Entire California ‘town’ goes on sale for $4.75M — and it’s sitting on an actual gold mine

An entire California town has hit the market for a cool $4.75 million.

Nestled along Northern California’s Feather River Canyon, Belden was once the site of a bustling mining camp during the gold rush. But by the 20th century, the area’s economy had faltered.

Since, 1989, the town has been owned by Ivan Coffman, Belden’s unofficial mayor, who’s turned the town into a picturesque tourist destination.

The four-acre property contain’s an owner’s quarters, seven guest cabins with 2-3 bedrooms each, an 18-room hotel, 16 RV spaces, a full service restaurant and bar, and multiple outdoor event spaces.

“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 town’s website reads.

“Properties of this scale, uniqueness, and historical significance rarely come to market,” the website continues.

A nearby five-acre parcel that is currently used for extra parking and event support is available separately for $500,000.

With a population of just 15, Belden is not an official town. The nearest incorporated ton is Portola, about an hour away.

Coffman first visited Belden in 1970 in search of gold.

“That year, we had a terrific flood that washed a huge bar of gravel off down into this hole, and that’s what left all that gold layin’ there,” Coffman told SFGATE. “It’d been hidden for all them years.”

At 87, Coffman told the outlet he still mines for gold in the river almost daily.

Just off highway 70, a red steel bridge over the Feather River leads you to Belden. The Belden Town Resort and Lodge contains the restaurant, a bar, general store, hotel rooms, and private apartment.

The charming town is full of character. Murals and painted wooden signs can be found throughout, as well as brightly-painted cabins. There’s also a mechanic’s garage built in the mid-20th century, and and an abandoned schoolhouse, overgrown with bushes and vines.

Trailers and RVs parked on the property’s grounds house the people who work in the area, Coffman told SFGATE.

The restaurant is a time capsule decorated with taxidermy, artwork, an old slot machine, a leather saddle, rows of glass bottles and vases, and an oversized rooster.

Coffman decided to sell the property partially because of the death of his son earlier this year from health complications. Flowers were planted by the gazebo in his son’s memory.

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