"This milestone installment of the nearly 40-year-old animated series finds the family in Philadelphia. But much of the show's true DNA is rooted almost 3,000 miles west, in Portland, Ore. Although The Simpsons is famously set in the fictional town of "Springfield," the creator of the satirical animated series, Matt Groening, grew up in Portland and sought early inspiration for some of the show's characters in the local landscape."
""Matt Groening was influenced by this place to a degree and chose to name characters after these streets," said Bill Oakley, who served as a showrunner and head writer on The Simpsons through most of the 1990s. He moved to Portland after his tenure on the series. Oakley said he is best known as the creator, with his writing partner Josh Weinstein, of the famous "Steamed Hams" skit in the season seven episode, "22 Short Films about Springfield.""
The Simpsons reaches its 800th episode, airing Sunday, with the Simpson family placed in Philadelphia. The series is set in fictional Springfield but carries creative roots in Portland, Oregon, where creator Matt Groening grew up and found inspiration in local street names. Bill Oakley, former showrunner and head writer, identifies several Springfield names derived from Portland streets along NW 23rd Ave, including Flanders, Lovejoy, Kearney and Quimby. Kearney appears as a recurring bully, Lovejoy as the town cleric, and Quimby as a corrupt-mayor parody. The season seven "Steamed Hams" skit has generated enduring internet memes since 1996.
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