So, Where Do the Simpsons Live?
Attempting to narrow down which U.S. state the Simpson family may live in.
A long-running mystery of primetime television is deciphering where in the United States The Simpsons could take place. While we do know that The Simpsons live in the fictional city of Springfield, we do not have a real indication of where in the U.S. this is located. Besides, 35 out of our 50 states have a “Springfield,” so it can be a little difficult to determine. This was very much a calculated effort on creator Matt Groening’s behalf—I imagine he was aiming to portray an average family who hypothetically lived in an average place, allowing The Simpsons to be relatable for many viewers. Determining The Simpsons’ location was meant to be a daunting task. However, through the process of elimination I am going to try and figure it out through several factors.
Edit: A friend of mine brought to my attention that show creator Matt Groening stated that Springfield is based on Springfield, Oregon. However, I will note that Groening is not known for being completely honest about Springfield’s location in interviews in order to maintain the mystery, and it is only based on the town in Oregon. Because of this, I think it is reasonable that Springfield in The Simpsons could be elsewhere.
Eliminating States That Do Not Have a “Springfield”
Well, this step is a simple one, but based on my internet research, there are 15 states that do not have a “Springfield”: Alaska, Arizona, Connecticut, Hawaii, Iowa, Kansas, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming. (Note: Alaska already gets an automatic elimination, as the Simpson family briefly moved to Alaska specifically in The Simpsons Movie.) This narrows us down to 35 remaining states.
Remaining States: AL, AR, CA, CO, DE, FL, GA, ID, IL, IN, KY, LA, ME, MD, MA, MI, MN, MS, MO, NE, NH, NJ, NY, NC, OH, OR, PA, SC, SD, TN, TX, VT, VA, WV, WI
The Weather is Telling…
Based the types of weather that are portrayed in The Simpsons, it is reasonable that the Simpson family does not live in a mostly-warm climate. They certainly experience all seasons—mild springs, hot summers, cool autumns, and harsh winters. Recently, I have re-watched a few episodes where snow plays a big factor, including “Bart Gets an F” (S2, E1), where Bart prays before bed for another day of studying before his big history exam. The next morning, a massive snow storm has hit Springfield to the point where school and work are cancelled for a “snow day” (a treat I will likely not experience again since I work from home).
Based on this factor, I am going to eliminate the remaining U.S. states that do not get at least six inches of average snowfall each year: Alabama, Arkansas, California, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Texas.
Simply put, based on the weather that Springfield experiences, it is safe to say that The Simpsons does not take place in the southern part of the United States. This brings us down to 24 states.
Remaining States: CO, DE, ID, IL, IN, KY, ME, MD, MA, MI, MN, MO, NE, NH, NJ, NY, OH, OR, PA, SD, VT, VA, WV, WI
Eliminating States That Did Not Produce Commercial Nuclear Energy in 1989
Admittedly, this step is going to be a bit difficult. Throughout the show, Homer has worked at a commercial nuclear power plant, but not every state produces nuclear energy. As The Simpsons debuted on television in 1989, we are going to have to do a deep-dive into the production of nuclear energy in each state in that year. After all, certain states that were producing nuclear energy may not be now in 2022, and certain states may have picked it up later than 1989. Additionally, as none of the Simpsons have aged in over 30 years, I will assume that it is eternally 1989 in the show.
In 1989, there were 109 nuclear power plants bringing electricity to American homes. However, this obviously means that different states have multiple plants, so this gets us nowhere. We are going to have to look at each individual commercial nuclear power plant in the United States that was operating in 1989. Based on this Wikipedia article that nicely lays out the nuclear power plant, its location, and years of operation, here are the remaining states that used nuclear power during The Simpsons debut on December 17, 1989:
Illinois, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Vermont, Virginia and Wisconsin
Based on this, Colorado, Delaware, Idaho, Indiana, Kentucky, New Hampshire, South Dakota and West Virginia can all be eliminated. 17 states remain.
Remaining States: IL, IA, ME, MD, MA, MI, MN, MO, NE, NJ, NY, OH, OR, PA, VT, VA, WI
Springfield Can’t Have More Population than that of the State’s Capital
Honestly, the episode that inspired me to write this article was “Dancin’ Homer” (S2, E5). In the episode, Homer essentially becomes the mascot of Springfield’s local baseball team, and then gets promoted to being the mascot of Capital City’s major league team. “Capital City” is mentioned in the show as being a larger city and it also appears this way in the episode. Based on this, “Springfield” in whichever state cannot be larger that that state’s capital.
A quick note here, however—Illinois is automatically eliminated by this rule because Springfield is the capital of Illinois. However, there are two states where their Springfield has a larger population than their state capital.
Springfield, MO has a population of 169,176. Jefferson City’s population is 43,228.
Springfield, VT has a population of 9,062. Montpelier’s population is 8,074.
Down to 14.
Remaining States: IA, ME, MD, MA, MI, MN, NE, NJ, NY, OH, OR, PA, VA, WI
Ned Flanders’s Geography Lesson to Bart in ‘The Simpsons Movie’
In the movie, Ned Flanders gives Bart a bit of a geography lesson about the four states that border Springfield: Ohio, Nevada, Maine, and Kentucky. While I understand that this was a more of a joke about Springfield’s geographical ambiguity, my logic here is that if you border a state, you cannot be located in that state. Thus, we are able to eliminate Maine and Ohio by this logic, and remain with 12 states.
Remaining States: IA, MD, MA, MI, MN, NE, NJ, NY, OR, PA, VA, WI
Need to Have a Major League Baseball Team Located in The Capital City
Going back to “Dancin’ Homer,” it is implied that the capital city needs to have a major league baseball team. I will add that this was a complete stretch, and I was running out of eliminating factors, but here we are. Out of our remaining states, a few of them do not have an MLB team at all, and can be eliminated here: Iowa, Nebraska, New Jersey, Oregon and Virginia.
Now, let’s break this down a bit more:
The Baltimore Orioles are not located in Annapolis. The Detroit Tigers are not located in Lansing. The Minnesota Twins are not located in St. Paul (but close in Minneapolis). Neither the Mets or the Yankees are located in Albany. Neither the Pirates or the Phillies are located in Harrisburg. And, the Brewers are not located in Madison. This leaves us with Massachusetts, as the Red Sox are located in the MA capital city of Boston.
Remaining States: Massachusetts—that’s our winner!
Well, there you have it. By my research and analysis, The Simpsons takes place in Springfield, Massachusetts (pop: 153,060). I do think this could maybe make sense, as Springfield is neither depicted as a “big city” or a rural area—more of a smaller city. It’s not a coastal city, and includes weather from all four seasons—like in the television show. I think it could be a plausible answer for our decades-long debate over where The Simpson family lives.
Thank you for reading! Let me know where YOU think The Simpsons is located!
