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The Legend of Midgetville
For Christmas I received a great book, Weird U.S.: Your Travel Guide to America's Local Legends and Best Kept Secrets by Mark Moran and Mark Sceurman. Immediately I flipped through it to find anything about San Diego, and soon came across the legend of Midgetville. Midgetville refers to the legend of a town consisting of scaled-down houses built for little people. Midgetville is said to exist in various places throughout America. As Moran and Sceurman note, the most credible rumor locates such a town in Jefferson Township, New Jersey, on the former estate of circus mogul Alfred T. Ringling. There really is a collection of small-sized houses there that could conceivably have once been home to a colony of midgets. However, another very persistent legend locates a Midgetville in San Diego.
Moran and Sceurman don't go into much detail about the San Diego Midgetville, but I realized that I had heard this legend before (my wife had also heard it). This is how it goes: back in the 1930s a group of little people who had made a lot of money in Hollywood appearing in movies such as The Wizard of Oz supposedly came down to San Diego and built a collection of miniature houses on Mt. Soledad where they could live in comfort together. But of course, nobody seems to know exactly where on Mt. Soledad this group of small houses was or is, though everybody has heard of a "friend of a friend" who once accidentally found the houses (though this FOAF can never remember how to get back there).
Determined to find the houses, I did a google search and came across an article from 2003 written by Kenneth Smith for the Daily Aztec detailing his own efforts to track down San Diego's fabled 'Munchkin Houses'. After many false starts, he finally discovered that they were most probably "a group of four cottages on Hillside Drive in La Jolla... built by famed architect Cliff May." Although no midgets or little people were ever known to live in these houses, Smith says that, "The houses do indeed have smallish features, accentuated by an optical illusion. The steep road that passes them makes them seem even smaller than they actually are." Unfortunately only one of the four cottages remains standing, but Smith provides directions to find it: "take Hillside Drive from Torrey Pines Road. The house will be on your left-hand side. Look for the crazy midget handwriting." He also mentions that if you peek through the window (the house is unoccupied) you'll see "cobblestone-like tiled floors and a little round fireplace."
Of course, I had to see this for myself, even if no colony of Wizard-of-Oz midgets had ever lived there. So on New Year's Day I convinced my wife to accompany me on a search for the Munchkin House. The results were mixed. It was no problem finding Hillside Drive, but as it turns out Hillside Drive is fairly long. We were driving up and down it (as a line of cars formed behind us) wondering 'exactly which house on the left did he mean.' None of the houses leaps out at you and screams 'Munchkin House.' But finally we settled on one house that we figured must be it: Seventy-Four Seventy-Seven Hillside Drive. It had small windows and a small door. Plus, the address written beside the door looked a bit like 'crazy midget handwriting' (though I think Smith was joking about this). Ignoring the 'No Trespassing' sign (even though part of the legend of Midgetville is that the midgets who live there fiercely defend their land from the Bigs), I peeked through the window and saw the cobblestone-like tiled floors and a little round fireplace. So I think I found the Munchkin House, though I'm not 100% sure. It's certainly not anything that would catch your attention if you weren't specifically looking for it since it's really not that small, which made the trip a bit disappointing. But the weird thing is, I've already forgotten how to get back there.
Listed in chronological order. Newest comments at the end.
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I've heard a lot about the one in Long Beach. Lots of people say that it exist, and lots of other people say that "midget town" doesn't exist.. I wanna find out for myself. So does anyone know where "midget town" in San Diego is allegedly located? I heard it's in La Jolla, but if you know where it is, let me know. I have to see it for myself..
Posted by Tara in San Diego on Thu Feb 22, 2007 at 11:18 AM
the name of the street in santa barbara(montecito) with the midget houses is on perrywinkle lane. its north of the san ysidro exit off the 101n
Posted by robert in los angeles on Sat Feb 24, 2007 at 01:53 PM
Hi....I hear that these houses were not to be rented, but rather, were to be donated to the little people. The complex was known as "Stay Free Mini-Pads" !!! 
Posted by Ron in Mercer, PA on Wed Mar 07, 2007 at 08:38 AM
You can find tiny town by mapquesting 4 peck ave north merick NY, that's the address for the chappel.
Good luck!!!
Posted by Dominick in Brooklyn/Queens/staten island ny on Sat Mar 24, 2007 at 07:09 PM
Good luck!!!
does anyone know directions to midgetville on Long Island? ... in seaford or merrick?
Posted by brit in New York on Fri Apr 06, 2007 at 06:20 PM
take sunrise hwy to merrick ave and make a right then take merrick ave to lee place rd or ave and make right take this straight down and you will see a circular area of the neighborhood, this will lead you to midgetville
Posted by Lila in NY on Tue Apr 10, 2007 at 07:15 PM
i think its funny that they have to donate houses to "little" people...like "little" people cant live in a normal house...its a waste of $ and should be used towards more worthy causes...that are more important...than a "little" house...its cute though...i must admit it ~ its real cute
Posted by Lila in NY on Tue Apr 10, 2007 at 07:18 PM
Midget are fascinating
Posted by Chris in NJ on Fri Apr 13, 2007 at 03:29 PM
yes it exists. i'm here now...it's quite lovely actually.
