CAMPO, CALIFORNIA — An unusual real-estate opportunity is attracting attention in San Diego County: much of the historic village of Campo, California, is currently being offered for sale for $5.995 million.

The property, marketed as “The Village of Campo,” encompasses approximately 15.75 acres across three parcels, with roughly 95,000 square feet of existing buildings. The offering includes 28 residential units and a commercial core, effectively putting a substantial portion of the historic community under a single ownership opportunity.  

The property is located at 431 Jeb Stuart Road, approximately an hour east of San Diego along State Route 94 and close to the U.S.-Mexico border. The current listing was updated in September 2026 and is being marketed by Top Gun CRE.  

A village with a military and African American history

Campo’s story stretches back to the 19th century, but much of the physical village being offered today dates to the World War II era.

The area became Camp Lockett, a U.S. Army cavalry installation that became associated with the Buffalo Soldiers, the historic African American cavalry units that served in the American West. The Army maintained the installation until the end of the mounted-cavalry era, after which many of the military buildings were converted into housing and commercial properties.  

That history gives the property significance beyond its real-estate value. Existing structures preserve a distinctive 1940s military-town character that could potentially be incorporated into a future heritage, tourism or cultural development.

What comes with the sale?

According to the current offering materials, the property includes:

• 15.75 acres
• Approximately 95,000 square feet of improvements
• 28 residential units
• Former cavalry barracks converted into apartments
• Cottages, duplexes and single-family residences
• Commercial buildings and workshops
• A U.S. Post Office
• U.S. Border Patrol tenancy
• East County Lumber & Ranch Supply
• A cabinet shop
• Baptist church
• VFW hall
• Warehouses, garages and additional structures

The property currently generates approximately $480,000 in scheduled annual rent, although several buildings and spaces offer opportunities for renovation and additional leasing.  

From investment property to destination

The sellers are not presenting Campo simply as a collection of buildings. The marketing emphasizes the possibility of transforming the historic village into a destination.

Potential concepts include heritage lodging, a trail-oriented destination, restaurants and cafés, events, film production, artist or maker spaces, retreats, outdoor education and adaptive reuse of historic buildings. The Pacific Crest Trail is nearby, while the surrounding area includes museums, the Camp Lockett Event & Equestrian Facility and Lake Morena.  

For an investor willing to undertake renovations, the opportunity is therefore less about simply collecting rent and more about deciding what the next chapter of Campo could look like.

The price has changed

Campo has attracted attention from buyers before.

The properties were marketed in 2019, and the opportunity returned to the market in 2024 for $6.6 million. The current asking price has now been reduced to $5.995 million, making the present offering notably lower than the 2024 asking price.  

The current marketing materials also state that seller financing may be available to qualified buyers.  

Who could buy a town like Campo?

The unusual nature of the property makes it potentially attractive to several types of buyers.

A traditional real-estate investor could renovate vacant units and improve occupancy. A hospitality company could create a historic backcountry hotel or lodge. A media company could use the preserved 1940s buildings as a filming location. An organization could potentially develop the property as a retreat, educational campus, artists’ community or cultural destination.

The property is also positioned near a remarkable concentration of historical attractions, including the Gaskill Brothers Stone Store Museum, Pacific Southwest Railway Museum, Motor Transport Museum and Camp Lockett Event & Equestrian Facility.  

Not technically the entire town

Despite headlines describing Campo as an “entire town for sale,” there is an important distinction.

The offering represents a substantial portion of Campo rather than every property in the community. The fire station, for example, is not included, and Campo remains an unincorporated community with other properties outside the offering. Earlier reporting similarly described the opportunity as the majority or downtown portion of the town rather than literally every parcel.  

Still, acquiring nearly 16 acres containing dozens of residential and commercial spaces in a historic California community is an extraordinarily unusual real-estate proposition.

A rare opportunity — with a major responsibility

At $5.995 million, the question for a prospective buyer is not simply whether Campo can generate rental income. It is whether someone can successfully balance commercial redevelopment with preservation of the community’s identity and history.

For Campo, the next owner could potentially determine whether the village remains primarily a collection of aging historic buildings or becomes a renewed destination in San Diego County’s backcountry.

The property is currently being marketed by Top Gun CRE, with seller financing available for qualified buyers.