Why settle for a house when you can take the whole town? From quaint country outposts and an exclusive island enclave to a desert ghost town straight out of a Western, we've scoured America for the best settlements for sale right now. Click or scroll through to discover the communities in the market for a new mayor...

Nestled in the arid Arizona desert in Yavapai County, the town of Cleator was founded in the late 1800s as a gold-mining outpost. Extending almost 40 acres, this compact settlement is now on the market with North & Co for $1.3 million (£980k). While it may be small in stature, Cleator is rich in history and Wild West tradition.

Once flanked by mining camps and the Prescott and Eastern Railroad, the settlement bustled with workers and their families in the 19th and early 20th centuries. However, by the 1930s, many of the town's mines had folded – the final blow came a few years later when the railroad closed. Home to around 1,500 people in its heyday, the outpost was all but deserted. While some consider Cleator a ghost town, it's still home to a handful of people who've formed a small, tight-knit community.

Located 70 miles outside of Phoenix, the settlement's collection of 20 weathered buildings still resemble an old Wild West town. Alongside the original residences, there's a bar and general store that remain largely unchanged from the outpost's glory days. In addition to the structures, the sale price also includes mining rights to the area. Who knows, maybe there's still gold in them thar hills...

The town's main pull is without doubt the playfully named Cleator Bar and Yacht Club. Decked out in a mix of cowboy memorabilia and nautical touches, including jet skis and buoys, visitors come from far and wide to drink in the legendary watering hole. Where else can you enjoy a beer on a pontoon boat in the middle of the desert?

When it comes to future development, Cleator isn't short of potential. Surrounded by rolling desert and jaw-dropping views, there's plenty of land to play with here. Alternatively, you could put Cleator back on the map by building on the bar's popularity and sensitively restoring the rest of the town to its Wild West grandeur. Plus, the new owner is entitled to naming rights, so you can really put your own stamp on this settlement.

The unincorporated community of California Valley, found in the east of San Luis Obispo County, is something of a forgotten gem. According to the listing, this tiny hidden town is the only commercial site in the breathtaking Carrizo Plain National Monument, the largest area of native grassland remaining in California, making it a rather unique investment opportunity.

On the market for $1.4 million (£1m) with the California Serengeti Corporation via Loopnet, the rural town encompasses 8.7 developed acres, while an additional 31 acres of agricultural land surrounding the settlement are also included in the price tag. 

With the town as we see it now built around 1960, its buildings are in a good state of repair and fully operational. The compact commercial heart of California Valley includes a 20-unit lodge, complete with a one-bedroom manager's apartment, a restaurant, general store and auto service station. 

All of the structures meet county health and fire department codes, while the town's buildings underwent major renovations in 2003 and 2011, with over $900,000 (£690k) invested in the infrastructure. Pictured here, the lodge features a swimming pool and motel-style accommodation. It may be in need of a revamp but the bones are good – transformed into a comfortable retreat for weary hikers, it could become a popular stop for those exploring the region's landscapes.

On the town's doorstep is one of California's best-kept secrets, the Carrizo Plain National Monument. Staggering in scale, with vivid yellow wildflowers stretching as far as the eye can see, it offers over 204,000 acres of exquisite natural landscape. Located in a relatively remote spot, California Valley is ideally placed to cater for tourists visiting the beauty spot and could offer a prospective buyer a promising commercial venture.

Fancy a slice of the good life in rural Northern California? The town of Bridgeville in Humboldt County could be yours for $1.5 million (£1.1m). Listed with Realty World, the quaint hamlet was founded in the late 19th century and sits alongside idyllic woodland landscapes and the scenic Van Duzen River.

The community made headlines as the first town to be touted on eBay when it was listed on the online buying site in 2002. After the initial sale fell through, real estate developer Bruce Krall, pictured here, snapped up Bridgeville, selling it once more via eBay in 2006. But mere months later, following the sudden passing of the hamlet's new owner, it was put back on sale and the town's fate has been hanging in the balance ever since.

Stretching 83 acres, the hamlet did undergo some much-needed renovations in the early 2000s, when Krall carried out infrastructure repairs and demolished the rundown grocery store. While Krall's dreams of transforming the neglected community into an upmarket health retreat never came to fruition, there's still potential in this charming small-town idyll.

As well as the substantial acreage, the sale price includes a number of homes and cabins, a 150-year-old post office, a vacant cafe and a cemetery. While not included in the lot, Bridgeville Elementary School is located on the outskirts of the town, so this rural spot has the bones to be a vibrant family community once more.

