GarryowenMatt Brown/AP/Press Association Images

Ever fancied having your very own town: a grocery shop, fast food restaurant, petrol station and a post office? Then if you have a spare $250,000 it could be yours. The town of Garryowen, Montana goes up for auction on Wednesday - with a starting price of $250,000.

So what's for sale, and what else is out there if Garryowen doesn't float your boat?


Garryowen

As small towns go, this is impressively tiny. It's only 7.7 acres, and there are officially only two people who live there. The auction house is billing it as "one of the smallest towns in the United States".


The site is fairly important historically because it is on the site of the 1876 Battle of Little Big Horn - famous for Custer's last stand. It is being sold as an income-producing asset, because two buildings, housing offices and shops, are being sold as part of the deal. It is being sold by a private owner, who has had it since 1926.

If you buy it, there's a chance to rename it after yourself, or transform it into a thriving tourist destination. Alternatively you could declare it your own independent state, and really go to town.

Alternatives

But if you have your eye on a town, then there's no need to feel limited to just this one, because at any given time in this financial environment there are plenty for sale. Including these three bargains:

1. Frannie Wyoming, up for sale on eBay. It hasn't had any bids just yet, so could be yours for the starting price of £330,000. The town comes with a number of commercial properties and houses - which are currently rented out. However, the bar is not part of the deal - so you won't strictly own the whole thing. The owner says he is keen to move on because he wants to give his kids the chance to sample life in a bigger city.

2. Henry River Mill Village, North Carolina. The town was used as the set for the District 12 in The Hunger Games film. It's not a great advert for a town which is essentially abandoned. The owner put it up for sale in the spring, but after no offers he closed the auction. He is, however, open to offers, and is said to hope to get $1.4 million for the property.

3. Woodside, Utah. For $3.9 million you could get your hands on a ghost town near Salt Lake City. This one comes complete with a gold mine, geyser (sadly jammed by vandals), post office and service station - although you'll have your work cut out to generate much money from your new Wild West town.

Buying a town is always going to be an interesting challenge. However, it's not a guaranteed investment. Kim Basinger bought Braselton, Georgia (population 7,500 people) in 1989 for $20 million. She was said to have had plans to turn it into a movie-themed tourist spot, but ended up selling parts of it for a knock-down price in 1995.

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