'The Simpsons' Creator Reveals Home In Springfield, Oregon

One of the most common names around, "Springfield" can refer to cities and towns in Colorado, Florida, Kentucky and many other states across the country, but in the mind of creator Matt Groening, the titular animated family of The Simpsons resides in the Springfield of his home state of Oregon.

Groening recently revealed that the inspiration for the name came from his childhood, during which he watched the TV show "Father Knows Best," which was set in a town called Springfield. Groening said he was thrilled to imagine the show taking place in Springfield, Oregon — located about 100 miles south of his hometown of Portland — but later 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," Groening told Smithsonian .

At 22 years and counting, The Simpsons is the nation's longest-running sitcom. The acknowledgment of the home state of the animated, lower-middle-class nuclear family ends one of the longest running mysteries of popular culture. There are 13 cities, 11 towns, and 14 townships named Springfield, spread across 35 states. "I don't want to ruin it for people, you know?" Groening said. "Whenever people say it's Springfield, Ohio, or Springfield, Massachusets, or Springfield, wherever, I always go, 'Yup, that's right."