Springfield's State

Springfield’s state is a fictional U.S. state where Springfield is located in. Its unknown name and location make one of the best running gags and one of biggest mysteries of the Simpsons series. The state's postcode 8008. The state was founded by circus freaks, and was assumed to be the location of New Sodom, due to misinterpreting a passage in the Bible. Settlers from Maryland were heading for New Sodom. Instead, however, they founded Springfield, built upon its Puritan values, and Shelbyville, built on marriage between cousins.

The state has many counties. Springfield County is where the city of Springfield is located. There is also Swartzwelder County which borders Springfield and the rural Spittle County, which claims to be the birthplace of the "loogie". Other cities in the state include: Cypress Creek, founded by the Globex Corporation; Ogdenville, the Norwegian settlement famous for the Springfield Monorail; Little Pwagmattasquarmsettport, known as America's scrod basket; and Capital City, the largest city and the state capital. Catfish Lake is known for its fishing and marriage retreats. There is also the unpopular community of Stenchburg as well as towns such as Terror Lake, Cape Fear, New Horrorfield, Screamville, Frigid Falls, Mount Seldom, and Lake Flaccid.

Economy
The state is made up of mainly agricultural land, with occasional large cities such as Capital City and medium-sized towns such as Springfield and Shelbyville. The farms mainly grow corn, livestock, dairy, fruit, cotton, tobacco, and tomacco, while within the cities, the main industries are brewing by the Duff and Fudd Beer corporations, coal mining, casinos, manufacture of boxes, pillows, food, copper, iron, steel, industrial equipment, dangerous chemicals and retail. This balance means that most of the population works in low paid, blue collar jobs.

Despite this, several wealthy citizens exist, most famously Charles Montgomery Burns (a utilities magnate), Aristotle Amadopolis (another utilities magnate), Hank Scorpio (a crime lord who seized the Eastern Seaboard), The Rich Texan (An oil industrialist) and, until his imprisonment, Artie Ziff (an entrepreneur).

The state features two international airports: Springfield and Capital City. Springfield also has a nuclear power plant, a naval base, an army base and an air force base.

The state includes both areas of high wealth (Old Springfield, the center of Capital City), and slum areas (Capital City outskirts, New Springfield). Because of this, the state becomes very polarized, with constant feuds between upper and lower class citizens over issues as petty as telephone area codes.

The State pays Springwood Minimum Security Prison Prisoners 5 cents an hour for manual labor.

The state also contains at least 2,000 McDonald's Restaurants, according to Lou.

Geography
The state is heavily polluted due to years of environmental neglect by the government and the local nuclear plants. Toxic waste is to be found in most bodies of water as well as the occasional mutated three-eyed fish. Despite this, the state has a wide array of wildlife, including grizzly bears, bald eagles, and manatees.

The state has a variety of geographical features, such as gorges, forests, mountains, rivers, beaches, deserts, lakes, wetlands and a glacier.

Springfield is in a northern state that fought with the Union during the Civil War.

Springfield is located in a state that borders an ocean, when it is convenient to have such.

Politics
Mary Bailey is the current Governor of Springfield's State., The Unnamed Governor was once governor from 1998-2002 and possibly 1994-2002. Mr. Burns had also ran for Governor on one occasion, but lost out to Bailey. A former Governor was Chester L. Suicide, who has a bridge named in his honor.

The only mayor shown of any town or city in Springfield's State is Springfield's own "Diamond" Joe Quimby, a long-serving Democrat. The only other mayors to serve the town during the series was Robert Terwilliger (aka "Sideshow Bob"), who ran as a Republican and Hans Moleman, who bought the town anthem from a salesmen selling the same anthem to half of the cites in North America in the episode Walking Big & Tall.

In "Mr. Spritz Goes to Washington", Krusty wins the state's 24th congressional district. The only states with at least 24 districts are New York, Florida, Texas and California.

Education
The state follows a standard education system, with elementary schools, junior high schools and high schools. However, the state has a very low education budget; schools can only afford to buy books other schools have banned, they are forced to cancel all artistic and physical education, and must rent out classrooms as prison cells to make ends meet. The most extreme example of this is Springfield Elementary School, which was moved from Missouri brick by brick after reaching bottom of the state league table. The state is also home to Springfield University, Springfield A&M (which was founded by a cow), and the unfortunately-initialed Springfield Heights Institute of Technology.

Transport
The state has a comprehensive Interstate Highway system, linking to Oregon, Michigan, New Jersey, Texas and "some other state." Interstate 95 was depicted in one of the episodes. The area also has a good rail network, with both passenger and freight services. The area's several international airports also provide a strong transport link with destinations in the state, other US states, and the world.

Another, however less orthodox, system is the Springfield Monorail system installed in Springfield, Brockway, Ogdenville and North Haverbrook, since closed for safety reasons.

What state is Springfield in?
The uncertain location of Springfield is a running gag in the series, based on the fact that 34 states in the United States have at least one community with that name; and several have more than one. 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.

Many descriptions do not apply for any real state. A good example of this is in The Simpsons Movie, where Flanders says that the four states that have borders with Springfield are Ohio, Nevada, Maine, and Kentucky, but no American state with these characteristics exists, and only Ohio and Kentucky share a common border. Because of this, it is possible that Springfield may be located on a fictional state with an exact location in the United States varying from episode to episode. Ned's joke is just a joke and not meant to be taken literally like most other hints.

Geography of Springfield and its location
There are many geographical features of Springfield that means many parts of the USA could not hold the city.

It is known that the city of Springfield borders the ocean, meaning landlocked states could not house Springfield. This means that Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, West Virginia and Wyoming are all not possible. Although not landlocked, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin only border lakes, and therefore, are also not possible. Springfield has also been made clear to be in a state and not a district, so the District of Columbia is not possible. ''Kentucky is highly possible as Lake Michigan and the Atlantic are each 2 hour drive north and east respectively. ''

Couch gags for "The Ziff Who Came to Dinner", "On a Clear Day I Can't See My Sister" and "Eternal Moonshine of the Simpson Mind" feature a picture zooming out from the Simpsons House to the planet. It apparently puts Springfield near the Great Lakes.

Jokes in the series also suggest that Springfield is exceedingly large. Examples include Ned Flanders's claim that Springfield borders states quite far apart (Ohio, Nevada, Maine and Kentucky) and the fact that Springfield's western region called West Springfield is three times the size of Texas, making this region alone roughly the size of Mexico or Saudi Arabia. Ned's joke is just a joke and not meant to be taken literally like most other hints.

Local dialects and accents
There are many local ways of speaking that could be used to locate Springfield within the United States. However, the residents of Springfield have a huge range of accents, some of which clearly originate even outside the country (such as Groundskeeper Willie's Scottish accent). Most Springfield children and many adults speak with a regionally-nonspecific General American accent (for example, Homer Simpson) as mostly heard throughout the Northern or Western United States.

A considerable number of the middle-aged generation of Springfield citizens, though, have an accent of the greater New York metropolitan area. Marge Simpson and Barney Gumble both exhibit rhotic, New York metropolitan accents (as spoken, for example, in Long Island or North Jersey), while Carl Carlson and Lenny Leonard, as well as Moe Szyslak (who is not a Springfield native, but who moved there as a young child), all have authentically non-rhotic New York City accents (as spoken, for example, in Brooklyn).

Ned Flanders shows elements of a Southern accent (perhaps, bolstered by his identification with Southern Baptism or Evangelism) and the local Spuckler family especially has strong, rural Southern accents.

Mayor Joe Quimby has a cultivated Eastern New England accent, as in an exaggerated imitation of Ted or John F. Kennedy.

One possibility to explain Springfield's diversity of accents is that different socioeconomic groups in the town have different accents, or that the town is a linguistic melting pot, perhaps because it is located midway between a variety of dialectal regions. Ned Flanders's comment that Springfield borders Ohio, Nevada, Maine, and Kentucky, though geographically impossible, would lend credit to this theory.

Kentucky
In the Behind the Laughter episode, a narrator describes the Simpsons as a "northern Kentucky family." (The DVD edition says "northern Kentucky" whilst at the same time the subtitles say "southern Missouri".) There are, in fact, Springfields and Shelbyvilles in both Kentucky and Missouri. In the Bluegrass region of Kentucky, there is a Springfield, a Shelbyville, and even a Simpsonville within 50 air miles of each other, and Shelbyville and Simpsonville are even in the same county. However, this episode featured the Simpson family as actors "playing" roles of themselves, and the events depicted in the episode are considered Non-Canon. In The Italian Bob, Homer gives an old Italian woman a mug with the word "Kentucky" printed on it, offending the woman (according to the woman, Kentucky means whore in Italian), implying they come from Kentucky.

As a matter of coincidence, Springfield Kentucky also happens to lie within the borders of Simpson County.

In the Season 13 episode Sweets and Sour Marge, Mr. Burns states they will smuggle sugar in from south of the border to which Homer replies, "Oh, you mean Tennessee?", implying they live in Kentucky. In another episode, Ned Flanders asks Homer if he wants to go with him south of the border and Homer replies, "Woo hoo, Tennessee!" Episode name needed

Kentucky also has Red River Gorge, around 100 miles from Springfield. Springfield, KY is also only around 50 miles from Fort Knox.

