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Developer Builds The Shire in Bend, Oregon

WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 13 2006 1:00 PM

Submitted by WilWheaton. Edited By WilWheaton.

TAGS: hobbits, nerds, Lord of the Rings

If you've always wanted to live in The Shire, but found yourself stuck in this annoying Real World -- and you have about a half-million dollars -- you could live in an Oregon development inspired by Tolkien's classic story.

It was a friend who came up with the name for the development on Bend's east side. "He is the one that's the Tolkien freak," said [Ron] Meyers, The Shire's sire. "Not me."

Still, he'll play along when prospective home buyers or the merely curious stop by to see his plans for recreating an 18th-century English village featuring homes with names such as Swordsman's Lodge and Butterfly Cottage.

The houses -- going for $550,000 to $850,000 -- will feature gabled roofs with faux-straw thatch made from thin strands of PVC that promotional literature says "is essentially windproof, rainproof, fireproof and guaranteed not to discolor."

Meyers has taken the liberty of renaming an irrigation canal next to The Shire as Brandywine Brook. He's happy to show off two Hobbit holes otherwise known as storage sheds.

"If you look inside there right now," said Meyer, pointing to one, "you'll find a lawn mower."

Sounds magical, doesn't it? Don't bother looking for Tom Bombadil, though. Just like Peter Jackson, Meyer will exclude the popular character from his version of The Shire.

22 Comments

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Snottlebocket

Netherlands

March 2004

SEP 13, 2006 01:23 PM

a pvc shire for the rich, i'm lost for words.

MisterLinguist

Birmingham, AL

October 2005

SEP 13, 2006 01:25 PM

Don't worry someone will probably rename themselves Master of Water, Land, and Wood just to live there.

ThisIsWhoWeAre

Oakland, CA

July 2004

SEP 13, 2006 01:31 PM

All I want is a round front door...

punk7d7

I'm lost

January 2006

SEP 13, 2006 01:34 PM

What a bunch of whackos...and they can keep their million dollar homes and all that fake bullshit.

filmjedi

Brighton, MA

June 2004

SEP 13, 2006 01:57 PM

dude, if saruman moves in next door, your fucked!

Chainlink

Key West, FL

August 2005

SEP 13, 2006 01:57 PM

ThisIsWhoWeAre said:
All I want is a round front door...

Thats what I've always said

WilWheaton

Los Angeles, CA

June 2005

SEP 13, 2006 02:00 PM

Snottlebocket said:
a pvc shire for the rich, i'm lost for words.

Exactly. Anyone who truly loves the Lord of the Rings would never live there; the whole idea goes against the statement against modern living that was made in the books.

SockPuppet

I'm lost

July 2006

SEP 13, 2006 02:08 PM

WilWheaton said:

Snottlebocket said:
a pvc shire for the rich, i'm lost for words.

Exactly. Anyone who truly loves the Lord of the Rings would never live there; the whole idea goes against the statement against modern living that was made in the books.

I don't know, it seems to me that LOTR is all about social stratification and against change... divine right of kings, NIMBYism (nice and convenient when the dwarves make the pans, but a smoky mill in the Shire? Oh noes!!), race as a mark of morality... there's a long list.

I agree the plasticness is very un-JRRT; productive, stable work must be found for the lower classes, after all.

MschfMayhemSoap

Phoenix, AZ

April 2006

SEP 13, 2006 02:28 PM

time to get a gray cloak, a blackened sword, and a dark horse...... muahaha!!!!

Who's with me .. I need Eight more volunteers.

Colinism

Atlanta, GA

July 2005

SEP 13, 2006 03:07 PM

Now we need 7 more.

Krass_of_nod

Bend, OR

April 2005

SEP 13, 2006 03:14 PM

BAH! the yuppies are ruining my good old fashioned redneck town....

YUPPIES BEGONE!!!!!!! *summons sarumon on them anyway*

Krass_of_nod

Bend, OR

April 2005

SEP 13, 2006 03:16 PM

MisterLinguist said:
Don't worry someone will probably rename themselves Master of Water, Land, and Wood just to live there.

yes knowing the people in this town I most definately agree (O.o)
this town is actyually sad enough to have someone do that....

Krass_of_nod

Bend, OR

April 2005

SEP 13, 2006 03:17 PM

punk7d7 said:
What a bunch of whackos...and they can keep their million dollar homes and all that fake bullshit.

yeap, I said the same f-in thing man it is ridiculous around here anymore

Krass_of_nod

Bend, OR

April 2005

SEP 13, 2006 03:18 PM

WilWheaton said:

Snottlebocket said:
a pvc shire for the rich, i'm lost for words.

Exactly. Anyone who truly loves the Lord of the Rings would never live there; the whole idea goes against the statement against modern living that was made in the books.

yes but if you had been up on all the trendy idiotic bullshit these people are building and then selling for a riduculous amount of money you would be ready to shoot someone. Trust me I have been reeling from the shit here for the last 6 years. it has all gone downhill since. More yuppies, more yuppie neighborhoods and to think that two years ago the place they are building that "Shire" is a place where cows ate and shit for 80 years....I wonder if generations of cowshit makes the land value higher...and whether or not these l;atte suckin yuppie scum have any idea of what has been transpiring there (^_^)

hmm, on another note. I wonder if i can get them to build a West World hehe and sic yule Brenner on them (^_^)

AgentofOblivion

Eastpointe, MI

May 2005

SEP 13, 2006 03:33 PM

I cant wait to move back to Oregon. I think I might get a bunch of people to storm the shire with plastic swords and test the fire-proofness of this high end pvc.

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