Care to live in the Shire?

Now it appears that you can live in the Shire - although I would guess it carries a pretty hefty price tag. The Shire of Bend, Oregon is a housing development that has Tolkien-themed elements. From the web site:

"The Shire is a development that borrows its basic design concept, styling and features from an era where the sense of community, the beauty of the land and the interaction of the residents with the land had high value. The Shire brings the spirit of a great age to daily living. The Shire has many flavors of eighteenth century English architecture and landscaping chosen because the style of the period was enchanting, evoking good feelings of a simpler lifestyle than the present. The Shire is a place where just the beauty and charm of the grounds and the structures make you relax, smile and be happier. We set out to create a lifestyle rather than a subdivision."

There are a variety of styles available, including the above one that looks more Anglo-Saxon Rohan than English countryside Shire. They use specialty shingles to re-create the thatching. There are even "Hobbit-Homes" in the development that are actually storage sheds:

Very interesting, if a little too commercialized...

David+

Technorati Tags: housing, Rohan, shire, tolkien

Comments

[brooke]

GASP!
As I currently reside in Oregon...(and have spent many an afternoon visiting the in-laws in Bend...)
I can barely believe that they are attempting to masquerade another subdivision as Shire-esque community!

Houses in Bend have gone from an average of around the 100k's to an average of over 350k...in the past 5 years...I can scarcely imagine a community of people who would hold a soft spot for a Shire-ish existence AND at the same time be able to afford to live in Bend!!
Bend, the Aspen of Oregon...

Wow.
Interesting...
Wow.

[FrDavid]

Yeah,

The price sheets say they start at about 577K and go up to around 1 Million. Kinda Sarumanesque.

David+

[brooke]

577k to 1 mil!
can you imagine?!
completely Sarumanesque! :)