Additionally, there are frequent mentions throughout Simpsons episodes of the state capital, Capital City. The capital of Kentucky, Frankfort, has an airport which is called "Capital City Airport" and is located within an hour's drive of Springfield, Shelbyville, and Simpsonville. When Bart and Lisa go on a field trip to Capital City, they get lost and meet a bunch of hobos/rednecks, a common stereotype of people in Kentucky.

A factor that could rule out Kentucky is the fact that Springfield's state borders an ocean, whereas Kentucky is landlocked. Also, in The Simpsons Movie, Ned Flanders says that Kentucky is one of the four states that border Springfield. Ned's joke is just a joke and not meant to be taken literally like most other hints.

When discussing the state flag and the appearance of the Confederate battle flag on it, The Capitol City Goofball (The Capitol City representative to the State Congress) notes that it is especially embarrassing due to Springfield being in a northern state, whereas Kentucky is considered a Southern state. However, it also must be noted that Kentucky never seceded from the Union during the American Civil War, although the state's loyalties were bitterly divided and a rump Confederate government was established in the western portion of the state.

Geographically there are many things against the Simpsons living in Kentucky. The state is both too small and isn't close to the ocean. Also, very few citizens have a southern accent, which would be common in most parts of Kentucky. ''Kentucky is very close to Ocean and Great Lakes (2 hours east and north respectively). Also in one of Kentucky's largest cities, Louisville, very few people have southern accents.''

In "Boy scoutz 'n the hood" when the raft is lost at see and they find the Krusty Burger in the offshore oil rig, the map Homer has shows the rig in the Atlantic Ocean.

In "the Simpson files" Mulder and Scully say when Homer discovers a UFO that there was a UFO sighting in "the heartland of America". This would lead to somewhere in the Midwest such as Kentucky.

Oregon
Simpsons creator Matt Groening was born and raised in Portland, Oregon. Groening commented that the fictional Springfield is based on Springfield, Oregon, located south of Portland. Like the Simpson family, the Groenings lived on Evergreen Terrace. Oregon boasts a uniquely diverse environment, and many of the geographic landmarks in and around Springfield have Portland analogues; the Murderhorn/Widow's Peak/Mount Springfield range resembles the Cascade Mountains, The Springfield Gorge references the Columbia River Gorge, and the river that runs through the middle of Springfield recalls the Willamette in both appearance and toxicity. While Portland does not border an ocean or a desert, the Pacific and the Oregon High Desert are relatively close by. Many Portland streets share names with characters from the series, including Flanders, Lovejoy, Quimby, Kearney, Van Houten, and Terwilliger. Montgomery Burns' name is derived from Portland's Montgomery Park. Springfield Nuclear Power Plant shares many physical/geographical similarities with the Trojan Nuclear Power Plant, which was built in the early 70s in Rainier, OR and provided power to the Portland area until the plant was decommissioned in 1993. Groening was a student at Lincoln High School at the time of its construction. Some of the members of the Simpson/Bouvier family are named after Matt Groening's parents and siblings - his father Homer, mother Margaret/Marge (whose maiden name was Wiggum), younger sisters Lisa and Maggie and older sister Patty; however, Groening substituted Bart for his own name. Groening also confirmed recently that Springfield was in fact based on Springfield, Oregon. ''The basis and background of the characters names have no meaning to the state the city lies in, in terms of the series. Also Groening who has liberal leaning political views does not want his creation living in a red-state like was originally intended.''

When Skinner drives Willie's car 2653 miles to Orlando, it would put him in Southeast Oregon, California or Idaho.

In Treehouse of Horror XIII, when it is shown that the clones will spread through all of the United States, one of the Homer faces appears over Oregon in the first frame.

Eugene, Oregon was founded by Eugene Skinner... The same name of the principal Mr. Skinner. (Seymour Skinner). The basis and background of the characters names have no meaning to the state the city lies in, in terms of the series.

In the 2006 episode "Please Homer, Don't Hammer 'Em", Bart is in an arcade with old games, one of which is Polysemous, which is said to have only appeared in arcades in the Portland, Oregon area.

In the episode "Stop or My Dog will Shoot!", the family gets stuck in a corn maze. In effort to get out, Homer repeatedly throws Lisa into the air to try and find an exit. While in the air, Lisa spots the Space Needle from Seattle, Washington. The state of Washington is north of the Oregon boarder. Or it could mean the family lives in Washington state.

Also, in in interview, he stated it was Oregon very clearly. This is most likely due to the fact that Groening is of liberal views and politics and want Springfield in a state with the same views, Kentucky is a hardcore red-state

In 2016, a YouTube channel called "Film Theory" used episodes from Season 1-9 to conclude that Springfield is in Oregon. Click here to watch that video. This video is incredibly biased and inaccurate as they only use season 1-9, which is absolutely nonsense and further shows their point as having only some basis.

Also, i n "the Simpson files" Mulder and Scully say when Homer discovers a UFO that there was a UFO sighting in "the heartland of America". Oregon is absolutely no where near the "heartland" which usually describes the Midwest.

Also, the Simpsons live on the East coast, as the episode " New Kids on the Blecch " the warship goes to New York (as seen by the Twin Towers) to destroy the Mad Magazine building.

Ohio
In Treehouse of Horror XIII, when it is shown that the clones will all spread through the United States by tomorrow, one of the Homer faces appears over Ohio.

However, in Catch 'Em If You Can, The Simpsons are packing to go to a family birthday party in Dayton, Ohio, so they don't live there. They could just live on the opposite end of the state and just not be bothered with a 3 hour drive.

Florida
This could be ruled out in the episode "Special Edna", in which a sign in Springfield shows the distance to Orlando too far for Springfield to be in the same state. And even then, it would, again, have to be a large one. There is also evidence to disprove this point in the episode "Kill the Alligator and Run", in which the family vacations to Florida (which Homer refers to as "America's Wang") and is prohibited from returning. After the Simpsons are expelled from Florida, Marge and Homer mark that state on a map, which shows only two states remaining that still welcome the Simpsons: Arizona and North Dakota, but Homer crosses out Arizona because "it smells funny" and it is announced mockingly the Simpsons are to visit North Dakota- but logically the only remaining state on a map would have to be the state in which the Simpsons reside.

In the season 4 episode, New Kid on the Block, near the start of the episode, Mrs. Glick sells her house and Homer says, "Going to run out the clock in Florida, hey?" Therefore, they do not live in Florida.

The chalkboard gag in the episode "Oh Brother, Where Art Thou?" is "I will not sell land in Florida." If this is considered canon, it would also suggest that Springfield is not in Florida.

Plus, Florida is a Southern state, meaning the aforementioned comment in "Bart vs. Lisa vs. the Third Grade" would not make sense.

However, it frequently snows in Springfield, which overwhelmingly rules out the state as being the Simpsons's home. Since snow in Florida is rare and only falls a few times per generation in most parts.

Also, there are many tall mountains in Springfield (ex: the Murder Horn) while Florida is a mostly flat state with no mountains at all.

Texas
In "Marge in Chains", a road sign at the Springfield city limit lists a distance of 676 miles to Mexico City. Thus, Springfield would be located in southern Texas.

Also, in The Italian Bob, Homer is seen in an Italian airport waving an American flag and shouting "Don't mess with Texas".

Another reference is in The Bob Next Door, where it took the Simpson family only a few minutes to get to Mexico, and since Texas borders the ocean and Mexico, it could be considered the place. However, this can be dismissed also because Texas does not border five different states on one side.

Also, in Radioactive Man, when the group making the film is looking for a location to film in there is an ad for Texas and also sees an ad for Springfield, further ruling out this Texas.

It too is a Southern state, so the comment about Springfield being in a Northern state provides more evidence.

In the "Starship Poopers" segment of Treehouse of Horror IX, the signal Maggie transmits to Kang and Kodos is from around the Texas-Louisiana border.

Arkansas
In The City of New York vs. Homer Simpson, Homer tells the rest of the family, "...So if anyone asks we are sophisticated millionaires from the Ozarks." The real Springfield, Arkansas is located in the Ozark Foothills.

There is also a radio station called KBBL in Springfield. There was also a KBBL TV Station in Eureka Springs, Arkansas (now called KXNW)

Springfield A&M's mascot is a pig, which may be a nod to the University of Arkansas's mascot the Razorbacks, a wild boar.

New Jersey
In one episode, Lisa writes a letter to Mr. Burns, and the letter is sent to C. Montgomery Burns, Springfield, New Jersey.

In Screaming Yellow Honkers, Marge is driving and sees a car that is very slow from New Jersey, and Marge said to go back to New Jersey, which could give the impression she is not from NJ. Then again, it could be that Marge is simply falling in line with the age old running gag of Jersey bashing prevalent in The Simpsons as well as "Futurama."

