Isn't that where the Castle Aaargh can be found?

I guess I'll have a staycation this year.

Others have suggested it could be a trap to catch out people pilfering copyrighted maps.

I thought this sort of thing went out of fashion in America following the Supreme Court's decision finding the white pages not protected by copyright.

What does happen a lot is, some USGS surveyor 50 years ago entered a name into a file. Maybe the name was spelled wrong. Maybe it wasn't a real place to begin with. Maybe it was depopulated or lost its identity since then. Let's call it Farkville. When Drew's mom was just a girl it was a crossroads with a store and nothing else within a mile. Now it's a cow pasture. Whatever the reason for its loss, hundreds of online services offer localized services just for the residents of Farkville. Farkville singles? We got your Farkville dates here. Need a lawyer? We got your Farkville lawyers here. Need a dot on the map. Here's one for Farkville.

(TFA is about another country, I know. I speak from local experience.)

Isn't it on the Amtrak line after Phuncheton?

Or WHHHHAARRRGGBBBLLLburg?

It would have been cooler if they had added Arkham, MA.

EvilEgg: It would have been cooler if they had added Arkham, MA.

Or the fictitious state of "Wyoming".

"Fictitious town on Googlemaps doesn't actually exist"

are there fictitious towns that do exist? i'm confused.

DjangoStonereaver: Isn't it on the Amtrak line after Phuncheton?

Or WHHHHAARRRGGBBBLLLburg?

amtrak will take me to...phuncheton?

Or the mythical Clitoris. I can't ever seem to find that place.

Is it Palestine?

I worked for DeLorme for a while a number of years ago. DeLorme intentionally puts fake place names on their maps as a way of copyrighting their material. Kinda cool, actually.

testaclese: Or the mythical Clitoris. I can't ever seem to find that place.

It's just down the road from French Lick.

"But you've got to worry for those people relying on geographical data, for marketing purposes, for instance, what mistakes like this mean"

I sure am worried.

ZAZ: I thought this sort of thing went out of fashion in America following the Supreme Court's decision finding the white pages not protected by copyright.

Maps aren't white pages. Most map companies do this by default. Fake streets are one of the easiest to notice.

Scousers are scratching their heads...if they could only read, they could read this article and everything would be better.

Tempted: testaclese: Or the mythical Clitoris. I can't ever seem to find that place.

It's just down the road from French Lick.

No no, you are all confusing it with the ellusive female orgasm.

The residents of Usufruct Ave. in Alexandria, VA approve (new window).

/Also doesn't exist.

That can't be I was just there!

there is a whole road near me that doesn't exist. Never did Check satellite view. Papermill road Link (new window)
Strange it is straight as an arrow also, wonder where that came from?

"Willoughby? Maybe it's wishful thinking nestled in a hidden part of a man's mind, or maybe it's the last stop in the vast design of things, or perhaps, for a man like Mr. Gart Williams, who climbed on a world that went by too fast, it's a place around the bend where he could jump off. Willoughby? Whatever it is, it comes with sunlight and serenity, and is a part of the Twilight Zone."

Like Brigadoon, you have to be there at just the right time.

Angry Drunk Bureaucrat: Or the fictitious state of "Wyoming".

FINALLY, someone on MY side!

"Wyoming" is just an old Indian word for "no state here".

/Teach the controversy

This is just the first of many time paradox's to be created by the starting of the LHC...This village has been erased from history, except for googlemaps of course, which due to it's quantum back up scheme, which causes it's data to be backed up and stored in an alternate dimension was not erased from the database during the paradox event.
Get your tinfoil hats ready!!!

I can sometimes understand "fake" streets... It could be streets that are planned, but haven't been built. Maybe they were planned for a long time even, but the building never started etc.

But I think since the beginning, Google has had a bridge in my home city that has never existed, never been planned, and probably never will be. Odd...

And the street address where I live in doesn't exist in any maps that I've seen. Yet the mailman happily carries mail to that address every day.

Fictitious town on Googlemaps doesn't actually exist

This headline brought to you by the Department of Redundancy Department.

FlashHarry: "Fictitious town on Googlemaps doesn't actually exist"

are there fictitious towns that do exist? i'm confused.