With swimming holes dotted throughout the town and picturesque hills flanking the main road, Bridgeville has plenty to offer a buyer with the resources to revive the town's fortunes. Something of a fixer-upper, some of the homes appear to be in a poor state of repair and would require immediate attention. Here's hoping this diamond in the rough finally gets the happy ending it deserves...

Established in the early 1900s as a mining town, Villa de la Mina is located in Texas, near the Big Bend National Park. Once a bustling industrial hotspot and later a popular tourist destination in the 1970s, it's fallen silent in recent decades, reduced to an eerie abandoned ghost town in the middle of the desert.

On the market for $1.8 million (£1.4m), the formerly prosperous town was constructed with local rock and handmade bricks. Thrown in with the sale, it comes complete with a large mine and railroad track – at the start of the 20th century, cinnabar, a red mercury sulphide mineral, was mined here, and was once the lifeblood of the small community.

Encompassing 62 acres, the sale includes Villa de la Mina's 20 historic buildings, which range from horse stables, cabins, derelict houses, a bandstand and a two-storey hotel to an old jail house complete with barred cells. We wonder how many outlaws passed through the town back in its heyday...

Purchased a number of years ago by its current owner, Herman Everett, in the hopes of revitalising the rundown site, he's now searching for a buyer with more time on their hands who can realise his vision. What's more, with the Big Bend National Park a mere 15-minute drive away and lacking in nearby accommodation, Villa de la Mina could be a lucrative development prospect.

While the town requires plumbing and electricity, and many of the building's roofs have seen better days, the structures themselves are still sound, according to Herman. All this forlorn settlement is missing is a buyer with a little imagination and deep pockets to give its abandoned spaces a new lease of life.

Fancy taking on a town that's already up and running? The rural community of Campo in California's San Diego County has hit the market for a reported $6 million (£4.6m). Home to around 100 people, the population has dwindled somewhat over the years and it's now in need of a new owner to invest in the community.

An hour away from San Diego and the glittering Pacific Ocean, the settlement is said to have stirred up quite a lot of interest already due to its opportune location. On the market with The Brennan Group, there's no shortage of development potential here, with 16 acres of land and 28 residences up for grabs.

Campo has played a fascinating part in US military history. Back in the Second World War, the town was home to Camp Lockett, a base of the Buffalo Soldiers, the lauded African-American army regiments. The town's military past isn't quite so evident anymore – situated a mile away from the US-Mexico border, these days many residents find employment with the US Customs and Border Protection. 

A close-knit community, the town includes a number of homes and multifamily units, a working post office, Baptist church, lumber and metal shops, a cabinet store and an office building. The current residents are looking for the new owner to expand the town, adding facilities such as a gym, laundromat, day care and recreation centres.

Pictured here, Campo's former army barracks have been converted into a number of family apartments. Little has changed here since the 1940s and a number of vacant structures now pepper the streets in the settlement's historic centre. Taken in hand by the right owner, these abandoned buildings could be transformed into valuable amenities for the community, setting Campo on the road to becoming a thriving hotspot once more.

If you're in the market for something altogether more luxurious, look no further. The perfect purchase for a buyer with big pockets and a taste for the finer things in life, the resort-style village of Little Hawkins Island lies in Georgia's Golden Isles region.

Accessed by a 110-foot bridge, this gated enclave is the most exclusive American place in our roundup. Comprising three residences and a luxurious private club, the village encompasses three acres and over 700 feet of breathtaking waterfront framed by palm trees and pristine landscaping.

Surrounded by picturesque salt marshes, this piece of paradise offers tranquil river views from every outlook, while dolphins, otters and turtles are regular visitors. Capable of accommodating a 40-foot boat, the island's dock is the ideal launching pad to explore the peaceful waterways and reach the Atlantic Ocean – a mere 15 minutes away.

On the market for $17.8 million (£13.4m) with Private Islands Inc, the community is packed with state-of-the-art amenities worthy of a world-class private resort. The Little Hawkins Island Club is home to a spa, outdoor pool, gym, changing facilities and a bar. If that wasn't enough, neighbouring Sea Island with its tennis courts, restaurants and white-sand beach is just minutes away.

Exquisite Spanish Colonial architecture extends throughout the village, with Mediterranean-style archways, ornate coffered ceilings and Spanish terracotta flooring adorning the interior of the main residence. With the hamlet's buildings offered furnished, the lucky buyer will also gain a host of antique furniture, from Persian rugs to plush soft furnishings. Now that's a town we'd love to be mayor of!

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