I reside in Connecticut, but in my fantasies I reside in Vermont. There is no better state in the Union. I actually own property there, so though I am not a resident, I am a taxpayer, and can feel a certain amount of pride for my home state by purchase, so to speak.
So I was thrilled to see that the nation agrees, and has conferred immortality on Springfield, Vermont, by designating it as the official home of the Simpsons.
Vermont’s Springfield — which has a bowling alley, a pub, a prison and a nuclear power plant just down the road — wasn’t initially part of the contest, but a local Chamber of Commerce executive appealed to movie producer 20th Century Fox and the race was on.
The town submitted a video shot by a 17-year-old volunteer cameraman showing buildings with “Springfield” in them and featuring Homer — played by a Burlington talk-show host — running through town chasing a big, pink, rolling doughnut.
Eventually, a mob chases him into a movie theater
I have gone to see movies in that very movie theater, an old fashioned theater in an old fashioned downtown.
In truth, both Springfield the town and Vermont the state are unlikely settings for the fictional Springfield. Neither the town or the state are brain dead enough to really qualify (see, e.g., Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, Alabama, et. al). Nonetheless, it is a deserved honor for a great little town in a great little state.
Update: As further proof of Vermont’s relative enlightenment, I submit the following (click for enlargement) which shows the relative concentration of religious adherents in the fifty states (courtesy of Richard Dawkins). Interestingly enough, the enlightened section of Connecticut appears be the easternmost, including my very own New London County. It’s also good to see that Maine scores exceptionally well on the disbelief index.
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