The Simpsons and Portland, Oregon

There are many connections between the American animated sitcom The Simpsons and the city of Portland, Oregon, the hometown of series creator Matt Groening.^[1][2][3]

Signs for streets in Portland, Oregon which inspired select characters on The Simpsons

Many characters on the show have names similar to streets in Portland; Burnside, Flanders, Kearney, Lovejoy, Quimby, and Terwilliger inspired Mr. Burns, Ned Flanders, Kearney Zzyzwicz, Reverend Lovejoy, and Mayor Quimby, and Robert Onderdonk Terwilliger Jr. (better known as Sideshow Bob), respectively.^[4][5]

The 2019 episode "Marge the Lumberjill" is set in Portland and includes street signs with the names that inspired the character names.^[6]

In early 2021, Groening signed a portrait of Homer Simpson for a fundraising auction for Lincoln High School, his alma mater.^[7]

Ned Flanders Crossing (2021), a footbridge spanning Interstate 405 to connect the Northwest District and Pearl District, is named after Ned Flanders.^[8]

In 2021, an anonymous artist installed a "Merge Simpson" depicting Marge Simpson near an on-ramp to Interstate 405 in northwest Portland. The sign was displayed below a column of shrubbery resembling Simpson's beehive. City officials removed the sign because of driving safety concerns.^[9][10]

See also

• "The Day the Earth Stood Cool" (December 9, 2012)