Believe it or not, there are tons of small towns and cities that have been abandoned by its residents because of war, lack of resources, and harsh weather. The places that are the most off-limits are the ones you’ll want to go to the most…
Ross Island, India
Back in 1788, the British got Ross Island and tried to develop on it. Unfortunately, they made the very common mistake of not factoring in the climate of India. Naturally, they didn’t think about the fact that it would be different than England. The weather made it uninhabitable, so they abandoned it.
Agdam, Azerbaijan
At one point, this town housed over 40,000 people. It became a target of bombings by the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic. Naturally, the residents left town to save their lives. The bombers eventually looted and destroyed the town, where it still stands. Not a soul lives there now.
Cahawba, Alabama
Cahawba used to be the capital of Alabama, but the area was prone to flooding disasters. In 1825, the capital was moved and the residents abandoned the city. Eventually, Confederate soldiers took it over as a base camp. In 1865, it was totally damaged by a flood and is now a ghost town.
Oradour-Sur-Glane, France
During WWII, Nazi’s had a hold over many French towns. Oradour-Sur-Glane is a town that was completely taken over by Nazi’s in 1944. They killed 642 of the town’s citizens. It remains untouched to this day.
Centralia, Pennsylvania
Centralia, Pennsylvania was a popular coal mining town in the early 20th century. It was a small town with only 1,000 people. In 1962, the town set fire to a local landfill inside of a divot that connected to the coal mines. The fire spread underground and is now burning the coal. To this day, the fire still burns and only seven stubborn townspeople remain.
Dallol, Ethiopia
Dallol, Ethiopia used to be a salt mining town, but the citizens quickly learned that it was called the hottest town on earth for a reason. It was too hot and inaccessible, so they quickly abandoned it.
Rhyolite, Nevada
This town was established in 1904 during a big quartz boom in the area. The town thrived for a few years before a financial crisis hit. By 1916, the town was completely abandoned.
Boston Mills, Ohio
First established in 1806, Boston Mills, Ohio became a place full of conspiracies very quickly. Local legends say that the town was home to cults, serial killers, and ghosts. The government quickly and abruptly took over the town and boarded up all of the houses. People think that they pushed everyone out to cover up a closeby chemical spill.
Thurmond, West Virginia
Thurmond was your average West Virginia town. Small and off the map. It was even the location of the worlds longest poker game according to Ripley’s Believe It or Not. The local hotel burned down and the town quickly diminished in popularity. There are only five residents who live there now, and they are all employees of the National Parks Service.
Virginia City, Montana
Today, this town is actually pretty popping! For tourists. There are no actual residents that live here anymore. It was a popular gold rush town, but when the gold ran out, so did the residents.
Essex County Jail, New Jersey
This jail is one of the oldest structures in the county, built in 1837. The building was abandoned quickly for an unknown reason, and many confidential documents were left behind…
St. Mary’s College, Maryland
This seminary college was established in the late 1800s but quickly closed down in the 1950s. It quickly became a spot for rowdy teens to gather since it was so abandoned. In 1997, an undisclosed fire burned down the remaining structures and is now even spookier than before…
Humberstone, Chile
This site is now a protected UNESCO World Heritage site, but before it was one of the largest Saltpeter mines. When the mine ran out, as they do, everyone in town moved on to greatest things.
Kennecott, Alaska
Copper mines were discovered in this area in 1903 and the town Kennecott was established. The area itself was hard to live in, but the mine owners offered a lot of money to workers to stay here until the copper ran out. When it did, no one else wanted the town so it now lays abandoned.
Kilamba, Angola
This city has a bit of a bizarre history. Kilamba was built by the Chinese for Angola in a deal for oil. The city cost so much money to make that no Angolan citizens could afford a mortgage to live there. Now it just sits there.
Kolmanskop, Namibia
Germany colonized this small town in Namibia to mine diamonds. When the diamonds ran out, so did the colonizers. Most of the buildings are in disarray and are filled with sand.
Varosha, Cyprus
This is one of the largest ghost towns in the world. Varosha was a popping beach destination until it was invaded by the Turkish army in the 70s. There were nearly 40,000 residents who were pushed out because of that. It still stands abandoned.
North Brother Island, New York
This place was used as a quarantine to keep people with deadly diseases at bay. The hospital is shut down and off limits to the public… This is most definitely haunted, right?
Govan, Washington
This adorable little post office is one of the last standing buildings of this town. It was never very large but crashed when their business center burned down.
Port Arthur, Tasmania
Port Arthur was established back in 1833 and was considered one of the toughest, most dangerous prisons on all of Australia. It was abandoned in 1877. It is also the site of the deadliest massacre in Australia’s history. A man killed 35 people and injured 23 in 1996 when he went on a rampage. They were all touring the prison grounds.
Pripyat, Ukraine
This small town was right next to Chernobyl. Due to the aggressiveness of the nuclear wasteland, Pripyat also had to be evacuated and abandoned.
