Stretching a Scenic Buck

“People drive a long way to see something that’s never changed.”

Lee Ann Keester

Daughter of the owner of Scenic, South Dakota

How far can you stretch a buck? Or, let's say, how far can you stretch 799,000 bucks? If you’re in the big city of Manhattan, New York (population 1,585,873), $799,000 will get you a 1-bedroom, 1½-bath, 1000-square-foot apartment. In Los Angeles (population 3,849,378), it’ll get you a 2-bedroom, 2-bath, 1650-square-foot condo. But in South Dakota, that same $799,000 will get you your own town on 12 acres with an additional 34 acres of elbow room.

Founded in 1906, the historic town of Scenic, South Dakota (population 9) is on the market and offers amenities you’re not going to find just anywhere: a saloon, large dance hall with basketball court, bunkhouse, train depot, two jails (one still working), two stores, a post office with your own zip code (57780), and handful of homes—a couple habitable and a few on their last leg. This place is a fixer-upper, but it’s got great bones. Just take a look at the above photo of the Longhorn Saloon.

The current owner of Scenic would’ve loved to have kept the town until she was 100, but she’s fallen ill and needs to find a new owner. One of the residents who’s lived in Scenic since 1949 says he likes the seclusion of the small town, but it could use some spiffing up. And a couple of new businesses would be nice.

So, if you have $799,000 burning a hole in your pocket, and you’re not afraid to stretch your imagination along with your bucks, you might find yourself in a Scenic little spot in South Dakota with a zip code to call your own.

Click on the video below to take a tour of Scenic, South Dakota:

Read the article ® Small South Dakota town on sale for $799,000
Real estate listing & website ® BuyScenicSD.com