Montreal

Entire 19th-century Quebec village up for sale

Canadiana Village, located about an hour north of Montreal, has been on the market since the fall. For $2.8 million, you could get nearly 60 hectares of land and 45 buildings.

Valued at $2.8M, Canadiana Village comes with 45 buildings

Canadiana Village, designed to resemble a pioneer settlement from the 19th century, includes a church, a general store, a mill, a cemetery, a saloon and 22 houses. It's about an hour north of Montreal and is for sale for $2.8 million. (CBC)

Why settle for buying a home when you can buy an entire village?

Canadiana Village, about an hour north of Montreal near Rawdon, Que., has been on the market since the fall. The nearly 60 hectares of land and 45 buildings are going for $2.8 million.

The village is designed to resemble a pioneer settlement from the 19th century, and includes a church, a general store, a mill, a cemetery, a saloon and 22 houses.

However, most of the buildings are just for show.

"You can buy it, but live in it? You'd have to build homes on it that are liveable because these ones are really used for decor," said Mary-Catherine Kaija, the real estate broker with Sotheby's International Canada who is in charge of selling the village.

"There's only one livable home."

Kaija said most of the buildings were shipped to the village over the years.

Tourist destination, Hollywood spotlight

In its heyday, the village welcomed close to 30,000 tourists per year and was a popular destination for school field trips.

It was also featured in more than 110 film and TV productions, including Radio-Canada's Pays d'en haut and I'm Not There, a Bob Dylan biographical drama. 
Real estate broker Mary-Catherine Kaija said she has heard from potential buyers as far away as Europe. (CBC)

Kaija said the current owners hope to find a buyer that will keep the village intact.

The listing has gained some international attention. Kaija said she has spoken to potential buyers in Europe. It has also attracted fans who have seen the village on the small or big screen.

"Of course, we've always had the few people that would send us the request to come visit that have seen either the movies or television shows that were filmed here. But unfortunately, we cannot answer everyone's demand," said Kaija.

"We'd be up here 24/7."

There's only one livable home on the property. Most buildings are just for show. (CBC)

With files from Jay Turnbull