Canadian ghost town to become resort

VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Jan. 26 (UPI) -- A fully-equipped but deserted British Columbia mining town trapped in the year 1983 has been sold to a U.S. developer, the Toronto Star said Wednesday.

The town of Kitsault was built from scratch in the late 1970s for about $50 million to house workers and their families at a nearby mine. The mine was closed in 1983 and the town has remained as a time capsule since.

It sits on 320 acres of land about 600 miles by air northwest of Vancouver. It has 92 homes, seven apartment buildings, two recreation centers, a shopping mall and a hospital. Many of the homes are still furnished and pens are still attached to counter chains in the bank.

Caretakers have kept the town in shape, cutting grass, clearing snow, painting and doing repairs. There is even water in the indoor swimming pool.

Tuesday, an unidentified land developer from Virginia paid an undisclosed amount for the package, but said plans were being considered to turn Kitsault into a resort with timeshares.

The town had been for sale since September with an asking price of $7 million.