Beware My Cheating Bart Club" gave the episode a C+ saying that "A stellar Bill Plympton couch gag is the best part of a mediocre "Simpsons"". Different chalkboard gags appeared for different airings of this episode. The original U.S. broadcast version was "The true location of Springfield is in any state but yours", a response to reactions to a Matt Groening interview in which he revealed that the name of Springfield was inspired by Springfield, Oregon, which was widely misinterpreted as Groening revealing that "The Simpsons" Springfield was located in Oregon. The montage featuring Simon & Garfunkel's "April Come She Will" is a reference
Springfield (The Simpsons) disasters, including heat waves, blizzards, avalanches, earthquakes, acid rain, floods, hurricanes, lightning strikes, tornadoes, and volcanic eruptions. Springfield's environment is unusually polluted. Overflowing garbage forced the whole town – both population and structures — to move five miles (8 km) away from the massive dump that the old town of Springfield had become. Springfield is also, unfortunately, home to the state's largest self-sustaining tire fire, which has been burning continuously for many decades. Lake Springfield's pollution almost led to the town's destruction by an Environmental Protection Agency bomb, and pollution from the nuclear power plant has mutated the fish in