‘Be your own mayor’: An entire California town just hit the market — here's what the $4.75M purchase price actually gets you

Coffman first came to Belden in 1970 in search of gold and eventually bought the town at a foreclosure sale in 1989. He rebuilt and developed the site, turning it into the unusual resort that exists today. He had hoped to leave it to his son, who died this year, according to the Washington Post.

Now, he’s looking for a buyer, advertising that you can “be your own mayor.”

But buying Belden doesn’t mean becoming the legal mayor of a municipality. The community is an unincorporated “census-designated place” and had just 15 residents, according to the 2020 Census. This means that Belden has no local municipal government, city council or official office of the mayor, and government oversight and public services are, therefore, handled by Plumas County.

Here’s what’s actually for sale with the approximately four-acre riverfront property.

What does buying Belden, California, actually get you?

The LoopNet listing calls the sale of the 20,007 square feet of hospitality space “a once-in-a-generation opportunity to own an entire riverside resort community.” According to the Belden Town Resort sale website, the settlement has hosted various festivals, retreats and outdoor recreation events, generating income for nearly 30 years.

Belden includes 18 hotel rooms, seven cabins, 16 RV spaces, camping accommodations, a general store, a restaurant and bar with a Type 47 liquor license, a commercial kitchen and multiple outdoor event spaces. It also comes with private Feather River frontage and beach access, staff housing, storage buildings and other infrastructure.

Also included with the property is a lifetime lease for adjacent Forest Service land, which can be used for camping. A nearby five-acre parcel that’s currently being utilized for overflow parking and event support is additionally available for purchase for an additional $500,000, or to be leased for parking at no cost.

For an investor, that means Belden is less like buying a traditional property and more like acquiring a small, diversified tourism business. Revenue could come from lodging, RV stays, food and drinks, events, festivals and other uses. The property is also located along the Pacific Crest Trail, making it a stop for long-distance hikers.

“Whether envisioned as a boutique resort, event venue, music destination, retreat center, glamping property, RV resort, corporate getaway, outdoor recreation hub or a combination of hospitality uses, Belden Town offers infrastructure and character that would be difficult — and extraordinarily expensive — to replicate today,” the site reads. “Properties of this scale, uniqueness and historical significance rarely come to market.”

Unincorporated California towns are cropping up for sale across the state

Belden isn’t the only California community currently carrying a multimillion-dollar price tag, nor is it the first.

Campo, in southeastern San Diego County, is currently being offered for about $6.6 million. The Campo offering encompasses about 15.75 acres and includes 27 residential units and seven non-residential buildings with tenants including the U.S. Border Patrol, the U.S. Postal Service and a lumber and ranch-supply business.

The listing says the properties generate approximately $480,000 in scheduled annual rent.

Bridgeville, a Northern California community with a particularly unusual real-estate history, is also set to hit the market. The approximate 80-acre property was famously auctioned on eBay in 2002, attracting hundreds of bids and ultimately selling for $1.78 million.