i'm pretty sure it's meant to be a generic place designed to represent every state. The bit in the simposons movie about it bordering on Ohio, Maine, Nevada and Kentucky I think supports this, as well as lisa's line in "Half-Decent proposal; "west springfield is three times the size of texas. there are no states with an area three times the size of texas. nonetheless, I'll put up areas which I think can be eliminated.
It has a coast. Springfield has a harbor and a beach from which they can reach international waters (you can get to open sea from any of the great lakes). So all the land locked states can be ruled out. Thats: Idaho, Nevada, Arizona, Montana, Utah, Wyoming, Colorado, New Mexico, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, Iowa, Missouri, Arkansas, Kentucky, Tennessee and West Virginia. It can't be Maine or Ohio either, because it borders them. In "Maggie makes three" Homer implies that Springfield is not in California, and Skinner does the same about Upstate New York in "22 short stories". They don't live in Florida because they went there on vacation in "Kill the alligator and run". It has to get a fair degree of snow, every winter, so Texas, Mississippi, Louisiana, Alabama and Georgia can be ruled out. In one episode they are planning on flying to Delaware, so it's not Delaware. Homer sales in a nuclear sub from Springfield to Russian waters, which implies they're on the west coast, but he could have sailed the long way around. I'd say the leading candidates are Illinois and Oregon. No one has mentioned these states, and I think they're possibilities too: Wisconsin, Minnesota, Michigan.
Comment
i'm pretty sure it's meant to be a generic place designed to represent every state. The bit in the simposons movie about it bordering on Ohio, Maine, Nevada and Kentucky I think supports this, as well as lisa's line in "Half-Decent proposal; "west springfield is three times the size of texas. there are no states with an area three times the size of texas. nonetheless, I'll put up areas which I think can be eliminated.
It has a coast. Springfield has a harbor and a beach from which they can reach international waters (you can get to open sea from any of the great lakes). So all the land locked states can be ruled out. Thats:
Idaho, Nevada, Arizona, Montana, Utah, Wyoming, Colorado, New Mexico, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, Iowa, Missouri, Arkansas, Kentucky, Tennessee and West Virginia. It can't be Maine or Ohio either, because it borders them. In "Maggie makes three" Homer implies that Springfield is not in California, and Skinner does the same about Upstate New York in "22 short stories". They don't live in Florida because they went there on vacation in "Kill the alligator and run". It has to get a fair degree of snow, every winter, so Texas, Mississippi, Louisiana, Alabama and Georgia can be ruled out. In one episode they are planning on flying to Delaware, so it's not Delaware. Homer sales in a nuclear sub from Springfield to Russian waters, which implies they're on the west coast, but he could have sailed the long way around. I'd say the leading candidates are Illinois and Oregon. No one has mentioned these states, and I think they're possibilities too: Wisconsin, Minnesota, Michigan.