In "Mother Simpson," Homer discovers the grave he believed to be that of his mother is actually that of Walt Whitman who is interred in Camden, New Jersey.

Another observation in favor of New Jersey would be the frequent use of the word "Hoagie" to describe a large sandwich on a roll; a term used almost exclusively in the Philly PA area (on the NJ border) and all across New Jersey. One such episode is "Selma's Choice" mentioned in the next section.

California
In the episodes "Principal Charming" and "Selma's Choice", Hans Moleman's driver's license shows a ZIP code of 90701. That is, in fact, the ZIP code for Artesia, California. However, this could simply be an out of date license.

In the episode "Ice Cream of Margie (with the Light Blue Hair)", Snake commandeers a helicopter after a high-speed police chase, then flies next to Kent Brockman's news chopper. When Brockman asks him about the traffic below, Snake mentions a pileup on the "101/405 interchange," a real highway crossroads located in Sherman Oaks, California. This possibly hints that Springfield may be in the Los Angeles Metropolitan Area.

In the episode Lisa the Tree Hugger, Lisa protects a redwood tree by climbing into the canopy and camping up there, much like Julia Butterfly Hill did in real life. Redwood trees only exist in California, suggesting Springfield to be in Northern California.

During the couch gag for the episode "Wedding for Disaster", the sales tax on Jeffery Albertson's bill works out to be 8.25%, the default sales tax rate in California. The sales tax rate in Austin, Texas is also 8.25%.

Springfield, California is an unincorporated community and Springfield has a municipal government.

In The Simpsons Movie, Russ Cargill goes to see "President Schwarzenegger". Arnold Schwarzenegger was the former governor of California.

In the episode "Itchy & Scratchy Land", The Simpsons family briefly has to stop at a Fruits and Vegetables Checkpoint, causing Homer to panic (as he was apparently smuggling Fruits and Vegetables as a side job). Fruits and Vegetables Checkpoints are a very common place in California.

In the episode "C.E. D'oh", Smithers mentions that Mr. Burns is going to face trouble as the U.S. Government discovered evidence that Mr. Burns dumped nuclear waste into Legoland. The only Legoland that exists in the United States is in California, and most of the attractions seen were from the Legoland section Mini-USA, and it is also unlikely that Mr. Burns would travel a long distance just to dump nuclear waste.

According to the episode "The Seven-Beer Snitch", there's a gas chamber in the Springfield prison. Only five states have a gas chamber as an option for capital punishment in their prisons: California, Arizona, Wyoming, Missouri and Maryland. This coupled with the fact that Springfield is located on an ocean and the sun sets on it seems to leave California as the only possibility.

Although, in the Simpsons Jumbo Rain-Or-Shine Fun Book, there is a fill-in-the-blank story in which Lisa says, "There's a car with ____ strapped to its roof!" to which Marge responds to by saying, "They must be from California."

Also there is a Waverly Hill which is a parody on Beverly Hills, in California.

When Skinner drives Willie's car 2653 miles from Springfield to Orlando, if he uses conventional roads, it could put him in California, Oregon or Idaho.

In "The Canine Mutiny", it is implied that medicinal marijuana is legal. At the time (the episode first aired in 1997), only California had legalized marijuana for medical use.

The town square is based on the plaza in Arcata, California.

Massachusetts
In the episode "'Tis the Fifteenth Season", Homer buys an electronic astrolabe at Springfield Heights Mall. One of the astrolabe's screens displays what appear to be its current latitude and longitude. These coordinates (42° N, 71° W) point to Bridgewater, MA. Also there is a Springfield, Massachusetts and a West Springfield, Massachusetts.

In the episode "Behind the Laughter" the Simpsons are explicitly referred to by the narrator as "this Western Massachusetts family."

Also there was a contest for The Simpsons Movie to find out what the state the Simpsons were located in based on sates with had a town called Springfield, and that state would get to have the premiere of The Simpsons Movie. The city that was picked was Springfield Vermont.

Chelmsford MA is also referenced several times throughout the years. Springfield's town hall is based on the town hall there and Zesty's Pizza which has been a landmark in the small Mass town for decades appears in the opening credits in a couple of episodes.

Michigan
In the episode "Duffless", Homer's driver's license shows an address of "Springfield NT 49007". ZIP code 49007 belongs to Kalamazoo, Michigan. ("NT" is the postal abbreviation for the Northwest Territories of Canada, however.)

In the episode "Three Men and a Comic Book", Bart attempts to redeem a bottle deposit. The refund is a dime; only Michigan has a 10-cent deposit on bottles.

However, in the episode Take My Wife, Sleaze, Chief Wiggum remarks to Homer "Well, uh, be that as it may, ah, the gang is wanted in eight other states and we have a little saying around here, let Michigan handle it." This dismisses the Michigan theory, as Wiggum is considered an expert on slacking off on his duties and leaving his work to be completed by others.

In the Simpsons comics story "A Tale of 2 Pen Pals," Homer tells Bart he had a "foreign" pen pal when he was a boy, who was from Michigan.

Nebraska
In Burns, Baby Burns, Montgomery Burns's long lost son recognizes his father on a train but is unable to board it before it moves away. He asks an attendant standing on the final carriage where it is going and is told "Springfield". The son says: "Yeah, but what state?" The guard's reply is almost inaudible, but ends in the syllable "-aska". This suggests that Springfield could be in Nebraska or Alaska.

But The Simpsons Movie rules out Alaska as they move there. Implying Springfield is located in Nebraska.

Additionally, in the episode "The Springfield Files", Mulder tells Scully that there has been "another unsubstantiated UFO sighting in the heartland of America", referring to Homer's close encounter with an alien. Traditionally, "The heartland of America" is applied to Eastern Nebraska, where Nebraska's Springfield exists.

Connecticut
In the episode "Revenge is a Dish Best Served Three Times", the Rich Texan on whom Homer wishes to seek revenge tells Bart that he and Homer have buried the hatchet because the two are both from Connecticut, (despite his name). It has previously been revealed that Homer was born in Springfield.

In Treehouse of Horror XIII, when it is shown that the Homer clones will have spread across the entire United States, one of the faces in the first frame appears over Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island.

Alaska
In Burns, Baby Burns, Montgomery Burns's long lost son recognizes his father on a train, but is unable to board it before it moves away. He asks an attendant standing on the final carriage where it is going and is told "Springfield". The son says: "Yeah, but what state?" The guard's reply is almost inaudible, but ends in the syllable "-aska". This suggests that Springfield could be in Nebraska or Alaska.

In another episode, Lisa says West Springfield is three times the size of Texas. Alaska is the only state larger than Texas, so it has to be in Alaska.

However, when offered free air travel to any US State, the Simpsons are told "except Alaska and Hawaii. The freak states."

In "Catch 'em if You Can", Homer is about to take a plane trip and complains about the airline of a previous trip. He exclaims, "What kind of an airline routes all their flights through Nome Alaska?". If they lived in Alaska, this is not so bad, if they don't live in Alaska, it is quite a long trip.

In The Simpsons Movie, the Simpsons move to Alaska, which means that they don't live there.

Virginia
Springfield has an Army base; Fort Myers, 12 miles away. It also has a nuclear power plant 80 miles away, in addition the State has two (albeit extinct) volcanoes.

Springfield has Dulles International Airport, 27 miles away; and Richmond (the state capital) also has an airport.

In Dancin' Homer, Capital City has a Second Best Western; Richmond has four Best Westerns.

Virginia did not allow gay marriages at the time; it has been previously stated that the Simpsons' state does not allow gay marriages.

Virginia has a Navy base and an Air Force base. In Treehouse of Horror XIII, when it is shown that the Homer clones will have spread through the entire United States, one of the faces appears in Virginia in the first frame.

Possible suggestion that leads to the affirmation that Spring Field is in Virginia. Season 13 Episode 22. Fat Tony and the mob are headed to Homer's house in a cinematic view that shows Interstate 95. If you use this as a basis, Interstate 95 cuts right through present day Springfield, Virginia. The state of Tennessee is the south (southwest) border of Virginia. Springfield is on the water of Potamic River, at Ft. Belvoir (now a museum). The Springfield CDP is recognized by the U.S. Census Bureau with a population of 30,484 as of the 2010 census.

(Source: Mateo Bynumato avid Simpson's fan)

Moe has mentioned that American Rock singer Dave Grohl was once mugged in Springfield. Given that Grohl grew up in a place called Springfield in Virginia, this could be considered the correct state.

Missouri
In A Tale of Two Springfields, as well as the dubiously canonical video game Simpsons: Hit and Run, it is revealed that Springfield's area code is 636. Missouri has this area code. The new area code, 939, is in Puerto Rico. Also, the Simpsons's address, 742 Evergreen Terrace is an actual address in Savannah, Missouri.

In "The Simpsons Movie", the town attempts to sneak out in front of Russ Cargil up a rope holding a bomb intended to blow up the town. The town raises an old KBBL radio tower up to climb toward the rope. According to the FCC, KBBL is located in Springfield, MO.

