If you thought The Simpsons was Portlandia-like in its satiric outlook, what with the nuclear-hi-jinx backstory, psychedlic romps by Homer and pot-smoking school bus driver, you were right.

Show creator Matt Groening revealed this week that the location of the show that got its start via his “Life in Hell” comic strip in the local Reader newspaper, is named after a mythical town, Springfield, Oregon, that reminded him of his own hometown …

… Portland.

Yeah, home of all that is politically correct.

After years of speculation about the location of Springfield (it was even kept a secret in The Simpsons move) — Massachusetts? Ohio? — Groening made the reveal in an interview with the Smithsonian magazine.

Springfield was named after Springfield, Oregon. The only reason is that when I was a kid, the TV show “Father Knows Best” took place in the town of Springfield, and I was thrilled because I imagined that it was the town next to Portland, my hometown. When I grew up, I realized it was just a fictitious name. I also 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.

And, in case you wondered, the artist is gung-ho about his hometown, ultra-liberal warts and all:

Everything you can experience in Los Angeles, you can have a much better version of in Portland–including, very basically, the air you breathe.

[@dennisjromero / djromero@laweekly.com / @LAWeeklyNews]

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