Did you know....

You may have heard of the book Paper Towns by John Green, but what exactly is a Paper Town?

No, it's not a town made of paper. Google definitions state that "A paper townsite, also called a paper town, is a term used to describe a city or town which purportedly exists, but in reality exists only on paper. Typically, it has few or no buildings, limited infrastructure, and few permanent inhabitants."

In other words, it's a fictional place made up by map makers and marked on a map to stop others from copying their work. Think of it as their version of copyright protection. Most of the time if you try following a map to a paper town you'll never find it because the place doesn't really exist. Sometimes the paper town becomes an actual recognized town/place and people will start living there, but this rarely happens.

Challenge! Take a look at some maps and see if you can find any paper towns!

Some interesting paper town facts:

Another name for a paper town is a trap street.

The town of Agloe, New York was invented by map makers but eventually became a real place. It's the area Margo hides out at in the book Paper Towns.

Some other paper towns mentioned in Green's book include: Lake Katrine, Ulster County, New York and Holen, South Dakota.

According to Wikipedia: In 1978, the fictional Ohio towns of Goblu and Bestosu were inserted into that year's official State of Michigan map as a nod to the University of Michigan's traditional rivals from Ohio State University. The doctored maps were withdrawn and now fetch up to $150 in mint condition!

A 1946 Esso Map Showing Agloe, New York

The book Paper Towns by John Green is part Mystery, part road trip adventure! It is a 2010 Abraham Lincoln Award Nominee!
Check it out from the library today!