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US town being sold as the ultimate gift

"Just think, you could become the mayor of your own town and make up your own rules to live by."

Christine Larsen, a real-estate agent

A Christmas rush for the most original of gifts has sent the selling price of a California town soaring to US$1.6 million ahead of the close of bidding for the scenic hamlet, agents said Thursday.

The whole of the almost-deserted town of Bridgeville in northern California has been on the block since late November, but the price has soared in recent days ahead of yesterday morning's scheduled close of the online auction.

But while the historic town -- which includes a post office, a deserted restaurant building, a former store and its own Indian burial ground -- is picturesque, its new owners will have to sink money into restoring it.

"It's definitely a fixer-upper town, but it would make a great gift," said real-estate agent Christine Larsen who is selling Bridgeville, which lies 416km northeast of San Francisco.

"It is really stunning and offers a lot of exciting possibilities for an imaginative buyer. It could be revived as a tourist destination, kept as a peaceful retreat from the chaos of city life or even turned into a tax haven.

"Just think, you could become the mayor of your own town and make up your own rules to live by," Larsen told reporters.

But with bids running as high as US$1.615 million on Thursday, way above the reserve of US$775,000, the town isn't just for Christmas, it's for life.

The 32.8-hectare lot being offered for sale on eBay includes 10 homes, four cabins, a cemetery, some heavy machinery with a "generous supply of maintenance parts," as well as the new owner's very own postal code.

Only four of the town's 10 homes are rented out by people who work and shop in the nearby town of Fortuna, while its cafe and store have been closed for years. Only the post office remains operative.

"Bridgeville's buildings need a little work, but it's far from impossible to get it back into working order," Larsen said.

"It used to be a really thriving town, but people slowly moved away and now it's real quiet," Larsen said. "It's a bit eerie walking down those quiet streets past those empty buildings, but it's also exciting."

But the town is supplied with electricity, water and a telephone service, as well as an award-winning school which is not included in the lot for sale. But locals admit that Bridgeville is not a humming town.

"There are no movies here. There's no shopping. There's an old cafe that needs to be fixed up," said resident Dave Vegliano, who has lived in the town for a quarter of a century.

Bridgeville was founded as a timber and logging town in redwood-rich northern California in 1865 by a trapper called Slaughter Robinson, but was sold into private ownership in 1909 as logging jobs began to dry up.

Its current owner, Elizabeth Lapple -- whose mother bought it for US$150,000 in 1972 -- is selling up so she can retire outside of California.

Locals have mixed feelings about the prospects of the sale of the entire town. Bridgeville's post mistress Rose Clarke, who lives in Fortuna, is optimistic. "I think it would be a great bed-and-breakfast place," she said.

Others, however, are more dubious.

"It's basically a dead town. There isn't anything here," said San Francisco native Mel Shuman, who runs a ranch on the outskirts of Bridgeville. "If you're lucky enough to be able to have a job, you can manage to live here."
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