Posted by mimi in Midgetownsmallsprings on Tue Apr 24, 2007 at 08:44 PM
Fools, the Midgetville on Mt. Soledad in San Diego does NOT have small houses. The little people who live there do not draw attention to it that way. The outside of the houses are more or less normal. You have to peer inside to see. And if you go there at certain times of the year on certain nights, you will see a dozens of midgets dancing and singing.
Posted by Slippy in San Diego on Tue May 15, 2007 at 02:04 PM
Is this place for sale?
Posted by wannie on Wed May 16, 2007 at 11:45 PM
we have a midget village here in pennsylvania. i thinks its by south hampton. its marked by a strnage sign with a weird language. i have only been there once at night but it is scary. the road leading into it is gravel lined by trees on each side. you go into the village and there really is just a bunch of tiny houses. some have lawn furniture some have laundry lines. we were too scared to get out of the car so we looked around quietly and left.
Posted by shannon in levittown, pennsylvania on Wed Jun 27, 2007 at 08:23 PM
i lived in muskego for nine years hearing this legend of Haunchyville. I lived not even a half a mile away from the place. And i and my friend have searched for it. Found nothing... but there are a few other things we have seen and found. The place isnt mystic drive... its further away than that. Its to misguide people from the truths of its location. You can dig and search all you want, but you wont find it. Lets just say look for the tree the shows the fork in the road. A trail that goes on but doesnt at the same time. Located on the biketrails. There like a maze but if you wander them enough you will find exactley what your looking for.
Posted by Dave on Sat Jun 30, 2007 at 02:45 PM
last night i went to where midget town is supposed to be. supposedly its down the country club drive or whatever but i didnt see any gate that just had a arm that went up and you could drive in. there are two gates at the end of the road, one to the left, one to the right. if anyone knows which gate you go in or which side of the street its actually on, i would really like to know. thanks.
Posted by mandy in california on Sun Jul 01, 2007 at 11:08 AM
can someone just tell me the name of the street of the one in long beach.....i've been looking and asking everyone....just curiousity
Posted by D. in anaheim/cypress on Sat Jul 07, 2007 at 11:25 PM
There is a place that I know of in Oakdale. If you drive past Dowling College on Idlehour rd. in Oakdale and drive through an archway. The first left is Princess gate dr. This has some of the old legendary small houses. There is another place in stonybrook that has many more, but the area slips my mind. I will look into it and post the details.
Posted by Alex in Long Island on Sun Jul 08, 2007 at 06:09 PM
I saw the Little People in Midget Village when I was a teenager... back in the '60s. They had little buildings a small gas station, church, store an other buildings... and seemed to work the fields near the Trinity River. THe village was on an large estate and could be seen from HIdden Road in Fort Worth. I was over there the other day and it is much harder to see things now... plus the gate is closed and posted; so I didn't go closer to see if the building are still there.
I would love to full story sourrounding this. But I actually saw the village and its compact populous.
You know, I spent 20 years establishing my art career in New Orleans... a place with many essentric folks... but they ain't got nothing on my Texas... were a lovely bunch of nuts here and I love it
Smiles, Tommy G Thompson
Posted by Tommy in Fort Worth, TX on Mon Jul 09, 2007 at 08:06 AM
I would love to full story sourrounding this. But I actually saw the village and its compact populous.
You know, I spent 20 years establishing my art career in New Orleans... a place with many essentric folks... but they ain't got nothing on my Texas... were a lovely bunch of nuts here and I love it
Smiles, Tommy G Thompson
DOES ANYONE HAVE DIRECTIONS THERE. I REALLY WANNA GO AND EVERYONE THAT I TALK TO.. FORGOT HOW TO GET THERE..
:[[
Posted by bre in wood on Fri Jul 13, 2007 at 12:36 AM
:[[
I do know the way there and it's a little tricky. If you wish I can send a copy of a map. But otherwise you can go to restline Road, go past the Rivercrest Country Club ( heading away from downtown). When you come to the corner of Crestline & Sanguinet Street- take a right. YOu are entering a very exclusive residential area... not sure if the roads are private but it's ok. The next corner is Alta Drive - take another right and almost immediatly you will come to HIdden Road on you left - trun left and go all the way down the hill to the end of the road. You can look to the right and several hundred yards into the woord is Midget Village... or whats left of it. I used to go ahead and drive down the private road and get a closeer look. Do it if you dare. Many years ago it was a triving tiny community and I still see them busy in their little village.... it was pretty cool.
Posted by Tommy in Fort Worth, TX on Fri Jul 13, 2007 at 07:28 AM
I JUST WANT SOMONE TO TELL ME THE LOCATION TO THE MIGET LAND LOCATED IN LONG BEACH PLEASE SOMEONE GIVE ME DIRECTONS....TO WHERE IT IS LOCATED I HEARD SO MUCH ABOUT IT AND REALLY WANNA VISIT IT
Posted by LeOn in Los Angeles on Tue Jul 17, 2007 at 06:12 PM
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