Soft gamma-ray repeaters (SGRs) and anomalous x-ray pulsars (AXPs) are young (<100 kyr), radio-quiet, x-ray pulsars which have been rapidly spun-down to slow spin periods clustered at 5–12 s. Nearly all of these unusual pulsars also appear to be associated with supernova shell remnants (SNRs) with typical ages <20 kyr. If the unusual properties of SGRs and AXPs are due to an innate feature, such as a super-strong magnetic field, then the pre-supernova environments of SGRs and AXPs should be typical of neutron star progenitors. This isnotthe case, however, as we demonstrate that the interstellar media which surrounded the SGR and AXP progenitors and their SNRs were unusually dense compared to the environments around most young radio pulsars and SNRs. Thus, if these SNR associations are real, the SGRs and AXPs can not be “magnetars,” and we suggest instead that the environments surrounding SGRs and AXPs play a controlling role in their development. ©2000 American Institute of Physics.