Springfield (toponym)

Last updated
US States and territories with one or more populated places named Springfield. US States with a Springfield.svg
US States and territories with one or more populated places named Springfield.

Springfield is a famously common place-name in the English-speaking world, especially in the United States. According to the U.S. Geological Survey there are currently 67 populated places named Springfield in the U.S.A. [1] Database studies reveal that there are several more common U.S. place-names than Springfield, including Fairview and Midway. The name "Springfield" is common in Britain and Ireland: two examples being on the outskirts of Shrewsbury, Shropshire, and one located within the borough of Wigan, close to the town centre.

Contents

History

Historically, the first American place named Springfield was Springfield, Massachusetts, founded in 1636 by William Pynchon. An early American colonist, Pynchon named Springfield after his hometown in England, Springfield, Essex. Springfield, Massachusetts, became nationally important in 1777, when George Washington founded the United States' National Armory at Springfield. During the 19th century, Springfield became one of the world's leading centers of the Industrial Revolution, pioneering advances in interchangeable parts. Springfield, Illinois and Springfield, Missouri, among other American cities and towns named Springfield, were named after Springfield, Massachusetts.

Major centers

As of the 2020 census, Springfield, Missouri, and Springfield, Massachusetts, were the world's most populous cities named Springfield, with 169,176 and 155,929 residents, respectively. Springfield, Illinois, the one-time home of Abraham Lincoln, is the only U.S. state capital with the name. As of 2020, it had a population of 114,394.

In the United States, there are four Springfield Metropolitan Statistical Areas in Illinois, Massachusetts, Missouri and Ohio. As of the 2020 census, the most populous was the one in Massachusetts, which had 699,162 residents.

In contemporary culture

The television show The Simpsons is set in a town generically named "Springfield", without indicating a state. Creator Matt Groening has suggested in interviews that he chose the name because of its ubiquity; the show's intentionally contradictory information about the location of the town prevents matching the fictional Springfield to a real one. Groening revealed in 2012 the town referred to Springfield, Oregon, which is close to his hometown of Portland. [2]

A "Springfield" was also the setting of the early 1950s radio and television program, Father Knows Best , as well as the 1950s soap opera The Guiding Light , which continued as the CBS soap opera Guiding Light through 2009. "Springfield" was also the given locale for the 1957-1963 television series Leave it to Beaver .

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Matt Groening</span> American cartoonist (born 1954)

Matthew Abram Groening is an American cartoonist, writer, producer, and animator. He is best known as the creator of the comic strip Life in Hell (1977–2012) and the television series The Simpsons (1989–present), Futurama, and Disenchantment (2018–2023). The Simpsons is the longest-running U.S. primetime television series in history and the longest-running U.S. animated series and sitcom.

<i>The Simpsons</i> American animated sitcom

The Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. Developed by Groening, James L. Brooks, and Sam Simon, the series is a satirical depiction of American life, epitomized by the Simpson family, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, and Maggie. Set in the fictional town of Springfield, it caricatures society, Western culture, television, and the human condition.

Springfield may refer to:

Springfield (<i>The Simpsons</i>) Fictional city in animated TV sitcom The Simpsons

Springfield is the primary fictional setting of the American animated sitcom The Simpsons and related media. It is an average-sized, fictional city within an unknown state in the United States. The fictional city's geography, surroundings, and layout are flexible, often changing to accommodate the plot of any given episode.

"Bart the Genius" is the second episode of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It originally aired on Fox in the United States on January 14, 1990. It was the first episode written by Jon Vitti. It is the show's first normal episode as well as the first to use the signature title sequence, though this version is much different from the one subsequently used, from the second season to the twentieth season. In the episode, Bart cheats on an intelligence test and is declared a genius, so he is sent to a school for gifted children. Though he initially enjoys being treated as a genius, he begins to see the downside of his new life.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ralph Wiggum</span> Fictional character from The Simpsons franchise

Ralph Wiggum is a recurring character in the animated series The Simpsons. He is voiced by Nancy Cartwright. Ralph is characterized largely by his frequent non-sequiturs which range from nonsensical and bizarre to profound. His dim-witted behavior lends him an air of blissful ignorance.

"The Telltale Head" is the eighth episode of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It originally aired on Fox in the United States on February 25, 1990. It was written by Al Jean, Mike Reiss, Sam Simon and Matt Groening, and directed by Rich Moore. In the episode, Bart cuts the head off the statue of Jebediah Springfield in the center of town to impress Jimbo, Kearney and Dolph, three older kids he admires. The town's residents, including the three boys, are horrified and Bart regrets his actions. After telling Lisa and Marge, Homer and Bart head to the center of town, where they are met by an angry mob. After Bart tells the mob that he has made a mistake, the townspeople forgive Bart and the boy places the head back on the statue. The episode's title is a reference to the 1843 short story "The Tell-Tale Heart" by Edgar Allan Poe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marge vs. the Monorail</span> 12th episode of the 4th season of The Simpsons

"Marge vs. the Monorail" is the twelfth episode of the fourth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It originally aired on Fox in the United States on January 14, 1993. The plot revolves around Springfield's impulse purchase of a faulty monorail from a conman, and how it subsequently falls to Marge to stop the train from destroying the town.

