LIVING IN THE SHIRE

A friend tuned me into this concept community being built in Oregon and it is not for the faint at heart or those who are light in the pocketbook. The Shire of Bend is a custom built and planned community based on the aesthetic that combines the look and feel of a traditional English rural cottage with a liberal dose of J.R.R. Tolkein, all constructed with modern high-tech materials (including the latest in green building technology). Prices for a 2000 sq ft 'cottage' start at just under $700,000 and range to just over $800,000. The village will consist of an eclectic mix of cottages and townhomes surrounded by common areas, green space, stone paths and streams.

Which is all really wonderful, except that you are just as likely to have neighbour problems here as anywhere else, and probably more so, considering the types of wierdos who would be attracted to this kind of development.