Minnesota Town opts out of Google StreetView

[Thorin]

http://news.portalit.net/fullnews_minnesota-has-no-love-for-google-street-view_1249.html

An entire Minnesota town asked Google to remove all the images depicting their municipality from its Street View service.

[..]

The request came from the town of North Oaks, Minnesota in January. Basically, Google had no legal way out of this: the streets of the town are privately owned and ruled by strict trespassing ordinances.

huh?

The web page of the North Oaks town reads the following:

?Because residents' properties extend to halfway across the road, all residential roads in the City are private and for the use of North Oaks residents and their invited guests only.

The City owns no property. With residents owning the roads, the North Oaks Home Owners' Association owns the park and recreation areas and trails throughout the City.?

Well, it seems that Street View was not considered an invited guest.

WTF?  The city doesn't own the roads?  Are the citizens responsible for maintenance of their patch of road, then?  Man, that is...  different.

[Darren Dirt]

*wow* that was quick! (PS: I think this is one of those "gated community" type of things, not exactly a "city"... I think.)

[Thorin]

*wow* that was quick!

What was quick?  I'm still able to see the Street View in your link.

[Thorin]

Oh wait, I see that the little square area called "North Oaks" is not available.

[Thorin]

And here's a map showing the boundaries of the city of North Oaks:

http://www.cityofnorth-oaks.com/vertical/Sites/%7BC1071E1F-C50A-4B8A-B8A2-C1AB7D74FF70%7D/uploads/%7B1D448C01-B599-4836-B16D-D978B151169F%7D.PDF

Here in Edmonton, this'd be called a "subdivision".

Sure is an active community:
http://www.cityofnorth-oaks.com/index.asp?Type=NONE&SEC={0EEF566F-DA00-4D61-9118-597250F48AFE}
http://www.cityofnorth-oaks.com/index.asp?Type=B_BASIC&SEC={6302D7C9-C2DA-4840-9AB6-0E3FCC33A623}

Especially considering there's only 4,500 people living there.

[Darren Dirt]

And here's a map showing the boundaries of the city of North Oaks:

http://www.cityofnorth-oaks.com/vertical/Sites/%7BC1071E1F-C50A-4B8A-B8A2-C1AB7D74FF70%7D/uploads/%7B1D448C01-B599-4836-B16D-D978B151169F%7D.PDF

Here in Edmonton, this'd be called a "subdivision".

Sure is an active community:
http://www.cityofnorth-oaks.com/index.asp?Type=NONE&SEC={0EEF566F-DA00-4D61-9118-597250F48AFE}
http://www.cityofnorth-oaks.com/index.asp?Type=B_BASIC&SEC={6302D7C9-C2DA-4840-9AB6-0E3FCC33A623}

Especially considering there's only 4,500 people living there.

It's kinda like "Lewis Estates" or similar calling themselves a city, methinks.



...update...

actually, it's a decent sized community -- bounded on all 4 sides by major highways. It's more like MillWoods. Covers a large area similar to The Ol' MW.

[Thorin]

The outer dimensions of North Oaks are 3 miles (4.8km) by 3.4 miles (5.44km): http://maps.google.ca/maps?f=d&hl=en&geocode=34506158025445152,45.079320,-93.117060%3B11963341138942159201,45.079190,-93.056150&saddr=CR-96+E+%4045.079320,+-93.117060&daddr=CR-96+E+%4045.079190,+-93.056150+to:45.128289,-93.059177&mra=mi&mrcr=1&mrsp=2&sz=13&sll=45.10491,-93.088703&sspn=0.069546,0.160332&ie=UTF8&z=13

Yep, that's about the same as Millwoods.

It's kinda like "Lewis Estates" or similar calling themselves a city, methinks.

Not like Lewis Estates at all, though.  Lewis Estates is a subdivision with an active community league.  It's part of the city of Edmonton, and decisions about its roads, garbage pickup, etc, are all made by the people who govern all of Edmonton.  North Oaks is more like Stony Plain.

[Darren Dirt]

Ah, you are correct, since Stony Plain and Sherwood Park etc. are not technically "cities" they are comparable.

Although FYI the *size* is almost the same as all of MillWoods.

[Thorin]

Although FYI the *size* is almost the same as all of MillWoods.

Yep, that's about the same as Millwoods.

Glad we agree on that one...

What I meant with that North Oaks is more like Stony Plain is that it has it's own municipal government that owns things like land and equipment (although in North Oaks' case, not land) and has employees, whereas the Lewis Estates community league doesn't really own anything besides maybe a community hall and will only have volunteers.

Interesting little tidbits I just found out - Stony Plain is a town with its own town council, and Sherwood Park is a hamlet (even though it's plenty big enough to be a city) governed by the county's council.

[Darren Dirt]

Interesting little tidbits I just found out - Stony Plain is a town with its own town council, and Sherwood Park is a hamlet

...and Fort Mac isn't even a "Hamlet", it is as of 1995 not even an incorporated city, it is now a 64,000-strong "urban service area"  .

[Lazybones]

Sherwood Park intentionally keeps it self classified as a "Hamlet", I don't remember the exact reason but I think it has some benefits and impacts the administrative structure.

[Thorin]

Interesting little tidbits I just found out - Stony Plain is a town with its own town council, and Sherwood Park is a hamlet

...and Fort Mac isn't even a "Hamlet", it is as of 1995 not even an incorporated city, it is now a 64,000-strong "urban service area"  .

LOL!  Dontcha love Wikipedia?

[Darren Dirt]

Google Street View - 100 Best Sightings
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YyRq5N7Ebss

imo there's a disproportionate number of people urinating and being arrested... which kinda makes me feel like Edmontonians totally missed out a chance to be famous/pranksters/completeassholes/doucebags...

[Mr. Analog]

Edmontonians totally missed out a chance to be famous/pranksters/completeassholes/doucebags...

Famous / pranksters maybe but the other stuff, we're waaaaaaaay ahead of some parts of the country.

And if you don't like it, you can come to the North Side and I will stab you or you can go to the south side and Melbosa can shoot you or we can meet in the middle and mug each other at the library.

[Melbosa]

And if you don't like it, you can come to the North Side and I will stab you or you can go to the south side and Melbosa can shoot you or we can meet in the middle and mug each other at the library.

LOL I Laughed and Laughed at this statement.