<i>The Simpsons Movie</i> 2007 film directed by David Silverman

The Simpsons Movie is a 2007 American animated comedy film based on the Fox animated sitcom The Simpsons by Matt Groening. The film was directed by series veteran David Silverman and stars the series' regular cast of Dan Castellaneta, Julie Kavner, Nancy Cartwright, Yeardley Smith, Hank Azaria, Harry Shearer, Pamela Hayden, and Tress MacNeille reprising their roles and Albert Brooks as the film's main antagonist, Russ Cargill, head of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The film follows Homer Simpson, who irresponsibly pollutes Springfield's local lake, causing the EPA to imprison the town under a giant glass dome. After he and his family escape to Alaska, they ultimately abandon Homer for his selfishness and return to Springfield to prevent the town's demolition by Cargill. Homer then works to redeem his folly by returning to Springfield himself in an effort to save it.

"Krusty Gets Busted" is the twelfth and penultimate episode of the first season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It originally aired on Fox in the United States on April 29, 1990. The episode was written by Jay Kogen and Wallace Wolodarsky and directed by Brad Bird. In the episode, Krusty the Clown is convicted of armed robbery of the Kwik-E-Mart. Believing that Krusty has been framed for it, Bart and Lisa investigate the crime and learn that Krusty's sidekick, Sideshow Bob, is the culprit.

"A Star Is Burns" is the eighteenth episode of the sixth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It first aired on Fox in the United States on March 5, 1995. In the episode, Springfield decides to hold a film festival, and famed critic Jay Sherman is invited to be a judge.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Simpsons Spin-Off Showcase</span> 24th episode of the 8th season of The Simpsons

"The Simpsons Spin-Off Showcase" is the twenty-fourth and penultimate episode of the eighth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on May 11, 1997. The episode centers on fictional pilot episodes of non-existent television series derived from The Simpsons, and is a parody of the tendency of networks to spin off characters from a hit series. As such it includes references to many different TV series. The first fictional spin-off is Chief Wiggum P.I., a cop-dramedy featuring Chief Wiggum and Seymour Skinner. The second is The Love-matic Grampa, a sitcom featuring Moe Szyslak who receives dating advice from Abraham Simpson, whose ghost is possessing a love testing machine. The final segment is The Simpson Family Smile-Time Variety Hour, a variety show featuring the Simpson family except for Lisa, who has been replaced.

"Lemon of Troy" is the twenty-fourth and penultimate episode of the sixth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It originally aired on Fox in the United States on May 14, 1995. In the episode, the children of Springfield try to retrieve their beloved lemon tree after it is stolen by the children of Shelbyville.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Colonel Homer</span> 20th episode of the 3rd season of The Simpsons

"Colonel Homer" is the twentieth episode of the third season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It originally aired on Fox in the United States on March 26, 1992. In the episode, Homer and Marge quarrel after he embarrasses her at a movie theater. Later Homer visits a redneck bar, where he discovers Lurleen Lumpkin, a talented singer-songwriter, waiting tables. Homer becomes her manager, unaware she has fallen in love with him. When Marge grows upset because she suspects Homer is cheating on her, he must remain faithful to her after Lurleen makes romantic advances toward him.

"Old Money" is the seventeenth episode of the second season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It originally aired on Fox in the United States on March 28, 1991.

"Homer Simpson, This Is Your Wife" is the fifteenth episode of the seventeenth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on March 26, 2006, and was watched by around ten million people during that broadcast. In the episode, Homer signs the Simpson family up for a reality show in which the mothers of two families switch places. Marge gets to live with a friendly man named Charles and his perfect son, while Homer, Bart, and Lisa must spend time with Charles' strict wife Verity.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Who Shot Mr. Burns?</span> Two-part episode of The Simpsons

"Who Shot Mr. Burns?" is a two-part episode of the American animated television series The Simpsons.Part One is the twenty-fifth and final episode of the sixth season and originally aired on Fox in the United States on May 21, 1995, while Part Two is the season premiere of the seventh season and aired on Fox on September 17, 1995.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Springfield, Essex</span> Human settlement in England

Springfield is a civil parish of the Borough of Chelmsford in Essex, England, which is now a north-eastern suburb of the city of Chelmsford.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Springfield, Oregon</span> 9th largest city in Oregon, United States

Springfield is a city in Lane County, Oregon, United States. Located in the Southern Willamette Valley, it is within the Eugene-Springfield Metropolitan Statistical Area. Separated from Eugene to the west, mainly by Interstate 5, Springfield is the second-most populous city in the metropolitan area after Eugene. As of the 2020 census, the city has a total population of 61,851, making it the 9th most populous city in Oregon.

<i>The Simpsons</i> and Portland, Oregon

There are many connections between the American animated sitcom The Simpsons and the city of Portland, Oregon, the hometown of series creator Matt Groening.

References

  1. USGS GNIS FAQ, 12. What is the most frequently occurring community (city, town, village, etc.) name in the United States?
  2. ""The Simpsons" creator Matt Groening reveals location of Springfield". CBS News .