"SPRINGFIELD, SPRINGFIELD, IT'S A HELL OF A TOWN."

 

But for 25 years, none of us have actually known where this town, home to The Simpsons, really is.

Besides neighbouring lemon-tree-stealing Shelbyville, the location of Springfield has always been a mystery. Until now.

The Simpsons' creator Matt Groening has revealed the show's setting is inspired by the real Springfield, Oregon.

Fans of the FOX animated comedy have long suspected the show was based either on Springfield, Illinois, or towns of the same name in Ohio, Massachusetts or New York.

"Springfield was named after Springfield, Oregon," Groening clarified in a Smithsonian magazine interview published Tuesday.

In the past, Groening had let the inspiration for the show's setting remain mysterious, though he sent a plaque to the Oregon town in 2007 that stated, "Yo to Springfield, Oregon - the real Springfield."