Someplace alongside the winding banks of the Yellowstone River, there’s a city the place the mail nonetheless arrives by hand, the final retailer has been serving locals for greater than a century, and the cabins carry the scent of freshly lower pine. It’s known as Pray, Montana—and for the appropriate purchaser, it may all be yours.
This five-acre city, simply 45 minutes from Yellowstone Nationwide Park, gives extra than simply property strains. Pray gives a functioning U.S. submit workplace, giving it its personal zip code and conserving it formally on the map. The city additionally boasts an over 100-year-old basic retailer, nonetheless working with a tenant, and three Amish-built log cabins, which have turn out to be a comfy stopover for vacationers heading into the park.
For the previous 5 years, Pray has been run as a thriving short-term rental enterprise, drawing guests from throughout the nation. The property additionally features a duplex, including to its revenue potential. With confirmed financials and a loyal shopper base, the city is greater than an actual property itemizing—it’s a turnkey enterprise wrapped in historical past.
However what makes Pray actually distinctive is its submit workplace. Whereas many frontier cities have light into obscurity, Pray nonetheless has its personal zip code—59865—due to this working authorities service. The constructing—a easy white construction with a blue signal out entrance—remains to be a gathering place for locals choosing up their mail. For a purchaser, proudly owning a city with a functioning submit workplace gives a uncommon distinction—and a direct tie to the city’s founding.
After which there’s the mayor—or no less than, Pray’s closest equal. The present proprietor serves because the city’s unelected mayor—a task that comes with a small-town allure slightly than forms. Yearly, they trip by means of the streets within the annual Pray parade, which begins and ends on the property. It’s the type of quirky, homespun custom that makes Pray really feel much less like an actual property deal and extra like a chapter from a traditional American novel.
Established in 1909, Pray was named after congressman Charles Nelson Pray, who represented Montana throughout its early statehood. Like many frontier cities, it was constructed on hopes of railroad growth and westward migration. When new highways bypassed Pray, the city’s position as a journey cease diminished, however it by no means disappeared. The final retailer remained a fixture, its weathered picket exterior a reminder of the city’s place in Montana’s previous.
Today, Pray’s guests are drawn by its proximity to journey and luxurious escapes. Simply down the highway is the Yellowstone Movie Ranch, the place main Hollywood westerns are being filmed towards Montana’s rugged backdrop. Close by, the Outdated Saloon in Emigrant—well-known for its reside music and whiskey-fueled nights—gives a style of Montana’s rowdy spirit. For a extra refined expertise, the Sage Lodge, an upscale fly-fishing resort, gives world-class eating, spa providers, and guided out of doors adventures. And only a few miles away, the Mountain Sky Visitor Ranch supplies a traditional Montana dude ranch expertise, full with horseback using, fly fishing, and breathtaking mountain views. The Yellowstone River, which borders Pray, lures fly fishers and rafters, whereas Yellowstone Nationwide Park itself is barely 45 minutes away, providing a gateway to geysers, wildlife, and infinite trails.
For anybody dreaming of proudly owning a enterprise with built-in revenue, or just eager for a slower tempo of life in Montana’s wide-open areas, Pray gives each. The present proprietor is able to move the torch, providing the five-acre city and its historic buildings for $2.6 million.
It’s a uncommon likelihood to personal extra than simply property—you’d be shopping for a bit of Montana’s story. And with the submit workplace nonetheless open for enterprise, Pray will maintain its place on the map for years to return.
For extra info, contact Michael Rutkowski at bigskyequity@gmail.com.