Posted by
We’ve had our eye on offbeat real estate porn for a couple months now, but this is the first instance I’ve seen of an entire town getting a listing.
Scenic, South Dakota is on the map west of the Badlands and in a very isolated part of the US. It’s hot in the summers there, cold in the winters, and you’re a long way from anything.
According to Neatorama, nine people currently live in Scenic, but one family owns the entire 12 acres it sits on. Included with your $799,000 purchase will be a post office, a saloon, and two stores.
It may be the buttcrack of nowhere, but the Badlands are one of my favorite places on earth. It would be hard not to like something about living on the edge of this wild, otherworldly landscape.
So, who’s buying this and turning it into the Offbeat equivalent of Marfa, TX?
The Badlands are incredible & have a special place in my heart <3 I heard about Scenic being "On the market" a month ago & immediately began my quest to raise the cash to purchase. Unfortunately, I have only raised $10. Such a great place to visit & soak up some spectacular views & amazing history!
Wow, that IS in the middle of nowhere… I wonder what it is like to live there… And I now begin to feel for all of you who commented on Ariel’s post on growing up in the woods.. :S
That is one hefty price tag, but for an entire town, not so bad. Very cool. Thanks for sharing!
I would just like to note that there are many single family homes that sell for that amount here in Fairfax Co, VA. That price tag doesn’t seem so bad to me.
Ha. I had the same thought. I live on Capitol Hill in DC and alot of the homes on my block are going for this much.
Totally the same sitch on Capitol Hill, Seattle. 🙂
Argh, you’re so right. Buying a house in Arlington for any sort of reasonable price is impossible! That town looks way too awesome.
There are flats that sell in Sydney for that much.
You could start a Kickstarter campaign!
The Badlands are my favorite national park! I think I may actually have driven through Scenic once, but I blinked and missed it. I wonder how the residents feel about the folks who own the whole parcel selling it from under them? I wonder, why not divide the parcel so people who want to can keep their homes?
I would imagine the residents are probably renting from the current owner, and will continue to rent from the next owner. same with the operators of the businesses.
Oh, and a word of warning: If you’re like me and immediately Google “Scenic SD” DON’T click on the first link that comes up, buyscenicsd.com, as it appears to be a hacker site. Oops. Sorry, work computer….
Does the sign on that saloon say “cold bear?”
Yeah. I hope someone buys him a sweater.
I personally love the “Indians Allowed” part of the saloon….
There are a couple ghost towns in Northern British Columbia that you can purchase. I think they are around a million dollars.
Like another commenter pointed out 799 doesn’t seem that bad when homes here in Vancouver are that price.
Ooh! I wish I was rich. It would be perfect for my dream creation… A Steampunk resort.
Isn’t Marfa, Texas already the offbeat equivalent of Marfa, Texas?
That’s cheaper than your average suburban home in Melbourne (AUS), and a quarter what you’d pay for anything remotely up market. HECK!
It sounds about right for a nice 3-4 bedroom place within 20 minutes of the city in Adelaide, too.
This would be a great place to move you could even take your friends with you!