An entire California town is up for grabs, cabins, bar and all. Belden, an unincorporated community of roughly 15 residents tucked into the Plumas National Forest, is being offered for sale by owner for $4.75 million, according to a listing that surfaced this summer.
The asking price and the scope of what is included were detailed by plumassun.org, which reported the property covers approximately four privately owned acres with direct Feather River frontage. The site describes a compound built for both hospitality and events: seven guest cabins, 18 hotel rooms, 16 RV spaces and camping accommodations, plus a commercial kitchen, restaurant and bar facilities, and a general store. KCRA separately confirmed Belden's population at 15 residents.
The bar carries a Type 47 liquor license, according to the property's own sale website, beldentownforsale.com, which also lists staff housing, multiple event and stage locations, water rights and upgraded utilities among the infrastructure changing hands. The same listing notes a nearby five-acre parcel used for overflow parking and event support is available separately for $500,000.
A Gold-Prospecting Trip That Turned Into a Life's Work
The man behind the sale is Ivan Coffman, who bought Belden in 1989 after first stumbling onto the area while prospecting for gold in 1970, as The Independent reported. Coffman reportedly recovered roughly 50 ounces of gold on that initial trip. By the time he purchased the property, a fire from the 1970s had already left most of Belden's original structures in ruins, and the same report notes Coffman rebuilt from there.
“It's been a wonderful 25 years, but I'm ready to retire,” Coffman said, per the Plumas Sun's reporting. The town's more recent history includes surviving the 2021 Dixie Fire, which burned the surrounding hillsides and destroyed the nearby town of Greenville, according to the same Independent account. Belden itself made it through.
From Mining Camp to Festival Stop
The Sacramento Bee reports Belden sits roughly 36 miles northeast of Chico in the Plumas National Forest and is reached by a single road via a bridge off Feather River Highway. The community was built along a Feather River tributary in the early 1900s, after homesteading farmers, gold miners and the Maidu community had lived on the land before its development, the Bee reports. The Western Pacific Railroad laid its tracks across Northern California as Belden was being built, and per the Plumas County website, the arrival of a train station turned Belden into a thriving township built around fishing and hunting.
Following an earlier fire, the town fell into disrepair over the subsequent two decades before Coffman's purchase reversed its decline, according to the Bee's reporting. Today Belden welcomes music festival goers and Pacific Crest Trail hikers annually, and the property includes outbuildings, storage spaces and a luxury owner's home in addition to its guest lodging. Per the Plumas Sun, organizers say the site could work as a boutique resort, retreat center, music and event venue, RV destination, glamping operation or outdoor recreation hub, and this year alone Belden is set to host eight weekend-long music festivals. Sfgate.com described how Coffman rebuilt what was left of the town into what it called an eclectic destination in the woods, drawing hikers and motorcyclists along with festival crowds.
The listing also includes a lifetime lease for adjacent Forest Service land currently used for camping, according to the Plumas Sun's reporting. Prospective buyers are directed to complete a pre-application before connecting with Coffman and proceeding with any purchase, the Bee notes. Belden went on sale earlier this summer, per the Plumas Sun.
Not the Only California Town With a For-Sale Sign
Belden isn't the only whole town California has put on the market recently. The town of Campo, in southeastern San Diego County, is listed for sale for $6 million, according to 10News. That listing includes a church, a Border Patrol station lease, a VFW, 27 apartments and a hardware store, and the station reports the parcels currently bring in about $40,000 a month in rents, according to listing agent Nick Hernandez.
Campo was listed once in 2019 and again in 2024, when it carried a $6.5 million price tag, 10News reported. Current owner John Ray has held the town for 22 years and has said he simply hasn't had the time to develop the property further. Whether Belden finds a buyer with grander plans, or another owner content to keep the festivals and river fishing going, remains to be seen.