In The City of New York vs. Homer Simpson, Homer tells the rest of the family, "...So if anyone asks we are sophisticated millionaires from the Ozarks." Springfield, Missouri is located within the Ozarks and is commonly referred to as the Queen City of the Ozarks.

In Bart on the Road, Bart, Milhouse, Nelson, and Martin pass through Branson, Missouri on their way to Knoxville, Tennessee. Although it isn't the most direct path, it is possible to take 65 South straight to Branson, Missouri and take 160 East to get into Tennessee and from there to Knoxville.

In several episodes, Shelbyville has made an appearance as Springfield's twin city. Missouri has both a Shelbyville and a Springfield.

However, Grampa Simpson has an inveterate, unexplained hatred of Missouri, implying that it is not his own state. That said, he also claims that Missouri represents the "last time I vote to admit a new state." Missouri was admitted to the Union in 1821, which would make Grampa over 200 years old, so all of his opinions on Missouri may be the result of his senility.

South Dakota
Based on the episode "Mr. Lisa Goes to Washington", it is easy to argue that the Simpsons are from South Dakota.

Midway through this episode we see Congressmen Bob Arnold offered and accepting a bribe from a logging company which wants to clear-cut "Springfield National Forest."

Congressmen Bob Arnold also poses for a photo shoot with Lisa Simpson (it is presumed that he takes part in the photo shoot to boost his popularity in his district – and that the only reason he is seeing Lisa is because she is from this very same district). After the photo shoot the picture is shown back in Springfield in The Springfield Shopper newspaper which Moe reads to Barney (additional evidence that Congressmen Bob Arnold is Springfield’s congressman). In response, Barney says, "If I ever vote it’ll be for him. (Belch)"

The 'proof' that the Simpsons are from Springfield, South Dakota comes toward the end of the episode.

An FBI agent, in a successful attempt to set up Congressmen Bob Arnold, poses as an “oil company" executive who wants to drill for oil in Teddy Roosevelt’s head on Mount Rushmore and offers Congressmen Bob Arnold a bribe to get permission to do so. Just so there is no confusion there is an amusing picture showing what this might look like. On the one hand, it would seemingly make sense to be bribing the congressman that actually represents the district which includes Mount Rushmore, thereby placing Springfield in South Dakota. However, South Dakota can also be ruled out since congressman Bob Arnold could be on a natural resources committee in congress and simply knows the lay of the land. Still this doesn't change the fact that the Simpsons are in Congressman Arnold's district.

In the episode Kill The Alligator and Run at the end when the family are looking at the map they decide to visit North Dakota and Bart says he always wanted to see Mount Rushmore but is then told by Lisa that it's in South Dakota and we can clearly see from the map that the family are banned from the state.

In the episode Poppa's Got a Brand New Badge, it is shown the Population of Springfield is around 30,000. Springfield, South Dakota has a population of is 792.

Illinois
In the episode Blood Feud, a thank you letter from Mr. Burns has a return address of "1000 Mammon Ln, Springfield" with scribbles following which could be construed as "IL, 22617".

In one of the episode intros, where the screen zooms out of the universe from the Simpsons's house, it zooms out of Illinois, and there is a real city named Springfield in Illinois. There is also a real city named Shelbyville in Illinois, 63.6 miles away from Springfield, IL.

This page also suggests that they may be from Springfield, IL.

In Bart vs. Lisa vs. the Third Grade, when the satellite signal is emitting, it is coming from Springfield, Illinois.

The public square found in the Simpson's "Springfield" is very similar to that of one in Springfield, Illinois. At the center of the square, is a statue of Abraham Lincoln, much like that of Jebediah Springfield.

In one episode, an "Abraham Lincoln Squirrel" was found and murdered in Springfield. Illinois is considered Lincoln's home, and so this could widely encourage the Illinois theory.

In Treehouse of Horror XIII, when it is shown that by tomorrow the Homer clones will spread through the entire United States, one of the faces in the first frame was in Illinois.

Springfield, Illinois is located on Lake Springfield.

There is also a Shelbyville in central Illinois, the same region of the state as Springfield.

There is an Evergreen Court Lane in Springfield, Illinois.

In the movie, Ned says that Ohio, Nevada, Maine and Kentucky all border Springfield. Illinois borders one of these states.

Springfield has often been shown on a (presumed) ocean. Illinois does not border an ocean, but does in fact have a coastline on Lake Michigan, which could possibly appear similar to an ocean.

This is also strongly suggested in Season 24; Episode 17, What Animated Women Want, when the camera rapidly zooms out of Springfield, showing that the city is probably near Chicago, definitely in Illinois.

In season 7; Episode 16, Lisa the Iconoclast, when members of Springfield are digging up the grave of Jebediah Springfield (looking for a literal silver tongue), Groundskeeper Willie tosses a shovel-full of dirt onto the eternal flame of Adlai Stevenson. Adlai Stevenson (likely referring to Adlai Stevenson II) was a former Democratic governor of Illinois and ran for president in 1952 and 1956.

Utah
In the episode Mr. Lisa Goes to Washington during the reading of the competition essays, a map of the United States is shown, and pans to different locations to show other competitors speaking. Just before Lisa is shown, the map shows the state Springfield is located in (signified by a Blinky on the map). The state is the north-western-most state of four states whose boundaries intersect at a single point. There is only one point in the United States where this occurs, and the northwestern of the four states is Utah. However in the episode Little Big Girl Bart and Darcy move to Utah to get married so it can't be in Utah. In the episode "Kill Gil: Volumes 1 & 2", the Utah Jazz of the NBA can be seen getting ready to play. Although, the Jazz could possibly be the visiting team (they obviously are as they are not wearing the typical home NBA color of white). In the episode Radioactive Man, they are looking for a place to film Radioactive man. In a listing, Springfield is listen under "Film Utah".

Bart moves to Utah with his girlfriend Darcy so it cannot be Utah.

North Dakota
In "Moe Letter Blues" Moe mentions moving to Springfield because its zip code on a calculator spells "boobs". This would mean the zip code is 58008, assigned to Barney, North Dakota. But, in Kill the Alligator and Run, the family says they are still welcome in North Dakota, Bart saying he wants to move to the Dakotas, proving they don't live there.

Indiana
In The Simpsons Movie, Flanders says that Springfield borders Ohio, Nevada, Maine, and Kentucky; Indiana borders two of those four states.

Springfield has often been shown on a (presumed) ocean. Indiana does not border an ocean, but does in fact touch Lake Michigan, which could possibly appear similar to an ocean.

West Virginia
In The Simpsons Movie, Flanders says that Springfield borders Ohio, Nevada, Maine, and Kentucky; West Virginia borders two of those four states.

New Hampshire
The map at the end of Kill the Alligator and Run suggests that the Simpsons live somewhere in New England. The Southeastern tip of New Hampshire borders the ocean, and Springfield's proximity to the ocean rather than a lake is referenced in some episodes. When Homer goes to vote in the 2012 election, a Romney campaign banner reads "I Have A House In Your State"; though it's more likely a vague exaggeration of Romney's wealth, Romney did in fact own a house in New Hampshire at the time. New Hampshire also has a nuclear power plant in the southern coastal region of the state.

Wisconsin
In Mother Simpson, Bart and Lisa look at Mona's driver's license and her name was Mona Simpson on the Wisconsin license. However, this could have been fake, as she was on the run from the police.

Tennessee
In Coming To Homerica, Milhouse states they are in Tennessee Titans territory as he and Bart walk past the Ogdenvillians, that have moved to Springfield, wearing Minnesota Vikings jerseys.

Regions
One of the couch gags (which cannot be considered canon) zoomed out and showed the Simpsons's house in Springfield, Illinois. While Springfield, Illinois has a Shelbyville 50 miles to the southeast, and a nuclear power plant 40 miles to the northeast, there has not been any indication that it is 'the' Springfield, and could be coincidental. However, The Simpsons does make an indirect reference to the Illinois city; in the episode where Homer is in a graveyard at night digging a plot, discarded dirt covers up the grave of Adlai Stevenson (a prominent Illinois politician and two-time US presidential candidate, buried in Bloomington, Illinois, 50 miles to the northeast). In the episode "G.I. (Annoyed Grunt)", the Squeaky-voiced Teen quits his job to go work at "Jolly Tamale" which is a small but somewhat popular Mexican restaurant in Springfield, Illinois. The Simpsons's street, Evergreen Terrace, is a notoriously poor section of Springfield, Illinois.

The couch gag sequence of The Simpsons episodes entitled "The Ziff Who Came to Dinner", On a Clear Day I Can't See My Sister", and "Eternal Moonshine of the Simpson Mind" again left the location of Springfield something of a mystery. The sequence featured a "zooming out" from the Simpson household to a satellite view, then a solar system view, and so on in a parody of the 1977 documentary short Powers of Ten. The sequence contained plenty of cloud cover, but put Springfield somewhere in the Midwest, probably near the Mississippi River (Iowa, or maybe Missouri). The latter location is also suggested in the episode "Lisa the Tree Hugger" in which Lisa tries to protect the oldest tree in Springfield. To do so, she climbs a giant sequoia tree to prevent a team from cutting it down. When looking down on Springfield she sees a structure resembling the Gateway Arch in St. Louis, Missouri (but also the Space Needle in Seattle, Washington) In the background, the Statue of Liberty in New York, and the Eiffel Tower in Paris, France can also be seen, along with a large river. It should be noted that the Eiffel Tower appears to be closer than the Statue of Liberty, which is impossible.