Hobbiton

The Pizza Hut 3 blocks from my house won't deliver to me because my address doesn't exist on their map service. (House has been here since the 60s)

Props to Born to Die for posting that, I love that episode.

Angry Drunk Bureaucrat: EvilEgg: It would have been cooler if they had added Arkham, MA.

Or the fictitious state of "Wyoming".

It Must be True!

halfof33: This headline brought to youThe presentation of this article was presented by the Department of Redundancy Department.

fark google maps! I took a road trip with the wife this weekend. I used google maps to plan the route. I noticed state road 420 near Christmas, Florida and thought it would be fun to get a pic in front of the sign. After an hour of searching and stopping at two gas stations to ask for directions (no one had heard of it) Someone finally told me that they had changed the name of State Road 420 to Santa Claus Road years ago. It was a waste of time and I still don't have a cool pic for my x-mas card this year.

runner_one: there is a whole road near me that doesn't exist. Never did Check satellite view. Papermill road Link (new window)
Strange it is straight as an arrow also, wonder where that came from?

So Bald Knob Mount and Cummings road do exist?
And where the heck was Papermill road, anyway?

Here is the Google Maps address:

Argleton (pops)

I have seen a number of roads on GM that don't exist in real life. Both where I currently live as well as my hometown. So I guess it is probably a copyright thing as the article suggests.

dr_iacovone: Tempted: testaclese: Or the mythical Clitoris. I can't ever seem to find that place.

It's just down the road from French Lick.

No no, you are all confusing it with the ellusive female orgasm.

There is no such thing.

redsquid: Santa Claus Road years ago. It was a waste of time and I still don't have a cool pic for my x-mas card this year.

lol wut?

redsquid: fark google maps! I took a road trip with the wife this weekend. I used google maps to plan the route. I noticed state road 420 near Christmas, Florida and thought it would be fun to get a pic in front of the sign. After an hour of searching and stopping at two gas stations to ask for directions (no one had heard of it) Someone finally told me that they had changed the name of State Road 420 to Santa Claus Road years ago. It was a waste of time and I still don't have a cool pic for my x-mas card this year.

I see what you did there.

We would like to announce that Yoknapatawpha Airlines Flight 46 from Arkham, MA to Macondo, Colombia, is now boarding.

What about fake places with wikipedia pages? Kamloops comes to mind...

Can you tell me how to get there?

/Hot like that evil, evil sun.

We're constantly working to improve the quality and accuracy of the information available in Google Maps, and appreciate our users' feedback in helping us do so.

Really? Ok, so how does one provide feedback on Google Maps?

FlashHarry: "Fictitious town on Googlemaps doesn't actually exist"

are there fictitious towns that do exist? i'm confused.

I was going to submit this story with the headline Fabled non-existant ficticious town on googlemaps but doesn't actualy exist is not there.

/not really.

The La-Li-Lu-Le-Lo removed it.

Jeng: We're constantly working to improve the quality and accuracy of the information available in Google Maps, and appreciate our users' feedback in helping us do so.

Really? Ok, so how does one provide feedback on Google Maps?

You have to submit, in person, your written complaint after following these directions:



Good luck!

altrocks: Can you tell me how to get there?

I think you shoulda taken a left at Albuquerque, mac

Joao: I have seen a number of roads on GM that don't exist in real life. Both where I currently live as well as my hometown. So I guess it is probably a copyright thing as the article suggests.

That's not what that's about. Those are roads that have been named by developers and registered with the city survey for zoning purposes, but haven't yet been developed or have since been discarded since the last time the map was updated. Google Maps doesn't just drive around a town making note of the street signs they pass, they use ordinance maps like everybody else and overlay those on the satellite view.

A Google spokesperson legal spokesbot said generated: "Google Maps data comes from third party data sources... (insert standard boilerplate drek here)"

/FTFY

chookbillion: runner_one: there is a whole road near me that doesn't exist. Never did Check satellite view. Papermill road Link (new window)
Strange it is straight as an arrow also, wonder where that came from?

So Bald Knob Mount and Cummings road do exist?
And where the heck was Papermill road, anyway?

Yep they do, And bald knob is called that for a reason, It's Bald, (no trees)