STREETER - Deepak Vakil is coming from a community of about 3 million people to build a cabin in this south central North Dakota community of 180.

"It's a quiet, calm, peaceful place," said Vakil, of Ahmedaba, India, who visited Streeter for the first time this summer. "No traffic jams. No traffic lights."

Vakil learned about Streeter from Jimmey Iszler, a native of the town who still vacations there although he lives in Miami. Vakil is one of about a dozen people who have bought land in Streeter, five of whom live outside the United States, Iszler said.

Some of the new owners, like Vakil, visited Streeter during its centennial celebration. Others bought land sight unseen.

The land, along Dakota Street, is now home to five old buildings in various stages of being remodeled into vacation homes. There are plans for more.

The development project is a dream of Iszler's. He said he joined the Peace Corps in 1965 and spent two years in Colombia and three years in Peru before starting LAND, a business that sells imported goods internationally. He returns to Streeter twice a year.

Iszler and his wife, Suzy, began a remodeling project on a 70-year-old home on Dakota Street about two years ago.

"My wife was tired of being in an RV (when we visited)," he said.

They turned the home into a rustic cabin, with a stone fireplace built of prairie rocks, and with reclaimed wood from old fence posts and corrals.

"It's a country home. It's not supposed to be sophisticated," Iszler said.

At first, he told people he knew about Streeter and showed pictures. Then he started inviting them to visit.

"I think they're curious to see what this is all about," Iszler said. "Of course, I've talked a lot about Streeter."

Like the Iszlers' vacation home, the cabins being remodeled there are old, many abandoned. One is an old granary and another is a home that was to be burned down.

"I think it's important to get our history back," Iszler said.

Vakil, who owns a leather factory in India that makes LAND products, admits he was skeptical when Iszler invited him to visit Streeter. But he got interested when Iszler showed him pictures and told him more about the town.

"'It's a good thing, why don't you come and share,' that was the tone," he said.

What he found was very different from India.

"It's smaller than the smallest town I've seen, but more beautiful than the most beautiful place I've seen," he said.

Vakil purchased the land along Dakota Street, where he plans to build a cabin. He will return with his family next summer.

"I'm sure they will like it because it is something different than we have at home," he said.

One attraction is that the land is inexpensive, he said. While the prices vary, Iszler said some of the lots were purchased for back taxes.

Another attraction for Vakil was the people who waved to him on the street and asked him questions about his life in India, he said.

And he found room.

"Back home, we are more people and less space," he said.

Iszler hopes more people will build vacation or retirement homes in Streeter and revitalize the community, which has seen its population dwindle along with other rural areas.

"You can't just give up," he said. "You have to think of something that makes it work."