Overlooked Simpsons treat could serve as setting for Michigan series

The simpsons The long-running animated series is famously not set in any real city in any identifiable state. The family lives in Springfield. However, since that name is one of the most commonly used place names in America, The Simpsons’ Springfield could easily be relocated to any city in the United States.

Simpsons Creator Matt Groening has hinted that Springfield in the series might take its name from Springfield in his home state of Oregon. But that hasn’t stopped other Springfields from hoping to get a little Simpsons Fame.

There is a Springfield, Michigan, a suburb of Battle Creek, but that Springfield is rarely mentioned in connection with The Simpsons, but a long-overlooked Easter egg in the show may hint at a surprising Michigan connection.

READ MORE: The reboot of “The Office” could well be set in Michigan

In an episode of the fourth season, Homer Simpson’s driver’s license is actually revealed. The address in Evergreen Terrace shows the state abbreviation NT and the zip code 49007.

A copy of the license can be purchased on eBay.

A quick Google search for the zip code 49007 shows that the zip code belongs to Kalamazoo, Michigan. More specifically, the downtown and north side of the city.

Hats off to the “Yes, There Really Is a Kalamazoo Meme” page on Facebook for discovering the Springfield zip code that has fascinated Simpsons fans on Reddit for years.

And what about NT for the state? It’s probably not Canada’s Northwest Territories or Australia’s Northern Territory – both have NT as a two-letter abbreviation.

Fans on Reddit point out that NT stands for “North Tacoma.”

The zip code for Springfield, Michigan is 49037 – a Battle Creek zip code that happens to cover the city of Springfield. Springfield isn’t that far from the real 49007 either – just 15 miles as the crow flies from the easternmost point of the 49007 zip code and the westernmost city limits of Springfield.