Elgin Park: The Coolest Town That Never Was?

I saw this story over the weekend about the quaint images of a town called Elgin Park, taken from the late 50's and early 60's. They show various scenes of a part of American history, and really take you back in time. Except Elgin Park doesn't really exist. In fact, that picture below isn't real. Well, it is a REAL picture-- but those are meticulously constructed models!

But how does it look so real? The artist, Michael Paul Smith, takes his model scenes and sets them up in real neighborhoods near his home, using real houses, trees and streets as backgrounds. The perspective must be just right for the photos to appear real. But he seems to have that part mastered-- he's been getting millions of hits on his Elgin Park website, not to mention coverage in major newspapers and on TV.

Take a look-- and take a walk back in time to a town that seems familiar--  but doesn't really exist!