At last, Matt Groening has revealed where The Simpsons is actually located: the actual Springfield is next to Eugene, Oregon, the state where Groening grew up. We went through the entire city to find what the most important locations look in real life.

Talking to Smithsonian Magazine's Claudia de la Roca, Groening finally confessed:

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.

Take a look at what some of the locations in the series really look like in real Springfield. Some of them are similar. Others don't share any similarities at all, like the Town Hall.

Where's Apu?
Definitely as crappy as the real Moe's.
Big Burger = Krusty's?
Elementary school.
The athletics grounds.
First Church.
City Hall is a 70s or 80s monstrosity that doesn't look at all like The Simpsons'.
The nearby lake.
A typical house in Springfield.
Sports cards shop.
Public library.
On the positive side, there's no nearby nuclear power plant. But this kind of looks like the grounds for the one in the series.

I have to say that Springfield, Oregon, doesn't seem as charming as the cartoon Springfield. Especially when you're watching The Simpsons lying down on a comfy sofa, sharing a Pepsi with a lovely girl and two cats.

Update: People, I know that the buildings don't look the same. I said this in the article. We are not claiming that these buildings were the base for the actual locations. This is just a look at the locations of the city whose name inspired Groening for The Simpsons.