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Ore. Town ID’d as 'Real' Springfield

Mystery Solved

Springfield one of the most common names for U.S. towns.

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Chris Pizzello / AP Photo

The Simpsons has been on for decades, and creator Matt Groening has finally revealed Springfield’s location. The town is named after Springfield, Ore. Growing up, Groening watched Father Knows Best and always thought that show’s Springfield was the same Springfield located south of his hometown, Portland. “When I grew up, I realized it was just a fictitious name. I also figured out that Springfield was one of the most common names for a city in the U.S. In anticipation of the success of the show, I thought, This will be cool; everyone will think it’s their Springfield. And they do,” he said. Well, not anymore.

Read it at Smithsonian