In the episode "Marge vs. the Monorail", Springfield Monorail salesman Lyle Lanley proclaims "I've sold Springfield Monorail systems to Brockway, Ogdenville, and North Haverbrook! And, by gum, it put them on the map!" He then holds up a map of the U.S. where Brockway, Ogdenville, and North Haverbrook are the only cities shown. Marge then later drives to nearby North Haverbrook (where everybody resents there being a Springfield Monorail there, despite the sign at the city limits saying "Where the Springfield Monorail is KING!"). The map shows North Haverbrook in the Midwest, approximately in Iowa. However, the same map shows Ogdenville in the southwest around the California-Arizona border, despite a later episode "Coming to Homerica" showing that Ogdenville is Springfield's neighbor. It should be noted that since the Springfield Monorail seller was a fraud, the map may not be accurate and made to make sure all three cities fit on the map.

In the episode "Scenes from the Class Struggle in Springfield", the Simpsons go to the Ogdenville outlet mall to get a new television. The sign in Springfield indicates that it is only '90 miles' to Ogdenville. When Lyle Lanley holds up the map, Ogdenville is in New Mexico and Brockway appears to be in South Carolina).

In the episode "Mr. Lisa Goes to Washington", when it is Lisa's turn to speak, it shows a map where Springfield is in "Illinois".

In the episode "The Springfield Files", Mulder tells Scully that there has been "another unsubstantiated UFO sighting in the heartland of America", referring to Homer's close encounter with an alien; so, for that episode, Springfield was presumably somewhere in the Midwest.

Homer suggests that Springfield is within a state bordering the Great Lakes. He said:

"Oh, why did I take it the wedding ring off? ... Oh, right! To see if I could skip it across Lake Michigan."

However, this is only slightly relevant - he could have been visiting the state at the time. The Simpsons address, 742 Evergreen Terrace, is an actual address in Savannah, Missouri.

West of the Mississippi
In several episodes the radio and television stations in Springfield use the call sign KBBL. All radio and television station call signs west of the Mississippi River, except for few grandfathered stations, begin with the letter K while stations east of the Mississippi River begin with the letter W. This implies then that Springfield must be west of the Mississippi River because its television station uses the call sign KBBL, television being non-existent at the time of creation of the K and W call sign system, unless the stations in question operate on a dual-license arrangement (an owner of a grandfathered radio station that later received a license for a sister television station), as in KYW-AM radio station and KYW-TV/KYW-DT television stations, in Philadelphia, KDKA-AM and KDKA-TV in Pittsburgh, both of which are in Pennsylvania, and WDAY-FM, WDAY-AM, and WDAY-TV/WDAY-DT in Fargo and WDAZ-TV/WDAZ-DT in Grand Forks, North Dakota.

Also, when the Simpsons get to Delaware on a train, they pass the Mississippi River, meaning they live somewhere west of it.

East coast
Springfield, Massachusetts is referenced by the "Springfield Memorial Bridge" which separates Springfield from West Springfield in the cartoon and in Massachusetts. Another Massachusetts reference is that Mayor Quimby and his political machine have similarities to the powerful Kennedy family, including the mayor and his family's thick Boston accent even though Springfield, Massachusetts natives DO NOT have the famous New England accent. Of Simpsons writers and producers, more of them attended college in Massachusetts than any other state. A segment on WFXT revealed that Springfield's city hall is actually copied from that of Chelmsford, Massachusetts. This however, could simply mean nothing. The bridge could be a coincidence, and Quimby may not have grown up in Springfield.

In the episode "Mother Simpson", Homer discovers that the tombstone he always thought belonged to his mother actually belongs to Walt Whitman (causing Homer to pummel said tombstone and curse "Leaves of Grass, my ass!"). Walt Whitman is buried in Harleigh Cemetery, Camden, New Jersey.

In the episode "Bart the Fink", when Bart questions the local bankers about the check he gave to Krusty, a phone call is made to New York at 2:01 PM, then to Cayman Islands at 2:02 PM. Afterwards, a fax is made to Washington D.C at 2:03 PM, and Krusty is arrested in Springfield at 2:04 PM. The first three places are all in UTC-5 time zone when the Northern Hemisphere is in winter, when the episode was first aired. And assuming the sequence of events is meant to show how quickly the authority reacts to tax evasion, that would put Springfield in the North American Eastern Time Zone.

In the episode "Lisa the Iconoclast", it is revealed that settlers founded Springfield in 1796, which was before the Louisiana Purchase. Therefore, Springfield must be east of the Mississippi River.

In the episode "Poppa's Got a Brand New Badge", the character Fat Tony drives into downtown Springfield past a highway identification sign that very closely resembles United States Interstate signs, and bears the route number 95. The real I-95 is a major north-south route along the east coast of the United States. It should be noted however, that this was a parody of The Sopranos, which takes place in New Jersey, through which I-95 runs. However, The Simpsons cannot take place in New Jersey, as Homer and Bart must drive extensively to reach the Edison National Historic Site. In the episode "Old Yeller-Belly", the Amish build a tree house for the Simpsons, indicating that Springfield is in either Ohio or Pennsylvania. Also, Luann Van Houten mentions Mechanicsburg; there is a Mechanicsburg in both Ohio and Pennsylvania.

There is a Springfield in Virginia through which I-95 runs; while there is no Mechanicsburg in Virginia, there are four communities named Mechanicsville.

In the episode "The Bart of War", a Mohican says his tribe's land stretched from "Krusty Burger to Gary's Waterbed Warehouse" while he indicated parts of Springfield.

In one episode, "Bart's Comet", a comet is threatening to strike Springfield. Professor Frink devises a plan in which a rocket is fired at the comet. The rocket is shown being launched from the Springfield Armory, which was established in Springfield, Massachusetts during the Revolutionary War, and still exists as a historical museum.

In the episode "New Kids on the Blecch", L.T. Smash is able to drive an aircraft carrier to New York City.

In the episode "Boy-Scoutz 'n the Hood", On the map of "Krusty Burger" locations, Homer points to the one off the east coast, implying they live on the east coast

Shown in various episodes inside of Android's Dungeon Comics & Baseball Card Shop is a Boston Red Sox pennant, a hometown baseball team in Springfield, Massachusetts.

West coast
There is a strong case for the non-existent state being west of the Mississippi River, particularly somewhere on the west coast. This is supported by the facts that:
 * 1) Springfield sits on the ocean, and
 * 2) it has various features that only the west coast has
 * 3) *redwood tree(s)
 * 4) *mesas
 * 5) *a TV station that starts with a K (assuming that the Federal Communications Commission of the Simpsons's universe mirrors the real world FCC.)
 * 6) *sunsets over the ocean

Springfield's local radio station uses the call letters KBBL. In the episode "Colonel Homer", the town also has a country music radio station KUDD. "K" as the first call letter usually indicates a radio station west of the Mississippi River, whereas "W" as the first call letter usually indicates a radio station east of the Mississippi River. Most of the exceptions to the rule (such as station KDKA in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, WFAA and WBAP-AM/WBAP-TV in Dallas, Texas, WOAI in San Antonio, Texas, WOW in Omaha, Nebraska, WDAY in Fargo, North Dakota, or WHB in Kansas City, Missouri) were assigned call letters before this convention was established. It should be noted that in "Homer Alone", the lobby of Rancho Relaxo (located in the Springfield Mountains) plays the radio station "Coma", whose call letters are WKOMA. It is also possible that if the town was located next to the Mississippi River, they could also receive "W" stations on their radio.

Several episodes indicate that Springfield has an ocean coastline. One episode showed jellyfish washing up on Springfield Beach.

In another episode, "Boy-Scoutz 'n the Hood", Bart, Homer, and the Junior Campers float out to sea during a rafting trip. They are rescued by floating towards an unmanned oil rig which nevertheless features a failing Krusty Burger restaurant. Offshore oil rigs in the United States are found off the coasts of the Gulf of Mexico and California. Earlier when they were still on the river, the Krusty Burger map shows two locations at two oil rigs, one off each coast. However, when the stranded group discovered the nearby restaurant, Homer points at the east coast oil rig.

The episode "New Kids on the Blecch" established that oceangoing warships visit and dock at Springfield's harbor. However, the skyline is similar to New York City and there is a reference to destroying the Mad Magazine headquarters, which in another episode are said to be in New York City.

The episode "Simpson Tide" also shows that the submarine Homer is commanding travels west out of the Springfield Harbor into Russian waters.

Springfield is also served by the Union Pacific Railroad, which runs in the west coast of the United States.

In one episode, the Simpsons were going to Delaware, while on a train they had to cross the Mississippi, meaning they came from the west.

