A historical note that might be of interest:

About ten or twelve years ago a young couple moved into one of the near-dead towns in the Texas panhandle. Although this was the county seat, and had a courthouse and postoffice, the town population had dwindled to about a dozen (probably counting the two horses), only about four houses were occupied, there were no nearby businesses, and most of the buildings were falling down.

The couple started gathering up a few of the old properties, and started a small art shop. They managed to attract a couple of "regionally famous artists" for a few exhibitions in one of the old houses that they cleaned up to use as a gallery.

They cleaned up a small lot out behind the art shop, put in a little pavillion and a few lights, and started having Saturday night dances whenever the weather was nice. Eventually the dances got pretty much regular in season, and attendance is pretty good.

A little expansion of the business led to a frame shop in the historic old hotel, and a bit of hustling around got them a small federal grant sufficient to build the new regional "Wolf Creek Museum." They found enough in the way of "artifacts" donated or lent by local people to begin to think about expanding the original 8,000 sq ft (a guess) museum within the first five years or so.

Several "locals" who didn't know they had a life are now active sorting, cleaning, setting up displays and writing local history at the museum.

The new "art settlement" attracted a blacksmith who seems to be pretty busy, mostly making craft show stuff, I think. And all that traffic prompted the possible re-opening of an old filling station - now (maybe) to be a hamburger stand - that had been out of business for at least twenty years.

I think the nearest town with a grade school and high school, and a bank, is about 17 or 18 miles away. (The town library there does have a good high speed internet connection.) The nearest Walmart and large hospital are about 85 miles away, across the border in Oklahoma, although there's a smaller hospital about half way (also in OK) to that "big city."

Now if they had a luthier and somebody to work leather, and possibly a pottery shop, or someone with a loom or two ... and there are probably locals who would maybe help with a quilt shop ...

And Frankie McWhorter and his "ExLax Symphony" (music to move you ... a local nickname) may be world famous, but they could probably use a few more good musicians for Friday and Saturday night whoop 'em ups.

If joining that sort of start-up colony doesn't appeal, there's an "abandoned" lumber yard with a really big tin shed perfect for the "hobbyist who thinks big" in that little town with the bank and the library, although I don't know how cheaply they'd let it go.

There's an abandoned church across the street from that little hospital half way to the big city that I've heard would go really cheap, and you could start your own town meeting hall and throw all kinds of parties maybe.

Of course, it's easier if you can find what you're looking for; but at least in this instance there's proof you can still make what your lookin' for if you're a little bit creative.

John