Should have thrown in a slice of cherry pie

Associated Press

YAKIMA — Not many people wanted to buy George, it turns out, at least not at prices that were attractive to the owners of the tiny central Washington town.

Most of George went on the auction block last weekend, but Mayor Elliot Kooy said the only land that sold right away was some industrial property on the north end.

"It was a little bit sad at the auction. It was pretty obvious that most of the people there were not too serious," Kooy said Friday.

Bids were made on most of the 20 parcels offered for sale, representing about 300 acres of the 330-acre city, set just off Interstate 90, 70 miles northeast of Yakima.

"They were bid on at very low prices," Kooy said. "Some people were bidding just because they were steals."

There were no minimum bids, but the sellers — the Jones brothers, Mike, Jack and Larry — had 48 hours to accept or reject any offers. They rejected all but four, Kooy said.

Neither Jack nor Larry Jones returned a call seeking comment, and Mike Jones said he was too busy to talk when contacted by The Associated Press.

The town of 500 was founded in the 1950s by a man named Charlie Brown, who believed the country ought to have a city named George, Wash. The streets are named after a variety of cherry trees, in honor of the legend about the first president’s youthful honesty.

Most of the property offered for sale was undeveloped, but it did include Martha’s Inn Cafe, famous for its cherry pie; a gas station; and a 10-acre mobile-home park.

George has been bought and sold before, changing hands at least a couple of times since Brown divested.

Kooy said he’s not sure why the town didn’t attract more buyers.

"I’ve heard various reasons, some of them were the terrorist situation on the East Coast. After Sept. 11, people were not in the mood to buy things, they weren’t making investments," he said.

He said potential bidders also might have been put off by the sellers having the option to reject any sale.