In "Ice Cream of Margie (with the Light Blue Hair)", Snake Jailbird reports a traffic jam at the 101-405 interchange, both of which run up the Pacific Coast of the United States. Their interchange is in the San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles, California.

In the episode El Viaje Misterioso de Nuestro Jomer, Marge notes that Springfield slopes down in a westward direction, lending more credibility to the West Coast theory.

Other places
Springfield is near a junction of five states (in real life, no such junction exists), yet it borders the ocean; it has a canyon, a desert, and mountains, including the tallest mountain in the United States. (In the episode "King of the Hill", Bart claims the Murderhorn is more than four miles higher than Springfield's elevation. The actual tallest mountain in the United States, Mount McKinley in Alaska, rises less than four miles above sea level.) Plus, the city has a vulnerability to every sort of natural disaster, which no one area would have. Sometimes it snows in Springfield, the town once experienced a hurricane, its ocean coast has an oil platform close offshore, and Springfield's western side (which is three times the size of Texas) is a vast oil field.

Additionally, in "Boy-Scoutz 'n the Hood" there is a scene in which Bart, Homer, Flanders, and Rod are lost at sea, which would imply they live on either the West or East coasts.

In an earlier episode "Kamp Krusty", Tijuana is just a day trip away, meaning that the Springfield in this episode could logically be in California, New Mexico or Arizona.

In "You Only Move Twice", a newspaper is seen indicating that Hank Scorpio has taken control of the East coast. In that same episode, Cypress Creek (the community where the Simpsons move, which is said to be upstate) is shown with mountains. The Springfield in this episode has to be in one of the mountain states.

The revelation that Springfield was once entirely in the telephone area code 636 and that chaos erupted when half the town was switched to the new area code 939 does not clarify the situation; area code 636 is in Missouri, while 939 is in Puerto Rico. In another episode, Superintendent Chalmers refers to Springfield Elementary School as "the most dilapidated in all of Missouri", and shocks everyone (viewers and characters alike) by this disclosure, before continuing with "and that's why it was shut down and moved here, brick by brick." There also happens to be a Lake Springfield and a city named Springfield in Missouri.

There is also evidence that the Simpsons live in Louisiana. During one of the Halloween specials, it is proposed that Kang, a space alien, is the real father of Maggie. When Kang initiates telepathic contact with Maggie, Maggie responds by transmitting a signal with her pacifier. As the camera pans away from earth, the concentric radio signals are shown to be emanating from Louisiana. However, this is a Treehouse of Horror episode and is considered non-canon Furthermore, Marge is of French ancestry (her maiden name is Bouvier), so maybe she is Cajun.

In an episode where the Simpsons visit a prep school, Homer says to Lisa that he will pay for her to attend any college in South Carolina.

When Lisa goes to work with Homer, he points out Springfield Power Plant's location on a map of the USA, it appears to be in a fictional state south of Florida and is given as a place which would really be in the ocean.

A central highway called Highway 401 is mentioned in several episodes. There is a central highway named Highway 401 in the Province of Ontario, Canada, that passes through the City of Toronto. This has also lead to speculation of Toronto being the inspiration to Springfield (or of Springfield, Ontario being the show's location); however as mentioned above, the countless pieces of evidence of Springfield being in the United States automatically disprove this theory. However, Springfield has been shown to be close to the Canadian border, as the Simpsons have made day-trips into Canada, and everybody in Springfield knows the Canadian Anthem.

In the episode "Mr. Lisa Goes to Washington" the Simpson's mail contains the ZIP code 192005, a made-up ZIP code obviously, as real ZIP codes are five digits.

In the episode "Lisa the Beauty Queen", Lisa greets a boatload of immigrants to be deported. Springfield must have access to the coasts via a river or lake.

Various other episodes show traveling characters:
 * In the episode where the Simpsons go to New York City, Homer has a flash back from a time when he stopped in NYC on a bus trip to Harrisburg (presumably PA). The fact that Homer was traveling through New York to get to Harrisburg would seem to suggest that he had to travel south to get to Pennsylvania, thus placing Springfield in either New York or New England, though the bus could have passed Harrisburg and Homer didn't notice.
 * In the episode "Old Money", Abraham Simpson had to cross the state border to reach a casino.


 * When Snake steals the Kwik-E-Mart in the episode Marge in Chains, a road sign says "63 miles to North Haverbrook and 678 miles to Mexico City". That would place Springfield within Mexican territory or in the southernmost tip of Texas. However, the very same road sign contradicts with the established location of North Haverbrook somewhere between South Dakota and Nebraska, as seen in "Marge vs. the Monorail".
 * In The Wizard of Evergreen Terrace, Bart and Homer go to the Thomas Edison museum in New Jersey.
 * Bart, Milhouse, Martin and Nelson have also been to Branson, Missouri by car by nighttime, and Knoxville, Tennessee by the next day.
 * The episode "Viva Ned Flanders" (and other episodes in which characters visit Las Vegas) establishes that Springfield is within an easy day's drive of Las Vegas by car.
 * The episode "New Kids on the Blecch" establishes that Springfield is only a few minutes' sail from New York City by ship.
 * The family has been to New York City and Canada by bus.
 * In an episode where Homer joins the US Navy reserve, a map shows his submarine's route leaving Springfield on the US Pacific coast.
 * Marge is seen driving to Ogdenville, which was shown in the southwest, approximately Arizona.
 * Homer is shown driving into Montana, presumably on a short trip.
 * The family is shown driving over the Mississippi River on route to Washington, D.C.
 * Ned Flanders falls for one of Homer's pranks by going to Montana to meet Jesus by Train.
 * Skinner drives Willie's car from Springfield to Orlando, Florida and passes a sign saying Orlando, 2653 miles. If Skinner drives on real life roads it would put him in South-east Oregon, Idaho or California.
 * In Lost Verizon, Marge, Homer, Lisa and Maggie take a 3700-mile car trip to Machu Picchu.
 * In "Boy-Scoutz 'n The Hood", Homer pulls out a map of Krusty Burger locations in the US. The map clearly indicates that there are KB's in the following states/areas:


 * 1) Northwestern Nevada on the border of SE Oregon and NE California;
 * 2) SE Border of Utah;
 * 3) SE Corner of Arizona;
 * 4) SE border area of Texas or possibly the eastern border of Louisiana;
 * 5) Midpoint connection of Missouri, Arkansas, Mississippi, Tennessee, and Kentucky;
 * 6) A point around Alabama, Georgia and Florida connecting borders;
 * 7) and a location looking like Northern Kentucky, which touches Indiana, Ohio, and Virginia.

In the episode "The Old Man and the Key", Abraham Simpson states that Springfield is 1000 km from Branson, Missouri. A circle of exactly 1000 km would sweep (clockwise) southwestern Texas, eastern New Mexico, mid-eastern Colorado, northwestern Nebraska, center-southeastern South Dakota, central Minnesota, northern Wisconsin, central Michigan, central Ohio, southwestern West Virginia, a very small and uninhabited segment in the east most tip of Kentucky, southwestern Virginia, eastern Tennessee, western North Carolina, northwestern South Carolina, central Georgia, northwestern Florida, and the Gulf of Mexico.

In a trailer for The Simpsons Movie, Ned Flanders and Bart hike to the top of a mountain, where Flanders states that from the summit "you can see the four states that border Springfield: Ohio, Nevada, Maine and Kentucky." These states are, in fact, nowhere near each other and are not linked to each other, thus they cannot be linked to Springfield. However it should be noted that all of the states Flanders indicates have "Springfields" in them, except for Nevada (though ironically Nevada is the only place an official, life-sized, scale replica of the Simpsons house can be found). However Lisa says west Springfield is three times the size of Texas.

Canada
The only place resembling the shape of Springfield is in Ontario, Canada near stone creek opposite Springfield, Illinois. Additionally, in the Family Guy Simpsons Crossover, when Bart prank calls Moe's Tavern, he dials the area code 519, which is the area code of Ontario. However, it is quite clear that Springfield is definitely in the US, and the roads, landscape and terrain are completely different. However, during The Simpsons Movie, it is the United States' government that encloses Springfield in the dome, making Canada an impossible place. Additionally, in “The Bart of War”, Captain McCallister says "not a war anthem, like our national anthem, but one of peace, like the national anthem of Canada." This further disproves the Canadian theory. In "Bart on the Road", Bart, Milhouse, Nelson and Martin pretend to go to Canada for a grammar rodeo, also disproving the Canada theory. Plus, Springfield got a hurricane once and hurricanes aren't on the Hudson Bay or Great Lakes. Also, the provinces of Canada are British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward island, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nunavut, Yukon, and Northwest Territories. They traveled to Mexico, too!

North Tacoma
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.

(with exception to episode two of season 3: Mr. Lisa Goes To Washington, during the essay montage just as Lisa appears on screen, Springfield is located in the state labeled NT, before it fades out) or by other Simpsons producers. And on Homer's Driver's License, the state is NT and the zip code is 49007, which is a Kalamazoo, Michigan zip code. It seems likely that Springfield would exist in a fictional state, as it has a different flag from others. However, it is possible they could still be in a real state, as Nash Castor mentions the Springfield primary and "49 other primaries" in E. Pluribus Wiggum. However, every real state name has been mentioned at least once in a canonical episode except for Arkansas, and Oklahoma.

