Graced with an extravagantly unsafe nuclear power station, doughnut-obsessed police, and a generally dysfunctional population, Springfield hardly seems the sort of place with which any self-respecting town would want to be associated.

But the fictional home of “The Simpsons” has sparked a stampede among real-life Springfields across America to host the premiere of a new feature film version of the enormously popular cartoon series.

Of the 34 Springfields in the United States, 14 answered the call from the film’s producers to make a short film talking up their similarities with the home of Homer, Bart, Marge, and Lisa.

Often showing the sketchiest knowledge of the show, mayors of Springfields as far afield as Illinois, Florida, New Jersey, and Colorado have been jamming news channels to pontificate on why their town is just like the fictional version.

Following an Internet poll in which voters were asked to watch the films and choose the town which best represents the “Simpsons spirit,” the winner was announced yesterday as Springfield, Vermont.

In association with the Springfield Regional Chamber of Commerce and the Vermont Film Commission, the town, which has a population of 9,000, produced an elaborate film in which “Homer” chases a giant doughnut through the town and is later himself pursued by a pitchfork-waving mob.

The town will now host the premiere of “The Simpsons Movie” on July 26.

“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.”

The program’s makers have always insisted Springfield is simply an archetypal Middle American town.

Matt Groening, its creator, has said it has much in common with Portland, Oregon, where he grew up.