Mapmakers frequently insert entirely fake towns, known as paper towns or phantom settlements, into their officially published maps to act as copyright traps for lazy competitors…

A closer look

Mapmakers frequently insert entirely fake towns, known as paper towns or phantom settlements, into their officially published maps to act as copyright traps for lazy competitors who might try to steal their grueling geographic labor. In the case of Agloe, New York, the fictional town was actually built in real life after someone saw it on a map and opened the Agloe General Store at that exact rural intersection. This proves that if you lie confidently enough on an official piece of paper, capitalism will eventually swoop in to make your delusion a reality so some wandering tourist can buy over-priced beef jerky in a place that technically was never supposed to exist in the first place!