Plan B
As seen in Trash of the Titans, a "Plan B" exists that lets the city move. It is possible that Springfield's state has been in a constant state of flux over the years considering the amount of pollution it theoretically creates and diversity of animal life shown. This is also supported in Viva Ned Flanders, where Lisa states that she is surprised that they allowed the Monty Burns Casino to come along when they moved the city.

Where Springfield Isn't

 * Note: Some evidence is based on presuming the convention that one does not say the state name when mentioning a city in the same state that they reside.


 * Alabama: In the episode "I Married Marge", one of Homer's competing job applicants said he was from the Alabama chapter of Alpha Tau. It is unlikely someone would say that if Springfield were in Alabama, although since the applicant is talking about his college experience this could refer to the University of Alabama rather than the state. In the episode "They Saved Lisa's Brain", Dr. Hibbert says "Maybe I should move back to Alabama".


 * Alaska: In the episode "Marge on the Lam", when Marge and Ruth are chased by the police, a road sign is seen with "State Line: 2 miles". Alaska, Hawaii, and the insular areas are the only places where driving to other states directly is not possible. In the episode "Fear of Flying", Kwazy Klown Airlines offers the Simpsons free tickets to anywhere in the United States, excluding Alaska and Hawaii, "the freak states." And when Homer told his family about the "good news", Bart asks to go to Alaska and Lisa to Hawaii. In the episode "Home Sweet Homediddly-Dum-Doodily", Homer says "We leave you the kids for three hours, and the county take 'em away?" to Grandpa. Alaska and Louisiana are the two states that do not divide into counties, but boroughs and parishes respectively. In The Simpsons Movie the family move to Alaska.


 * Arizona: In King-Size Homer, Homer reveals that Springfield observes daylight saving time when he says "8:58. First time I've ever been early for work...except for all those daylight savings days." At the time when this episode was first aired (November 5, 1995), Hawaii, most of Arizona, and a large portion of Indiana did not observe daylight saving time. However, Springfield could be in the area of Arizona that doesn't observe daylight savings time, which would mean they lived on an reservation. In the episode "Kill the Alligator and Run", Arizona is one of the only two states the The Simpsons are allowed in (the other one is North Dakota), but Homer says Arizona smells funny and Marge crosses Arizona off the chart. This implies they do not live in Arizona. Also, there is no place in Arizona called Springfield.


 * California: In the episode "And Maggie Makes Three," Homer talks to a young shoeshiner that works at his "dream job," or the Bowling Alley. He promises that the young boy will someday make it to California. In the episode "Whiskey Business", Marge mentions that Capitol City is "the more exciting of the twin cities." Karl then explains to Lenny that the twin city moved to California, "to become a star, but it just became Glendale."


 * Colorado: In Little Big Girl, Marge mentions that Bart and Darcy charged $200,000 worth of bubble gum with Homer's credit card in Colorado.


 * Connecticut: In the episode "Homer Simpson, This Is Your Wife" Marge says to a member of her family, "What are you doing in the Nutmeg State?" The Nutmeg State is Connecticut. In "Changing of the Guardian" Marge tells Homer how if they die, their kids could become wards of the state to which Homer replies: "Connecticut?" and Marge replies: "No, our state." to which Homer yells; therefore Connecticut is not the state they live in.


 * Delaware: In the episode "Simpsons Tall Tales", the family goes on a trip to Delaware.


 * Florida: In the episode Bart vs. Australia, Homer tells Bart that next time he should commit a crime in Orlando, Florida. In "Kill the Alligator and Run" the family goes on a vacation to Florida, which Homer refers to as "America's Wang".


 * Georgia: In the episode "Homer vs. the Eighteenth Amendment", Homer asks Marge "What about that freezer lady in Georgia," when trying to console her.


 * Hawaii: In the episode So It's Come to This: A Simpsons Clip Show, Homer offers to take his family to Hawaii. Also, in "Burns Verkaufen der Kraftwerk" Horst tells Springfield Nuclear Power Plant alcoholic employees they'll spend six weeks at a drying-out facility in Hawaii. In the episode "Fear of Flying", Kwazy Klown Airlines offers the Simpsons free tickets to anywhere in the United States, excluding Alaska and Hawaii, "the freak states." When Homer tells his family about the "good news", Bart asks to go to Alaska and Lisa to Hawaii. Also the Simpsons have easily driven to various parts of the Continental United States, impossible to do from Hawaii. In "King-Size Homer" Homer states that Springfield observes daylight saving time. At the time this episode was aired (November 5, 1995), Hawaii, most of Arizona, and a large portion of Indiana did not observe daylight saving time. In "Little Big Mom" Homer and Bart get their leprosy treated in Hawaii. In Lost Verizon, one of the bars around the world that Bart calls is from Hawaii. In Stealing First Base, Milhouse says "My parents took me to Hawaii once."


 * Indiana: In "Kiss Kiss Bang Bangalore," Homer believes he is taking a job in Indiana when he was actually being transferred to India.


 * Iowa: In "Moaning Lisa" Lisa wails for the Iowa farmer whose land has been taken away by uncaring bureaucrats, and the West Virginia coal-miner. Mr. Largo explains that "none of these unpleasant people are going to be at the recital next week", implying Springfield is not in Iowa or West Virginia. In "E. Pluribus Wiggum" Springfield plans to schedule its presidential primary before the New Hampshire primary. Iowa holds a caucus instead of a primary, and its caucus is already before New Hampshire's primary.


 * Louisiana: In the episode "Radio Bart", Chief Wiggum mentions a piece of machinery in Shreveport, Louisiana. In "Home Sweet Homediddly-Dum-Doodily" Homer says "We leave you the kids for three hours, and the county take 'em away?" to Grandpa. Alaska and Louisiana are the two states that do not divide into counties, but boroughs and parishes respectively.


 * Maryland: In the episode "Lisa the Iconoclast", it is revealed that settlers left Maryland and founded Springfield.


 * Massachusetts: In "Sideshow Bob's Last Gleaming", Sideshow Bob dismisses the air show as "butt-cut Alabamians spewing colored smoke from their whizz jets", and Homer tells Sideshow Bob to "go back to Massachusetts". In "We're on the Road to D'ohwhere," Homer drives Bart to Portland, Oregon to attend a modification camp, and the two make reference to Massachusetts' laws on gay marriage by saying, "Did you know that in Massachusetts it's legal for a guy to marry his son?" Also, in one episode, Otto used corporal punishment on Bart, after hijacking the bus but Skinner does not allow it. Massachusetts allows corporal punishment. Strangely, the episode "Worst Episode Ever" implies that Springfield is located in Massachusetts, as one of Jeffery Albertson's pirated videos, a Cold War-era classified mission tape, states Springfield is designated as a "NWB" (Nuclear Whipping Boy), and the map of Springfield heavily resembles the real life Springfield, Massachusetts.


 * Michigan: In "Take My Wife, Sleaze" after Homer calls Chief Wiggum to report the Hell's Satan's kidnapped Marge, Wiggum says, "Well, We have a little saying around here: Let Michigan handle it." In "Oh Brother, Where Art Thou?" as the Simpsons drive home from Detroit they pass a sign saying "Now Leaving Michigan".


 * Mississippi: Principal Skinner notes that selling boys is only legal in Springfield's state and Mississippi in "Simpsoncalifragilisticexpiala(Annoyed Grunt)cious".


 * Missouri: Superintendent Chalmers says that Springfield was voted the Worst Elementary School in Missouri ("Lisa Gets an A"), and was torn down and moved to the current state. In addition, during the episode when Abe Simpson regains his driver's license, and drives to Branson, Missouri. Lisa remarks "Branson is a thousand miles from here," which rules out any place in Missouri, counting out the fact the expression was not an exaggeration. In "Homer Badman," Abe hangs a 49-star American flag because he does not recognize Missouri.
 * Nevada: in Viva Ned Flanders, Homer and Ned try and run away from their "wives" which is apparently unconscionable in Las Vegas. When security and other Vegas residents catch them they kick Ned and Homer across the state line, implying they are no longer welcome in Nevada, at least for a period of time.


 * New Hampshire: In "E. Pluribus Wiggum" Lisa mention's that the new date of Springfield's presidential primary is earlier than New Hampshire's Primary.


 * New Jersey: In the episode "The Wizard of Evergreen Terrace", Homer and Bart drive to New Jersey with the intention of destroying Thomas Edison's hinged chair invention. Homer and Marge fly into New Jersey in "Catch 'Em if You Can". In Marge Simpson in Screaming Yellow Honkers, Marge tells somebody to go back to New Jersey.


