What STATE do the SIMPSONS live in?

Question

the simpsons cartoon takes place in what state?

Answer 1

Springfield returned the following (121 cities in 37 states):

Alabama Arkansas California Colorado Florida Georgia Iowa
Idaho Illinois Indiana Kansas Kentucky Louisiana
Massachusetts Maryland Maine Michigan Minnesota Missouri
Mississippi North Carolina North Dakota Nebraska
New Hampshire New Jersey New York Ohio Oregon
Pennsylvania South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas
Virginia Vermont Wisconsin West Virginia
This is the great debate about the Simpsons and is a running joke that the creators of the show came up with. They knew that there were a number of Springfield cities in the country so it would be almost impossible to identify exactly where this Springfield was.

When Apu was becoming a citizen, Homer points to the midwest on the map but Lisa says "Springfield isn't there, it is here" but her pointing is obscured by Bart's head (is that what it was?)

Also, when they filmed the super hero movie in Springfield, they said "Get us tickets to the state that Springfield is in."

Also, they used a zip code that was Michigan on a letter for Homer (and there is a Shelbyville near that area if I recall correctly).

Lots of others. Mountains with snow next to sea, etc.

They could be somewhere in the west. In the episode where Lisa is helping Homer bet on football games, they're watching a football game in the morning, and Homer asks Lisa "Who do you like in the afternoon game?" That might put them in the West.

There was one episode where Homer works as a oil driller in West Springfield where Lisa and Marge are trying to organize a search to find Homer. They show the map of the "state"; showing that "West Springfield" is 4 times the size of, and in the shape of, Texas.

While there is a Springfield in Illinois, it is definetly not there. There has been much talk of Capital City and since Springfield is the capital of Illinois, that leaves out at least one.

There was another clue that the Simpsons were in Northern Kentucky...I can't remember which episode it was, but someone said something to the effect of, "The state south of our's", and Homer says, "What, Tennessee?" Also, in the episode where the family goes to Brazil to find Lisa's pen pal, the pen pal says something about not knowing which state they lived in, and Lisa says, "It's kind of tricky, but if you listen to all the clues you can figure it out." This would seem to indicate that they've answered the question.

Also, on a personal note, I've been to northern Kentucky and I passed a road sign that read "Simpsonville". What was weird about this is that the "Simpsonville" part looked like it was a change to the sign (i.e., a change that was put on after the sign was put up), and driving down the road a little way, there was another sign for Shelbyville.

During the episode when Homer meets his long lost mother, he goes to see her grave and discovers it is Walt Whitman's. Walt Whitman is buried in Camden, New Jersey about 100 miles fron Springfield, New Jersey.

Just to add to the mess and revive an old thread, in 'Poppa's got a New Badge', when the mob's going to get Homer (and they do that hysterical Soprano's spoof through Springfield), they show them driving on I-95. Which would again enforce an East Coast location.

Springfield is supposedly located in a coastal state, because they've gone to the ocean several times and the beach has been labelled at least once as being in Springfield, such as last night's episode with Springfield's annual celebration of the returning Jellyfish.

Also, it can't be Michigan. In one episode where the family goes to Chief Wiggum for assistance, he replies "We have a saying around here... let Michigan handle it".

Considering the number of geographical references and inferences made in the show, there are too many conflicting errors to accurately place Springfield.

Bottom line is we may never know where Springfield is.

Answer 2

Shelbyville is believed to be in TN
The Simpsons can drive there from either KY, MO or IL

Jedidiah Springfield is an Abe Lincoln Ripoff, so the state has to be IL.

Answer 3

Thats the whole point of the show--Its like Anytown, America. Springfield on one episode is a Metropolis and on another a smalltown. Springfield is supposed to be the "average" american city. It is anonymous as to time and place.

Answer 4

There really is not a state but springfield is in illinois

Answer 5

Some mid west state like IL

Answer 6

Springfield, IL

Answer 7

Easy, Illinois, they even moved to "National City" once (Chicago).

Answer 8

There is no state...that is the running gag...

last I heard was Northern Kentucky

Answer 9

illinois

Answer 10

I'm not sure, but I think it's either the state of Utter Chaos, or the state of Confusion. -RKO-