One neighbourhood to rule them all. That's the dream of the creative masterminds behind The Shire, an imaginative new housing development in Bend, Ore., inspired by the architecture, spirit and places in The Lord of the Rings.

In addition to borrowing its name from the J.R.R. Tolkein novels -- The Shire is the mythical home of protagonist Frodo Baggins -- the subdivision recalls the trilogy through such features as faux thatched roofs, medieval signage, fireplaces with Rohan carvings, an irrigation canal dubbed Brandywine Brook and maintenance sheds built into the hillside to look like hobbit holes. [More]