**OK, why do the Simpsons live in a town called Springfield? Isn't that a little generic?**
Springfield was named after Springfield, Oregon. The only reason is that when I was a kid, the TV show “Father Knows Best” took place in the town of Springfield, and I was thrilled because I imagined that it was the town next to Portland, my hometown. When I grew up, I realized it was just a fictitious name. 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.
“Matt Groening Reveals the Location of the Real Springfield | Arts & Culture| Smithsonian Magazine [1]”
So I got to wondering, is Springfield the most popular city name in the US (United States)? I know, weird question, but I'm curious. So some quick searching lead me to the United States Geological Survey Geographical Names Database [2]. With some massaging of the data, I was able to determine that there are 34 States with a “Springfield,” but it's not alone. There are eight other cities that are also in 34 States: Arlington, Chester, Clinton, Farmington, Florence, Greenville, Milton, and Newport. Okay, maybe not the same 34 states across all those cities, but you get the idea.
But those cities aren't the most popular names. No, all of them are tied for ninth place! The city name that appears in most states is “Riverside” at 46 States (plus Puerto Rico). The States that don't have a “Riverside” are Alaska, Hawaii, Oklahoma, and Louisiana (really? Louisiana? One of the world's largest river run straight through that state, and no one bothered to name a town in Louisiana, “Riverside?”).
And just to satisfy the curious:
Table: Top 10 city names in the US (including territories) Place Name # States ------------------------------ 1 Riverside 47 2 Centerville 43 3 Fairview 41 4 Franklin 40 5 Midway 39 6 Georgetown 37 Glendale 37 Greenwood 37 7 Lincoln 36 Marion 36 Oakland 36 Pleasant Valley 36 Salem 36 Union 36 8 Fairfield 35 Lakeview 35 Liberty 35 9 Arlington 34 Chester 34 Clinton 34 Farmington 34 Florence 34 Greenville 34 Milton 34 Newport 34 Springfield 34 10 Bethel 33 Clifton 33 Eden 33 Glenwood 33 Hamilton 33 Kingston 33 Lakeside 33 Mount Pleasant 33 Summit 33
[1] https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/matt-groening-reveals-the-
[2] https://www.usgs.gov/u.s.-board-on-geographic-names/download-gnis-