Isla De Las Munecas, Mexico
Don Julian Santana left his family to move to a remote island on a lake in Mexico. While he was there, he claimed that he saw a young girl drown. In her honor, he hung baby dolls all around the island. Since his passing, his brother took over the island and continues to hang baby dolls. Tourists do that as well.
Tawergha, Libya
This town was badly damaged in the Libyan Civil war by anti-Gaddafi forces. It was too badly damaged so all residents had to move out.
Terlingua, Texas
Yet another town that suffered from the mining rush. This town was completely gutted of its quicksilver. The mines flooded and the prices dropped, so the town was left alone.
Pyramiden, Arctic Circle
This town has been owned by the USSR since 1927. There was a workers’ barracks, sports center, and even fitted with a bust of Lenin. It was mainly for miners until the resources were exhausted and they left it. All of the buildings were left as they were. The library still has books, a theater still has seats, and a music hall still has instruments. It was completely abandoned in 1998.
Bhangarh, Rajasthan, India
Abandoned in the early 1700s, the town was conquered by Jaipur. The centuries-old temples, pavilions, and bazaar are all crumbling.
Belchite, Zaragoza Province, Spain
The town was attacked and destroyed during the Spanish Civil war. It was so disheveled that the townspeople could no longer live there. It now stands as a memorial for the violence that occurred there.
Bodie, California
In 1870, the town of Bodie was another gold mining town. The 8,500 residents were rowdy and loved to fight. Within just ten years, the mines were depleted and the town got dangerous to the point of desertion.
Herculaneum, Naples, Italy
This town was buried by Mount Vesuvius in 79 A.D. Parts of this town had been renovated and excavated for tourist purposes, but it mostly stands untouched.
Chaco Canyon, New Mexico
Chaco was thriving between A.D 800 and 1100. The canyon was the center of it all and was bustling with homes made of mud brick, sandstone, and wood. Eventually, people just left. It now stands as abandoned.
Kayaköy, Anatolia, Turkey
After the Greco-Turkish war ended in 1923, nearly one million Greeks living in Turkey were kicked out and the town was abandoned. It’s not being preserved as a historic site.
St. Elmo, Colorado
When the railroad got shut down in this mining town, everything else fell with it. All of the residents soon fled and by the end of 1922, everything was abandoned. Many of the homes still have belongings in them.
Santa Claus, Arizona
This town was basically a marketing ploy for families to come to near Christmas time. The little Christmas town was only four acres and is not in business anymore…
Flagstaff, Maine
Today, this town is completely under water. If you look closely from above, the occasional chimney can still be seen from below the water.
Calico, California
Calico was established in the 1880s and quickly peaked during the silver craze. When the price of silver dropped in the 1890s, the town was completely abandoned by 1907. After sitting deserted for 40 years, Walter Knott bought and restored the town to become a fun Western park.
Dogtown, Massachusetts
Dogtown, MA was known for having a poorer demographic as well as many war widows who kept dogs. Entrepreneur Roger Babson decided to erect two dozen boulders with messages like “Prosperity Follows Service,” “Get a Job,” and “Help Mother.”
Glenrio, Texas and New Mexico
Glenrio used to be a popular spot off of Route 66. When I-40 was constructed in the 70s, Glenrio quickly fell off. It became unlivable, so a lot of the residents moved. The town is now a part of the National Register of Historic Places.
Goldfield, Arizona
Like all gold towns, Goldfield ran out of gold and lost all of their populations. It was brought back in the 1960s as a tourist stop.
Gleeson, Courtland, and Pearce, Arizona
These towns were popular in the gold rush and slowly faded out. A lot of these towns are on private land, so they won’t be easy to get to. Some of the cemeteries can be visited and once a month the local jail offers a tour.
Swan Island, Maine
This part of Maine was developed by settlers in the 1700s. It was only accessible by boat and eventually became a ground to visit instead of live on. You can hike or camp there as well as visit the old still standing homesteads.
Texola, Oklahoma
The Dust Bowl ended up kicking out a lot of the residents that lived here. It was a small, quiet farming town so that natural disaster ruined a lot of the farmlands and crops. Some people still reside here, but it’s mainly quiet.
South Pass City, Wyoming
This gold town really suffered during the Great Depression. So much so that the state of Wyoming bought the land in the 60s to try and utilize it and revive it. The old cabins, restaurants, dance halls, and jails are still standing that tourists can take tours.
Garnet, Montana
This place was originally established during the gold rush, but they ended up finding more rubies. It was burnt down in 1912 by a fire, but there are still tours offered in the area.
Animas Forks, Colorado
This gold and silver town is a pretty quaint and quiet town. There were about 500 residents at its peak.
Bulowville, Florida
This home used to be the area’s largest sugar mill. It ended up burning down during the Second Seminole War.
Grossinger’s Catskill Resort, Liberty, New York
This resort in New York State would be a hot spot for wealthy families in the 1950s. There was skiing, plays, tennis courts, golf courses, and even more. It closed in the 80s and has since been abandoned. It has yet to be demolished, so it’s a hot spot for getting vandalized.
Rolling Acres Mall, Akron, