Springfield

Springfield is the city where the TV series The Simpsons is set. It is located near Shelbyville and Capital City in a state whose name is never mentioned. The evidence is sufficiently contradictory that it cannot be identified with an specific state.

Founded in 1796 by Jebediah Springfield and a band of fiercely determined pioneers out of Maryland who set off after misinterpreting a passage in the bible. Springfield seems to be a small city rather than a megalopolis. Its features include one nuclear power plant; two elementary schools (Springfield Elementary School and East Springfield Elementary School); a minor league baseball stadium; an airport; a harbor of some form; a downtown district; a large tire fire yard; a ghetto; a Russian district; its own Little Italy; several specialized shopping districts, Moe's, a bar run by Moe Szyslak; and Barney's Bowl-A-Rama, a bowling alley run by Barney Gumble's uncle.

Springfield's nearest neighboring town is Shelbyville. There is a strong rivalry between the towns, dating back to a rivalry between their founders -- Jebediah Springfield and Shelbyville Manhattan. Manhattan wanted to found a city where men were free to marry their cousins, but Springfield refused to allow it, so Shelbyville was founded as a rival town. The story of the dispute between Jebediah Springfield and Shelbyville Manhattan contains faint references to the historical stories of the deal between Asa Lovejoy and William Overton to file a land claim, and the dispute between Lovejoy and Francis W. Pettygrove over the name of Portland, Oregon.

History


Springfield was founded in 1796 by settlers who were trying to find a passage to Maryland after mis-interpreting a passage in the Bible. In its early days, the city was the target of many Native Americans in the United States|Indian 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 (see Battle of Springfield for more information).

The founder of Springfield was pioneer Jebediah Springfield, widely celebrated in the town as a brave and proud American hero. He famously once killed a bear with his bare hands, and this deed is immortalized in a bronze statue in front of the city hall. However, revisionist historians have since determined that the bear in fact probably killed Springfield, and not vice-versa. The town motto "a noble spirit embiggens the smallest man" is attributed to Jebediah. Lisa Simpson would later discover that Jebediah Springfield was in fact Hans Sprungfeld, a murderous pirate and enemy of George Washington, but eventually decided that the myth of Springfield should be preserved and did not reveal her findings.

In the mid-20th century, the city reached perhaps the pinnacle of its success when it became the home of the Aquacar, a car which could be driven in water like a boat. At this point, the city's streets were literally paved with gold. But unfortunately, as related in the ''Are We There Yet? The Simpsons: Guide to Springfield'', this economy collapsed when it was discovered that the Aquacar was prone to spontaneous explosion after 600 miles and/or knots. The town has never really recovered from this tragedy (the gold was reportedly shipped to the Sultan of Brunei to encase one of his many elephant herds), but some heavy industry remains in the town, including factories for Ah! Fudge chocolate, Southern Cracker, fireworks, candy, and boxes, as well as a steel mill.

Springfield was nearly chosen as the host for the Summer Olympic Games, but Bart Simpson's antics angered representatives from the International Olympic Committee|IOC. It was also nearly awarded an National Football League|NFL franchise team, but Abraham Simpson attacked the commissioner - mistaking him for a burgular - while he was trying to use the Simpsons' phone.

In Bart-Mangled Banner, Bart accidentally moons the U.S. flag, and the Simpsons appear on a talk show to explain the matter. However, the show's host makes it appear that Springfield hates America. When the rest of the U.S. reciprocates this loathing, Mayor Quimby changes the name of Springfield to "Liberty-Ville". An enormous patriotic craze ensues, wherein all items are priced at $ 17.76, even houses.

In The Simpsons Movie, the town was sealed inside a dome by Russ Cargill, head of the EPA, after Springfield's recently cleaned lake was polluted again by Homer Simpson. During that time, the town fell into ruin and was plagued by power shortages (Mr Burns refused to give free power.)and lack of supplies. The dome was destroyed by Homer and Bart Simpson, and the town was repaired and rebuilt.

The most recent incident was when Springfield's Fast Food Boulevard was burnt down, once again by Homer Simpson.

Geography
Springfield's geography includes mountains, gorges, giant redwood trees, a desert, a forest, lakes, rivers and a volcano. It is located on the coast of a large body of water, possibly an ocean. It has also been stated that "West Springfield" is 3 times the size of Texas, and looks exactly like Texas in shape.

Major geographic features include Springfield Gorge, Springfield National Forest, Mt. Springfield, Springfield Harbor, Springfield Badlands, the Murderhorn (an homage to the Matterhorn), Springfield Glacier, Widow's Peak, and Mt. Carlmore.

Cityscape
The city is divided into a number of districts, including Skid Row, Lower East Side (a Jewish district), Springfield Heights, Bum Town, East Springfield, Recluse Ranch Estates, Junkieville, Pressboard Estates, South Street Squidport, Little Newark, New Jersey|Newark, Crack cocaine|Crackton, a Russia|Russian district, West Springfield, Tibet Town, Little Italy, and a gay district. For a brief period, Springfield divided itself into two cities, Olde Springfield and New Springfield, on the basis of an area code division. Wealthy Olde Springfield, with Mayor Quimby, anchorman Kent Brockman, and bullies such as Nelson Muntz, was separated from the rest of Springfield by a wall that was erected by poor New Springfield. Mayor Quimby maintained control of Olde Springfield while Homer Simpson ran New Springfield. The cities were later re-united through a concert by The Who.

The city's Main Street is in a pitiful state of disrepair, owing to citizens driving along it while carrying excessively heavy weights and leaving snow chains on their tires after the snow has melted. One typical example featured Homer Simpson driving with a massive grand piano strapped to the roof of his car as his chain-covered tires gouged the road, laughing "look at that pavement fly!" Some of the potholes have become so wide that entire cars and trucks can (and have) fallen into them.

Towns near Springfield (within driving distance or close enough to be included in local news) include North Haverbrook, Shelbyville, Ogdenville, Brockway and Cranford.

Climate
Springfield is located in an area that can receive rain and snow. Most of the time however, the skies are blue and mostly sunny.

Springfield is also subject to a number of natural disasters including avalanches, earthquakes, acid rain, floods, hurricanes, lightning strikes, tornados, and volcano eruptions.

Pollution
According to the ''Are We There Yet? Guide to Springfield'', visitors from elsewhere are advised to constantly wear radiation suits and carry Geiger counters, since the city is perhaps the most radioactive in the U.S. This is because the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant was built during an incredibly lax period for the Nuclear Regulatory Commission in which the plant's nuclear core was surrounded not by several layers of protective concrete and graphite but by ordinary plaster with a horseshoe hanging from a nail. Also, management apparently gives employees benefits for storing nuclear waste in buildings; in some episodes, barrels of waste have been seen in the Simpsons' basement. Also perhaps due to this, the book reports that international law forbids shipping produce from Springfield; those who do venture into a local supermarket or farmer's market may find that it gives off a barely audible hum. Springfield is also home to the state's largest tire fire, which has been continuously burning for approximately 42 years (as of 2008) which does nothing to improve the air quality.

People and culture
The geographic location of Springfield is never stated, but Springfield is generally considered to depict, in a lampooning manner, "bread-and-butter" Middle America, culturally somewhere between a suburb and a small town. Springfieldians are not, for the most part, cosmopolitan, and most are of lower-middle to middle income (excluding the nefarious, extravagant Montgomery Burns, Lindsey Naegle, and the "Well, I never!" woman).

In one episode, the "small-town nastiness" of Springfield is made evident by a benighted tradition of "snake-whacking" whereby, annually, Springfieldians bludgeon snakes to death. Lisa Simpson, a proto-Liberalism in the United States|liberal disgusted by this activity, encourages the people of Springfield to quit the tradition with the aid of soul singer Barry White.

Springfieldians have a very bad reputation. As described by Dr. Hibbert, it is a town where the smartest have no power and the stupidest run everything. TIME magazine once did a cover story on Springfield entitled "America's Worst City," and Newsweek has referred to the city as "America's Crud Bucket." Most citizens are very stupid, overweight, and also quick to anger, though it should be noted that Shelbyville residents are (somehow) even stupider and more backwards. There is a riot almost every month. Springfield also has a strange smell that is uncomfortable to new Residency|residents. It is usually about six weeks before they adjust. (Cities near pulp mills, such as Lewiston, Idaho or Springfield, Oregon, have a similar problem.) Springfield is also the first United States city to abandon the SI|Metric system.

Obesity has been several times a joke on the show. It is even stated in "Sweets and Sour Marge" that Springfield is "the world's fattest town."

Demographics
Springfield is home to people of many races, cultures, and creeds, including European-Americans (the Simpson, Flanders and Van Houten families), African-Americans (the Hibbert family, Carl Carlson), Latinos (Bumblebee Man), South Asians (Apu and his family, "Two Guys From Kabul") and East Asians (Cookie Kwan, Akira).

There is a large gap between wealthy citizens (such as Krusty the Clown and Mr. Burns), and poor citizens (Nelson Muntz, Cletus the Slack-Jawed Yokel). Population is about 40,000.

Crime
There are a number of prisons in Springfield, including Springfield Penitentiary, Springwood Minimum Security Prison, Springfield Women's Prison, and Montgomery Burns State Penitentiary. The Springfield Police Department, led by Police Chief Clancy Wiggum, is a largely corrupt and incompetent organization. There was also a time in the town's history where the police duties were handed over from the Springfield Police Department over to Springshield which was run by Homer Simpson with the help of his friends Lenny and Carl. Most organized crime in town is controlled by mob boss Fat Tony, however the Yakuza are present in smaller numbers.

Arts & Entertainment
Springfield boasts an opera house, an outdoor amphitheater, an arbortoreum, a vibrant jazz scene and was 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, Springsonian Museum, and a stamp museum. Springfield once had the Springfield Concert Hall, but it was closed down after the first two measures of Beethoven's Fifth Symphony and turned into the Montgomery Burns State Penitentiary.

Media
The city paper is The Springfield Shopper, and the most popular TV station is KBBL-TV (Channel 6), with Kent Brockman, Scott Christian and Arnie Pie on the news, Krusty the Clown and Sideshow Mel doing shows, and Bill & Marty on the radio. Alternatively, Channel Ocho is a Spanish language/Latino channel featuring Bumblebee Man.

Religion
Religion and faith plays a large role in Springfieldian society. The largest church community appears to be the First Church of Springfield, a Presbylutheran church headed by Reverend Timothy Lovejoy. There is also a synagogue (led by Rabbi Hyman Krusofski), a mosque, a Catholic church, an Episcopal church (with vibrating pews) and a Buddhist temple. Apu, a Hindu, has a statue of the god Ganesh in the Kwik-E-Mart.

In the episode "The Joy of Sect," many Springfieldians joined a cult known as Movementarianism, but soon left after it was revealed as a fraud. According to Reverend Lovejoy in "The Simpsons: Guide to Springfield" by Matt Groening, there is also an alliance of people who split off from the Presbyterians to worship an Inanimate Carbon Rod. Lenny Leonard, Carl Carlson and Lisa Simpson are practicing Buddhists. There is also a Stonecutters Lodge (currently re-named as "The Ancient Society of No-Homers,"), of which practically every male in the city (minus Homer Simpson) is a member.

The town government is secular. In 1963, a law was passed which banned praying on city property. Another episode featured a convict who was imprisoned for erecting a nativity scene on city property. In "Sweet Seymour Skinner's Baadasssss Song" Superintendent Chalmers fired Principal Ned Flanders when he overhears him saying "thank the Lord" over the PA system.

Sports
There are a number of sports teams and sports arenas: the Springfield Isotopes Class AA|AA baseball team (which once threatened to move to Albuquerque, New Mexico, whose real life minor league baseball eventually changed their name to the Isotopes), the Springfield Speedway, a monster truck rally (featuring Truckasaurus), the Springfield Atoms American football|football team, the Springfield Stun arena football team, the Springfield Ice-otopes Ice hockey|hockey team, the Association of Springfield Semi-Pro Boxers, and a dog track.

