The first screening of "The Simpsons Movie" will take place in Springfield from Vermont, which was freshly proclaimed the hometown of TV’s favorite family, the Simpsons.

Out of the 14 communities with the same name, the southeastern Vermont community with just 9,000 residents has been voted the winner with 15,367 votes, in a nationwide contest for the title of the official hometown of the Simpsons.

Springfield Vt. was excluded from the initial competition and got invited after the head of the local Chamber of Commerce saw a news report about the online pool organized by 20th Century Fox and asked to be involved.

"We're so excited," said Patricia Chaffee, vice president of the Springfield Regional Chamber of Commerce. "We came in at the last minute, and for us to win, we feel like the underdogs, which makes this so big and so great for us."

Gov. James Douglas, who cast his vote on the USA Today Web site for the Vermont video admitted that he only saw "The Simpsons" several times on TV.

"This is an exciting, exhilarating moment for Vermonters," he said. "Perhaps more importantly, it proves there’s really nothing a giant doughnut can’t do. To all the other Springfields, I say "Don’t have a cow, man."

"Springfield has enthusiastically embraced this unique and entertaining opportunity to promote their community and the entire region," the governor congratulated the town in his press release.

The movie’s premiere is on 21 July, ahead of national US release on 27 July.