Capital City (The Simpsons)

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Capital City (originally written as Capitol City) is a fictional state capital from The Simpsons. It is the capital of the state where Springfield and Shelbyville are located. The city nickname is "The Windy Apple" (a portmanteau of The Windy City and The Big Apple). Principal Seymour Skinner was born in the city, and Milhouse Van Houten's mother, Luanne Van Houten, briefly moved there after her divorce.

It is believed that the true inspiration for Capital City in the Simpsons series comes from the city of Portland, Oregon. Since Matt Groening is from Oregon, many Oregonians believe that the city of Springfield in the series is taken from Springfield, Oregon, thus making Eugene, Oregon the inspiration for neighboring city Shelbyville, and making Portland the inspiration for Capital City. It is also a known fact that many of characters in The Simpsons are named after streets in Portland (i.e. Reverend Lovejoy, Ned Flanders, and Monty Burns(for Burnside).)

The city is often host to major events such as concerts, sports games and United Nations Conferences. It has its own major league baseball team, The Capital City Capitals, with mascot The Capital City Goofball. Other attractions include the Cross-town suspension bridge (Portland is also known as Bridgetown, for its many bridges over the Willamette River), the main Duff Brewery (inspired by the Henry Weinhard's brewery in Portland), the Capital City Stadium, the Capital City Amphitheatre and the intersection of 4th and D streets (Broadway and Burnside Streets in Portland.) Boxer Dredrick Tatum grew up in the "projects of Capital City."

The city has its own version of Monopoly, which Milhouse brought Bart after returning to Springfield. As described by Milhouse, "Baltic Avenue is now Wayne Street, It's awesome!"

The city is 220 miles away from Springfield, with air-routes, several roads, and a railway linking the two cities. The city also has several large hotels which frequently host conventions attended by the Simpson family, and Capital City also hosted the Super Bowl and the music festival Hullabalooza.

Landmarks and stores in Capital City featured on the show include the Bootleg T-Shirt Emporium (inspired by Portland's Saturday Market), Capital City Plaza Hotel (where Homer Simpson and Mindy Simmons stayed during the National Energy Convention), Duff Brewery, Madame Chao's Chinese Restaurant, St. Dominick's Cathedral, The Penny Loafer, Volkswagen World, and the 2nd Best Western Hotel.

During an episode in which the Simpson family visits Capital City, Tony Bennett sings a song praising the city.