There's a town located almost equidistant between Cheyenne
and Laramie in southeast Wyoming that is in the news. That's because the
smallest town in the United States, Buford, Wyoming, was sold at
auction for $900,000 on Thursday to an unidentified man from Vietnam. I
passed by that one man town when I drove from New Orleans to Portland
about almost two years ago (Buford looks like it is located on the
surface of the moon) and an fascinated by what the new owner will do
with it. Here's why!
The one man town of Buford consists of a gas station and convenience store, a schoolhouse from 1905, a cabin, a garage, 10 acres, and a three bedroom home located at 8,000 feet altitude. Temperatures are more often freezing and the mountain side is bare scrubbed rather than scenic. Too, Buford overlooks the trucks and cars on the nearby interstate 80 (which is where I saw Buford on my drive) on one side and the distant snow capped mountains in Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado on the other side.
Don Sammons is the seller and he has lived in Buford for 20 years. But now he wants or move away, resign as mayor and write a book about his experiences in Buford. At one time in the late 1800's Buford had 2000 residents because it was situated along the transcontinental railroad. But the railroad was rerouted and Buford slowly died. Scattered around Buford are big ranches which give the residents a reason to live in an isolated and severe part of the U.S.
I was struck at how barren the area is when I drive across it and wondered why anyone would want to live there. The buyer just said he "wanted a piece of America". Odd. For $900,000 he could have gotten a nicer piece. I doubt he can turn Buford into a tourist town because the area is extremely remote So what can the new Buford Owner do? He has sovereignty over the area and can do anything with it that doesn't violate the laws of the state of Wyoming. Hmmm Let's see...maybe the new owner will....
* Rename it 'Saigon West'
* Convert the town into a brothel
* Make it a rest home for has been reality TV performers
* Probably become very proficient at playing solitaire
* Never see his mother-in-law again
* Open a Pho soup restaurant....uh....no deliveries for 'BuPHOrd Soup'
* Can you imagine it? 'Disney World Wyoming'
* Make it the World's smallest Wal mart
* Finally, build a house arrest where Lindsay Lohan can keep out of trouble
The one man town of Buford consists of a gas station and convenience store, a schoolhouse from 1905, a cabin, a garage, 10 acres, and a three bedroom home located at 8,000 feet altitude. Temperatures are more often freezing and the mountain side is bare scrubbed rather than scenic. Too, Buford overlooks the trucks and cars on the nearby interstate 80 (which is where I saw Buford on my drive) on one side and the distant snow capped mountains in Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado on the other side.
Don Sammons is the seller and he has lived in Buford for 20 years. But now he wants or move away, resign as mayor and write a book about his experiences in Buford. At one time in the late 1800's Buford had 2000 residents because it was situated along the transcontinental railroad. But the railroad was rerouted and Buford slowly died. Scattered around Buford are big ranches which give the residents a reason to live in an isolated and severe part of the U.S.
I was struck at how barren the area is when I drive across it and wondered why anyone would want to live there. The buyer just said he "wanted a piece of America". Odd. For $900,000 he could have gotten a nicer piece. I doubt he can turn Buford into a tourist town because the area is extremely remote So what can the new Buford Owner do? He has sovereignty over the area and can do anything with it that doesn't violate the laws of the state of Wyoming. Hmmm Let's see...maybe the new owner will....
* Rename it 'Saigon West'
* Convert the town into a brothel
* Make it a rest home for has been reality TV performers
* Probably become very proficient at playing solitaire
* Never see his mother-in-law again
* Open a Pho soup restaurant....uh....no deliveries for 'BuPHOrd Soup'
* Can you imagine it? 'Disney World Wyoming'
* Make it the World's smallest Wal mart
* Finally, build a house arrest where Lindsay Lohan can keep out of trouble
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