 * New Mexico: In "Boy-Scoutz 'n the Hood", Homer looks at the Krusty Burger map and says "Hey, there's a new Mexico!" Assuming that Homer is smart enough to know his own state, Springfield is not in New Mexico. The same joke appears in the episode Homer vs. Dignity, Mr. Burns is surprised to learn there is a New Mexico.


 * New York: In "22 Short Films About Springfield", Principal Skinner makes up the word "steamed hams" and claims that it is a "regional dialect" of upstate New York. In "The City of New York vs. Homer Simpson" Homer loathes New York. However, Homer only mentions loathing the city of New York, so Springfield could very well be in another part of the state of New York. Many residents of upstate New York, in fact, do share a loathing of New York City and its suburban areas.


 * North Carolina: In the episode Bart-Mangled Banner, Mayor Quimby compares the national hatred of Springfield caused by Bart's mooning of the U.S. flag to that of "Hitler City, North Carolina" before it changed its name to Charlotte.


 * North/South Dakota: In "Kill the Alligator and Run" the family discuss which states they are still welcome in, and one of the states is North Dakota. Bart then says "Alright! I've always wanted to see Mount Rushmore!" Marge then tells him it is in South Dakota.


 * Ohio: In the episode "Homer and Apu", Apu said that Kwik-E-Mart is known as Stop-O-Mart in Ohio.


 * Oregon: In Dancing Homer, it is learned that the capital city has a Major League Baseball team. Salem does not. Additionally everything said against Oregon in the section up top clearly shows it is not Oregon.


 * Pennsylvania: In "Marge Gamer" Marge says "Kids, get in the car! We're going to Pennsylvania!" The Flanders move to Pennsylvania in "Home Away From Homer".


 * Rhode Island: In "Pygmoelian", referring to Moe's liquor license, Lenny says the license is only good in Rhode Island; Moe replies by saying "I've been meaning to get that updated, uh, for this state". Also, in the Family Guy Simpsons crossover episode, the Griffin family from Rhode Island gets lost after their car is stolen. They soon stumble across Springfield. Stewie says, "Springfield eh. What state?"
 * Tennessee: In "Bart on the Road" Lisa tells Homer they need an item sent from Tennessee for Bart to courier.


 * Texas: In "Raging Abe Simpson and His Grumbling Grandson in "The Curse of the Flying Hellfish"" Grandpa Van Houten says he won a chili cook-off in Beaumont, Texas. In "Who Shot Mr. Burns? (Part Two)", Chief Wiggum says to Mr. Burns "No jury in the world's gonna convict a baby. Hmm, maybe Texas". In "Old Money", the ghost of Bea says, "They've got me haunting a family in Texas".


 * Utah: In "Bart's Comet", after Principal Skinner discovers Bart is responsible for the balloon prank, Bart says "race you to Utah" to Milhouse. Also, in "Homer vs. Lisa and the 8th Commandment", Bart is watching the Top Hat Channel. That channel is not available in Utah or Florida. In Little Big Girl, Bart and Darcy travel to Utah to get married. Utah in primarily dominated by the Mormon Church and Springfield isn't shown to be.


 * Vermont: In "The Canine Mutiny" Laddie, Bart's new dog, is from Vermont.


 * Washington, D.C.: In "Mother Simpson", it is shown that there is a state college. This means that Springfield is in a state, not in the District of Columbia nor in any of the insular areas. In "Mr. Lisa Goes to Washington" the family travels to Washington, D.C.


 * Wisconsin: In "The Bart of War" after Bart says "Hey! some jerks cleaned our field!" Nelson says "It's awful! It looks like Wisconsin!"


 * West Virginia: In "Moaning Lisa", Lisa wails for the Iowa farmer whose land has been taken away by uncaring bureaucrats, and the West Virginia coalminer. Mr. Largo explains that "none of these unpleasant people are going to be at the recital next week".


 * The South: In the episode "The PTA Disbands", a historical reenactment has the American Civil War soldiers of Fort Springfield wearing Union blue, "heroically" massacring wounded Confederate soldiers in gray uniforms who have come to surrender. As such, Springfield cannot have been in one of the states that sided with the Confederate States of America. Springfield is also not in the South because when Carl and Lenny are handling nuclear waste in the episode "Marge vs. the Monorail", Lenny wonders where they dump it. Carl says,"Probably in one of those southern states where the governor's a crook." In "Bart vs. Lisa vs. the Third Grade," the Capitol City Governor states that the state flag, which contains a Confederate flag, "is an embarrassment, particularly as we are a northern state." Therefore, Springfield is not in Arizona, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee, Kentucky, Virginia, West Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Alabama, Georgia, or Florida.


 * Georgia, Missouri, Tennessee, California, Nevada, Utah, Michigan, Indiana, Ohio, Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Washington D.C., New Jersey, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine: In the episode "Bart on the Road", Nelson says "I've always wanted to see Macon, Georgia". When the boys arrive in Branson, Missouri, Bart refers to the place with "Missouri";. They are also seen entering the border of Tennessee explicitly. When Homer replaces the light bulbs on the nuclear plant map, California, Nevada, and Utah are shown with all their plants' names and none is Springfield. Also, Bart, Milhouse, Martin and Nelson pass through Missouri on their way to Tennessee, eliminating any state east of the Missouri-Tennessee Border. This also eliminates the entire northeastern region. This would rule out 26 states.


 * Arizona, North Dakota and South Dakota: In the episode, "Kill the Alligator and Run", the family marks on a map that they are no longer welcome in Florida, which leaves Arizona (ruled out because it smells funny) and North Dakota, and, of course Springfield. Also Marge has said in numerous episodes that the whole state of Florida hated the Simpsons. Also, Bart said he wanted to see Mount Rushmore, but then Marge told him that's in South Dakota.
 * Minnesota, Alabama, New York, In Mr. Lisa Goes to Washington, when kids from different parts of the USA give their speeches, kids from Rosemount, Mobile, and Queens from all of those states and none are Springfield's State.


 * Connecticut, Kansas, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania: The Kwik-E-Mart sells beer and in the episode "Simpson Safari" Bart attempts to buy wine in a supermarket therefore Springfield can't be in; Colorado, Connecticut, Kansas, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, or Utah as none of these states allow the sale of wine in grocery stores.
 * Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming: On their way to Oregon In We're On The Road To D'ohwhere, Bart and Homer pass a sign that says Mount Rushmore: Twenty Feet Out Of Your Way. This would eliminate any state between Oregon and South Dakota.


 * Washington, Oregon, California, Nevada, Idaho, Arizona, Alaska, and Hawaii: In "Little Big Girl" Bart and Darcy pass through Colorado on their way from Springfield to Utah, eliminating any state west of the Utah-Colorado border.


 * Patty and Selma work at the Department of Motor Vehicles. The authority is known by alternate names in Arizona, Florida, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Texas and Washington.


 * In "E. Pluribus Wiggum" Springfield holds a presidential primary, eliminating Alaska, Colorado, Hawaii, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, Minnesota, Nevada, North Dakota, Washington, and Wyoming as those states hold caucuses instead of primaries. Though it should be noted primaries are typically held by states and not individual cities so Springfield holding its own primary is unusual.


 * In the episode "Much Apu About Nothing", there are also several clues as to where Springfield isn't.
 * On Homer's weekly paycheck, it is shown that the state withholds income tax. This rules out Alaska, Florida, Nevada, New Hampshire, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Washington, and Wyoming.
 * Fat Tony told Apu that his false identity was born in Green Bay, Wisconsin.
 * When Homer is coaching Apu for immigration test, Homer first points to Chicago, but Lisa corrects him saying "you're not pointing anywhere near Springfield" and points out the correct location. At this time, Bart walks in and blocks the view. In this screenshot Springfield is not in Washington, Oregon, California, Idaho, Nevada, Utah, Arizona, Montana, or Wyoming. In another screenshot, Springfield is not in Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, and the District of Columbia.


 * In "Dancin' Homer" it is revealed the state capital has a Major League Baseball team. This would eliminate Arkansas, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New York, South Carolina, Tennessee, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, and Wyoming as their state capitals do not have major league baseball teams. However in "Hungry, Hungry Homer" Homer uncovers a conspiracy to move Springfield's Isotopes to Albuquerque. The real-life Albuquerque already has a minor league team named the Isotopes, implying that the show does not recognize real-life baseball affiliations.


 * All of these statistics preclude every state in America except for Illinois. Illinois has a small strip of coastline in the northern part of the state. Illinois was also part of the Union in the Civil War and is a northern state. Illinois also has a Major League Baseball team in "Capital City" which would be Chicago (actually the capital of Illinois is Springfield.) There is also a video on YouTube about the state being in Illinois.
 * New York, Maryland, Georgia, Maine, Texas, Louisiana, North Dakota, Idaho, Massachusetts, Nevada: in Father Knows Worst the helicopter parent that Homer sat with in the school cafeteria told her son to recite state capitals on her clap. He listed "Albany, Annapolis, Atlanta, Augusta, Austin, Baton Rouge, Bismark, Boise, Boston, Capital City and Carson City. All of these are the capitals of the listed states, except Capital City, which is the non-existent state capital of Springfield's state.