Springfield (The Simpsons)

For other uses, see Springfield.

City of Springfield

A panoramic view of Springfield.
Country	United States
State	Unknown
County	Springfield County
Founder	Jebediah Springfield
Founded	1796
Incorporated	1796
Town Motto	"A Noble Spirit Embiggens the Smallest Man"
Mayor	Joe Quimby (D)
Elevation	1,582 ft.
Population	30,720
Sister City	Kabul

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. In the Simpson's universe, Time magazine is said to have done a cover story on Springfield entitled "America's Worst City"; Newsweek is said to have characterized the city as "America's Crud Bucket".

There are no geographical coordinates or consistent references to U.S. states that might identify in which part of the country Springfield is located. The show's producers are intentionally deceptive in regard to Springfield's location, having hinted at and ruled out nearly every American state as the basis for the town's location.

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.

Groening has also suggested in jest that the city of Beaverton, Oregon might be the actual inspiration for Springfield

History

File:Realspringfield.jpg

Springfield as seen in the live-action theme song.

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.

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, even houses.

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.

Geography

Physical geography

Springfield's geography includes forests, meadows, a mountain range, a desert, beaches, canyons, swamps, waterholes and waterways. Springfield is located on the coast of a large body of water, altough some skyline shots of the city show no signs of a coast. It has been stated that "West Springfield" is three times the size of Texas and looks exactly like Texas in shape.

Major physical features include Springfield Gorge, Springfield National Forest, Mt. Springfield, the Springfield Badlands (also known as the Alkali Flats), the Murderhorn, Springfield Glacier, Springfield Mesa and Mt. Carlmore. Geezer Rock was unwittingly destroyed by Homer Simpson.

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.

Cityscape

File:Simpbartoffice.jpg

Springfield with skyscrapers downtown, as seen in The Simpsons Hit & Run.

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, Tibet Town, West Springfield, a flammable district, a gay district and a Russian district.

In many episodes, the cityscape is changed. Skyline shots of the city vary from episode to episode and buildings change location.

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 down the road to establish a “new” Springfield away from the massive dump that “old” Springfield had become.

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.

Springfield is home to the state's largest self-sustaining tire fire which has been burning continuously since 1966 or 1989 (depending on which episode is referenced). The smoke from the fire can be smelled in 46 other states.

Water quality in Springfield is reflected in a saying that Homer told singer Billy Corgan: "If it's brown, drink it down, if it's black, send it back."

Government and infrastructure

Elected officials

The current mayor of Springfield is Joe Quimby (D). Hershel Krustofski, a Republican, better known as Krusty the Clown, 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, First Lady Martha Quimby. 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.

Bob Arnold, a former congressional representative for Springfield, was expelled for “massive corruption”, thanks to Lisa's speech that criticized the U.S. government after seeing Arnold taking bribes.

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.

Springfield has a number of more unusual laws:

• Selling children is legal.("Simpsoncalifragilisticexpiala(Annoyed Grunt)cious")
• Fishing with dynamite is also legal. ("When You Dish upon a Star")
• The Town Charter claims that "The chief constable shall receive one pig every month and two comely lasses of virtue true." ("Marge vs. the Monorail")
• The Town Charter also claimes that if a foodstuff is to touch the ground, it should be turned over to the Village Idiot ("Lisa's Rival")
• It is illegal to put squirrels down your pants for the purpose of gambling." ("Cape Feare")
• Kicking a can multiple times is a felony (cited as "illegally transporting litter"). ("The Seven-Beer Snitch")
• Sugar and sugar products were briefly banned.("Sweets and Sour Marge")
• Mentioning the Armin Tamzarian affair ("The Principal and the Pauper") is punishable by torture.

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.

Springfield is located in a state that retains the death penalty by both an electric chair 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).

Transportation

Bus service

Springfield's metropolitan area is served by a public bus service. The regular bus service has stops at Crackton, Airport Refueling Way and Area 51A. The city bus service provides public transit on the Route 22 bus on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday; the 22A bus on Tuesday and Thursday. There is also a 108 Route. The bus depot is serviced by Sit n' Stare, Buck-U-Bus, and First Class Bus Lines. Charter bus service is available through Springfield Travel, featuring trips to Dollywood and Euro-Dollywood in Alabama.

Roads and streets

The major highway used by commuters in Springfield is the Michael Jackson Expressway; this is in addition to the Matlock Expressway built by then-Mayor Sideshow Bob. The city's Main Street is in a pitiful state of disrepair owing to citizens driving along it while carrying excessively heavy loads and leaving snow chains on their tires after the snow has melted.

Subway system

There is a subway system with a station at Third Street.

Monorail

There was a short-lived monorail system, constructed using surplus municipal funds at the behest of con man Lyle Lanley. During its inaugural trip, the monorail was shown to have a 1964 World's Fair logo on the front. The faulty construction of the monorail resulted in near disaster for Homer Simpson, the conductor, and the town of Springfield. Fearing the same fate received by Brockway, Ogdenville and North Haverbrook, three other patrons of the system, it has been left untouched since.

Airport

Springfield has an international airport served by irregular flights from Air Japan, Air France, Aero Brasil (perhaps a parody of the brazilian airlines company Varig), Air India (Slogan displayed at check-in: "we treat you like cattle") and other airlines. The airport has appeard in "The crepes of wrath" , "Mr. Lisa goes to washington" , A star is burns" , "Thirty minutes over Tokyo , "Mommie Beeriest" , "The Italian Bob" and "Kis Kiss bang Bangalore"

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.

People and culture

Citizenry

Springfield is said to be the world’s fattest town, and the one with the most heart attacks per capita. It is also said to be the Meanest City of America. As described by Julius Hibbert, it is a town where the smartest have no power and the stupidest run everything.

Springfield has had many riots, with some rioters going as far as to wield weapons. Seymour Skinner once proudly declared, "Oh, there's no justice like angry-mob justice!"

Arts and entertainment

Springfield boasts an opera house, an outdoor amphitheatre, an arboretum, a vibrant jazz scene and was once mentioned 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.

Springfield was once home to a Concert Hall, but it was turned into the Montgomery Burns State Penitentiary.

Media

Main article: Media in The Simpsons

KBBL Broadcasting Inc. serves as the major media outlet, owning at least two 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.
• Billy & Marty host the morning show on KBBL's FM radio station.

Channel Ocho is a Spanish-language television station whose most notable personality, Bumblebee Man, stars in a slapstick soap-opera.

The city paper is The Springfield Shopper.

Sports

Springfield is home to at least three sports teams. Sports venues include the Springfield Speedway, Springfield Downs, a bull-fighting arena, and a dog track. There is also an Association of Springfield Semi-Pro Boxers.

Springfield Isotopes

The Springfield Isotopes are a AA minor league baseball team whose 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. The plot of the "Hungry, Hungry Homer" episode revolves around Homer Simpson's attempts to thwart a planned move by the team to Albuquerque.

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'.

Holidays

Whacking Day

According to legend, "Whacking Day" traces its origins to May 10 1775, the day when Jebediah Springfield, the town's founder, whacked and killed all the snakes of Springfield. An annual celebration was held where the citizens of Springfield would drive all the of snakes into the town square and beat them to death . This practice was ended when Bart Simpson revealed that Jebediah Springfield never actually whacked a snake and Whacking Day was actually created in the early 1900s as an excuse to beat up the Irish.

Relationships with actual Springfields

In a USA Today poll that tied in with the premiere of The Simpsons Movie, the town of Springfield, Vermont was elected to host the movie's premiere.

External links

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