalry between Springfield and its closest neighboring town, Shelbyville, starting with the rivalry that existed between Jebediah Springfield and Shelbyville Manhattan, the founder of Shelbyville. Manhattan wanted to found a city where men were free to marry their cousins, but Springfield refused to allow it. This caused Manhattan to break away with his supporters and found the town of Shelbyville. The rivalry extends to the present day through American football and even a Lemon tree near the two towns' borders. Plays have been written which depict the rivalry of the two cities; in this case Springfield was on the receiving end of some rather obnoxious 'hooting'.

[edit] Mob mentality

The people of Springfield suffer from often severe cases of unrelenting mob mentality. The mobs are primarily violent in nature, often caused by boring sports events, decapitated statues, even single statements and accusations that are greatly misinterpreted. These mobs most often result in rampant destruction of all properties they come into contact with; fires, robberies, fist-fights, batteries, and possibly even murders.

These mobs aren't always completely violent however, they can often branch off into non-violent, even beneficial activities. For instance, when the townspeople decided to vent their anger upon a relatively innocent Bart, after seeing him slowly getting away in a parade float car with his father, the mob decides to go to the old mill, although it was clear that was not Bart's destination, merely for cider. In another case, a classic mob appeared to reclaim Monty Burns' old teddy bear from Maggie, only to have their hearts swayed by her saddened face, after which they all decide to sing at the hospital.

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Where Is The Simpsons' Springfield? from the fan-maintained "The Simpsons Archive"
• Map of Springfield

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