Springfield isn't the most popular city name in the US

> **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-

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