Districts

 * Skid Row
 * Jewish Lower East Side
 * Springfield Heights
 * East Springfield
 * Waterfront
 * Lower East Side
 * Bum Town
 * Italian Lower East Side
 * Cemetry District
 * Rat's Nest Neighbourhood
 * Recluse Ranch Estates
 * South Springfield
 * Junkyville
 * Pressboard Estates
 * South Street Squidport
 * Springfield Residential Hills
 * Little Newark
 * Crackton
 * Russian District
 * West Springfield
 * Chinatown
 * Tibet Town
 * Ethinic Town
 * Gay Neighbourhood
 * Little Italy
 * Thearte District
 * Springfield Keys
 * Little Bangkok

Economy
Springfield's economy, although at one time "on the GROW!", is now floundering. Some heavy industry remains in the town, including factories for Ah! Fudge chocolate, Southern Cracker, fireworks, candy, and boxes, as well as a steel mill. Many Springfieldians are employed by the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant.

Major industries include nuclear power, heavy manufacturing, Duff Beer, and retail.

Government
The current mayor of Springfield is Democrat Joe Quimby, a sleazy womanizing politician who once admitted to using the town treasury to fund the murder of his enemies. He was briefly thrown out in favor of Sideshow Bob, but was later re-instated when Bob was impeached for electoral fraud. His post was threatened by a recall election, but none of the new candidates gained enough of the vote to oust him.

When the mayor briefly skipped town due to missing lottery funds, the town's MENSA chapter (Lisa Simpson,Dr.Hibbert, Lindsey Naegle, Comic Book Guy, and Prof. Frink) technocracy|took over. They changed clocks to metric time, eliminated the green lights from stoplights, and put the city on the top 300 US cities. It was 299th, above East Saint Louis, Illinois.

In the United States House of Representatives, Springfield was represented by Congressman Bob Arnold, who was later expelled for taking bribes. However, in the episode "Mr. Spritz Goes to Washington," Horace Wilcox is stated to have been congressman since 1933. After Wilcox's death, Krusty the Clown runs for Congress as a Republican, and wins. He is still a representative, as of the episode "The Ziff Who Came To Dinner."

Laws, Statutes, and Propositions
Gambling is legal in Springfield, as is gay marriage, trade in children and fishing with dynamite. For a brief time, prohibition was brought back ("spirituous beverages are hereby prohibited in Springfield under penalty of catapult"). It is however ilegal for ducks to have no pants on in public.

There are a number of unusual statutes in Springfield and its town charter, including "the chief constable shall receive one pig every month and two comely lasses of virtue true," "it is illegal to mail threatening letters and to put squirrels down your pants for the purposes of gambling," and "five kicks of the same can shall be considered illegally transporting litter."

Proposition 24, which would deport all illegal immigrants from Springfield, passed with 95% at the end of "Much Apu About Nothing." Marge and her family successfully lobby to get Proposition 242, a "Families Come First" grassroots voter initiative, passed in "Marge vs. Singles, Seniors, Childless Couples and Teens, and Gays." In "Three Gays of the Condo," there is a billboard put up by Patty and Selma advocating "yes" on Proposition 104, "Homer out of Springfield".

Education
There are quite a number of public and private schools in Springfield, including two elementary schools (Springfield Elementary School & East Springfield Elementary School), junior high school, and high school. There are also a number of colleges, including Springfield A&M, Krusty's Clown College, the University of Springfield, and the unfortunately named Springfield Heights Institute of Technology. A full list of education institutions in Springfield can be found here.

Transportation
Several highways run through Springfield, including the Michael Jackson Expressway (Interstate Route 401, formerly the Dalai Lama Expressway), the uncompleted Matlock Expressway, Interstate 95, Route 202, and Rural Route 9. There is also a railroad, an abandoned aqueduct, and an Escalator to Nowhere. There was also a Springfield Monorailfor a brief time, which was shut down after a disastrous maiden voyage.

The city bus service provides public transit on the route 22 bus on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday; and the 22A bus on Tuesday and Thursday. There is also another route, the 108, as seen in Future-Drama.

Springfield International Airport is the airport that serves Springfield. It has scheduled flights around the US and the world.

There is also a subway system, most likely a long distance system, to the likes of Bay Area Rapid Transit, with a station at Third Street.

Springfield's State
See article: Springfield's State