Own Your Own Town for $800k

Feuer Frei! · 07-30-11, 04:08 AM

I normally avoid Yahoo like the Plague, but...

Had it with life in the big city? The traffic, crowds, and high rent got you down? Then may we suggest you consider investing in the town of Scenic, South Dakota? And by "invest" we mean "buy the whole darn town for $800,000."
That's right. The small town, which admittedly has seen better days, can be yours for just a bit more than an average home in San Francisco. So, what exactly do you get for your $800k? Quite a lot, actually. You'll get a dance hall, a saloon, two jails, a train depot, two stores, and some more empty buildings.
According to ABC News, the town is for sale because the current owner, Twila Merrill, has been diagnosed with cancer. Merrill's daughter, Lee Ann Keester, remarked, "I have to take care of my mom. Family always comes first... But it's just time, everything comes with time... [My mom] would love to do it until she's 100, but her health won't permit her."

True, the town won't be mistaken for New York or even Green Acres. However, based on the pictures, it does have a certain Old West charm. One can almost picture John Wayne ambling down the street. It does look like a ghost town--and with fewer than 10 residents, it's mighty close to becoming one.
This isn't the first time an entire town has gone up for sale. Some may remember actress Kim Basinger's ill-fated purchase of Braselton, Georgia for $20 million. Basinger planned to turn the town into a tourist draw, complete with film festival. But things didn't quite work out as she planned. She was later forced to sell the town at a huge loss due to financial problems of her own.
And Basinger isn't alone. As an article from MSN points out, many have purchased towns only to see that the dream of "owning their own zip code" turn into a nightmare. It's one thing to be a landlord and have to fix a renter's leaky faucet. It's another to be responsible for an entire town of faucets (and toilets, and electricity, and crime prevention, and, and, and...)

SOURCE

danasan · 07-30-11, 04:43 AM

Nice little place in the middle of nowhere

Had a look at Goggle Earth: 1st Street, 1st Ave....

Feuer Frei! · 07-30-11, 05:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by danasan

Nice little place in the middle of nowhere

Had a look at Goggle Earth: 1st Street, 1st Ave....

We should go halves danasan!
You can run the 2 prisons, and be the Prison Warden, i'll run the Saloon Bar, complete with show girls, poker tables and a bar tender with the shot gun!

papa_smurf · 07-30-11, 05:28 AM

Count me in if were putting a bid in

Feuer Frei! · 07-30-11, 06:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by papa_smurf

Count me in if were putting a bid in

What will you do though?
There is only a few empty buildings, a dance hall hall and a train depot left!

danasan · 07-30-11, 06:47 AM

I'd run the two prisons, of course. But be sure, they'd be like some in Turkey...

ajrimmer42 · 07-30-11, 06:50 AM

I bagsy being station master!

choo choo!!!

07-30-11, 04:08 AM	#1
Feuer Frei! Navy Seal Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Valhalla Posts: 5,295 Downloads: 141 Uploads: 17	Own Your Own Town for $800k I normally avoid Yahoo like the Plague, but... Had it with life in the big city? The traffic, crowds, and high rent got you down? Then may we suggest you consider investing in the town of Scenic, South Dakota? And by "invest" we mean "buy the whole darn town for $800,000." That's right. The small town, which admittedly has seen better days, can be yours for just a bit more than an average home in San Francisco. So, what exactly do you get for your $800k? Quite a lot, actually. You'll get a dance hall, a saloon, two jails, a train depot, two stores, and some more empty buildings. According to ABC News, the town is for sale because the current owner, Twila Merrill, has been diagnosed with cancer. Merrill's daughter, Lee Ann Keester, remarked, "I have to take care of my mom. Family always comes first... But it's just time, everything comes with time... [My mom] would love to do it until she's 100, but her health won't permit her." True, the town won't be mistaken for New York or even Green Acres. However, based on the pictures, it does have a certain Old West charm. One can almost picture John Wayne ambling down the street. It does look like a ghost town--and with fewer than 10 residents, it's mighty close to becoming one. This isn't the first time an entire town has gone up for sale. Some may remember actress Kim Basinger's ill-fated purchase of Braselton, Georgia for $20 million. Basinger planned to turn the town into a tourist draw, complete with film festival. But things didn't quite work out as she planned. She was later forced to sell the town at a huge loss due to financial problems of her own. And Basinger isn't alone. As an article from MSN points out, many have purchased towns only to see that the dream of "owning their own zip code" turn into a nightmare. It's one thing to be a landlord and have to fix a renter's leaky faucet. It's another to be responsible for an entire town of faucets (and toilets, and electricity, and crime prevention, and, and, and...) SOURCE __________________ "History is the lies that the victors agree on"- Napoleon LINK TO MY SH 3 MODS

07-30-11, 04:43 AM	#2
danasan Elite Spam Hunter Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Flensburg / Germany Posts: 1,141 Downloads: 39 Uploads: 0	Nice little place in the middle of nowhere Had a look at Goggle Earth: 1st Street, 1st Ave.... __________________ "I invite you to go inside this submergible hole in the water where you can nicely hide from destroyers."

07-30-11, 05:28 AM	#4
papa_smurf Ocean Warrior Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: High Peak, Derbyshire Posts: 2,851 Downloads: 33 Uploads: 0	Count me in if were putting a bid in __________________

07-30-11, 06:47 AM	#6
danasan Elite Spam Hunter Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Flensburg / Germany Posts: 1,141 Downloads: 39 Uploads: 0	I'd run the two prisons, of course. But be sure, they'd be like some in Turkey... __________________ "I invite you to go inside this submergible hole in the water where you can nicely hide from destroyers."

07-30-11, 06:50 AM	#7
ajrimmer42 Royal Kinotropist Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Sheffield, UK Posts: 987 Downloads: 18 Uploads: 0	I bagsy being station master! choo choo!!! __________________ Alex Don't judge a ship by the number of it's guns, but by the skill of it's crew.