North Tacoma, Tacoma, Washington

North Tacoma (also called the North End) is a neighborhood in Tacoma, Washington, in the United States.

The North End of Tacoma has informal and formal boundaries. Informally, the generally accepted boundaries of the North End are 6th Avenue and Division Avenue to the south and Puget Sound to the north, west, and east. Although the independent city of Ruston is not legally a part of the city of Tacoma, most residents of Ruston self-identify as being from Tacoma and it is considered acceptable for someone from Ruston to refer to the area as the "north end." Because Division Avenue does not run down the ridge above it and thus does not cross it, Schuster Parkway lacks a defined border between the north and south ends. However, this area is not populated, and extrapolating Division Avenue gives a good sense of where the area ends. Formally, the city has designations for each of the eight neighborhoods which are represented by neighborhood councils. These designations are not generally known, but they are marked on city streets by special signs. For the North End, 6th Ave forms the boundary on the south and southeast to 4th St., Puget Sound which runs NE to North, 46th St. on the North to Huson, and back down to 6th on the South. While much of the West End and some the Central District (especially the Stadium area) are identified with the informal boundaries of the North End, the City of Tacoma identifies these area as separate for purposes of representation and planning.

Springfield (The Simpsons)

Springfield is the fictional town in which the American animated sitcom The Simpsons is set. A mid-sized town in an undetermined state of the United States, Springfield acts as a complete universe in which characters can explore the issues faced by modern society. The geography of the town and its surroundings is flexible, changing to address whatever an episode's plot calls for.

Springfield's location is impossible to determine, and the show is deliberately evasive on the subject, providing contradictory clues and information about an actual geographic location.

Creation

Springfield is meant to represent "anytown, USA" and not be a specific real town, although the producers acknowledge basing the town on various locations including The Simpsons creator Matt Groening's hometown of Portland, Oregon and Mike Scully's hometown, Springfield, Massachusetts. Groening named Springfield after Springfield, Oregon, and also took inspiration from Springfield being the fictitious setting of the series Father Knows Best. He said, "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." Groening liked Second City Television's use of Melonville, a town with a large cast of recurring characters that serves as a mini-universe for the show, and partially based The Simpsons on it.