Springfield's State (The Simpsons)
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| |||
| State Motto: Not just another state | |||
| Capital | Capital City | ||
| Largest city | Capital City | ||
| Governor | Mary Bailey | ||
| Congressional Representatives | Antoine O'Hara, Herschel Pinkus Yerucham Krustofski | ||
| Area | Over 2,088,723 km² | ||
| Highest point | 6144 m | ||
| Main Industry | Brewing, Manufacturing, Agriculture, Petrochemicals, Nuclear Power | ||
| Abbreviations | |||
| - USPS | NT, TA | ||
| State Bird | Potbellied sparrow | ||
| State Pasta | Bow tie | ||
Springfield's state, whose name is never mentioned, is the state in which the fictional town of Springfield (see Where is Springfield?) in the TV show The Simpsons is located. The state capital is Capital City.
History
The state was founded by circus freaks, and was believed to be the location of New Sodom, due to misinterpreting a passage in the Bible. Settlers heading for the New Sodom instead however founded Springfield, built on Puritan values, and Shelbyville, built on marriage between cousins.
Other cities in the state include: Cypress Creek, founded by the Globex Corporation; Ogdenville, famous for its outlet malls; Little Pwagmattasquarmsettport, allegedly America's shellfish basket; and Capital City, apparently the largest city in the state. Catfish Lake is known for its fishing and marriage retreats. There is also the unpopular community of Stenchburg.
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. The farms mainly grow corn, livestock and tomacco, while within the cities, the main industries are brewing by the Duff and Fudd beer corporations, manufacture of boxes, pillows, food and dangerous chemicals, and retail. This balance means that most of the population works in low paid jobs, mostly blue collar.
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 would later seize the Eastern Seaboard) and Artie Ziff (an entrepreneur).
The state features at least two international airports: Springfield Airport and Capital City Airport. Springfield also has a nuclear power plant, a naval base, an army base and air force base, providing jobs.
The state includes both areas of high wealth (the former Olde 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.
Geography
The state is heavily polluted due to years of lax controls, corrupt government, greedy business and Mafia influence. Toxic waste is crammed into every crack, and Lake Springfield contains mutated three-eyed fish. Despite this, the state has a wide array of wildlife, including grizzly bears, bald eagles, and manatees.
The terrain of the state is varied; it is a coastal state with desert and badlands, mountain ranges almost as high as Mount Everest, lush forest and huge areas of cornfield.
The state is a northern state that was on the Union side during the Civil War - this makes the fact that the state flag has a Confederate flag on it all the more embarrassing for the state's population.
Politics
The matriarchal and revered Mary Bailey, first seen as the incumbent Governor in Two Cars In Every Garage, Three Eyes On Every Fish, could be seen as loosely based on 1980's Kentucky Democratic Governor Martha Layne Collins.
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 cloakrooms 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 acronymed 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". 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 North Tacoma, other US states, and the world.
Another, less orthodox system is the monorail system installed in Springfield, Brockway, Ogdenville and North Haverbrook, since closed for safety reasons.
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" or by other Simpsons producers.
In the mock-biographical episode "Behind the Laughter" (episode 248), the narrator stated that the Simpsons live in northern Kentucky. However, this episode's status as non-canon is undisputed among Simpsons devotees. In addition, the narrator's statement, if taken in context, refers to the "actual" Simpson family, which portrays the "television" Simpson family and does not live in the Springfield locale.
A second version of the same episode is aired in syndication and places the Simpsons in Missouri, further confirming that the episode is non-canon and meant only to confound fans.
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