While owning a mansion or fancy equestrian estate is undeniably impressive, telling people you own a town has got to be the ultimate real estate brag – even if it's a Schitt's Creek-style dive.

Believe it or not, plenty of bold big-shots have pulled out all the stops and bagged whole municipalities, scooping up everything from shops and bars to churches. Click or scroll through to meet 14 plucky people who really did go to town and purchase a whole community...