Will the Real Springfield in 'The Simpsons' Please Stand Up?

Could Springfield, OR (below via Bruce Fingerhood) be The Simpsons' Springfield? D'oh! 

Not since "The Flintstones" has there been a TV family as colorful as "The Simpsons." Since it premiered in 1989, the eponymous series has usurped its prehistoric predecessor as the longest-running animated show in American TV history. It also holds the title of longest-running sitcom or scripted primetime television series, animated or otherwise.

Staying power not only means relevance. It also goes to show the relatability of the jaundiced, dysfunctional family who look and act like they could be from Everytown, USA. 

In fact, its fictional setting, Springfield, has at some point been the name of real towns, cities, and communities in so many states, including Arkansas, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wisconsin. Even the US Virgin Islands have a settlement called Springfield.

But where is Springfield in "The Simpsons"? What state is it in exactly? The answer is ultimately subjective, but there's one state with a strong claim to having the real Springfield, and it's home to show creator Matt Groening.

The Portland-born animator said he named the Simpsons' hometown after Springfield, Oregon. Growing up, he believed the Springfield in the sitcom "Father Knows Best" is the same one in his home state. 

"I also figured out that Springfield was one of the most common names for a city in the US," he explained to Smithsonian Magazine in 2012. "In anticipation of the success of the show, I thought, 'This will be cool; everyone will think it’s their Springfield.' And they do."

Exec producer Mike Scully even hailed from one: West Springfield, Massachusetts. But to generate buzz for 2007's "The Simpsons Movie," 20th Century Fox held a contest to pick which Springfield, USA will host its global premiere. 

Springfield, Vermont won that battle, but its namesake in Oregon won the war. As consolation, Groening sent a plaque to the latter that said: "Yo to Springfield, Oregon–the real Springfield."

Instant bragging rights that should have settled the debate once and for all, right? Well, viewers sat inside the cinema to watch Ned Flanders say that the state where Springfield is borders Kentucky, Maine, Nevada, and Ohio, which doesn't make sense geographically. Director David Silverman named this fictional state "North Takoma."

So, yes, Springfield, America is still a stateless state of mind, and as long as it's still on air, "The Simpsons" has an opportunity to put the subject to rest. But viewers are content living in oblivion so far, seeing themselves reflected two-dimensionally in what the show self-deprecatingly calls "America's Worst City."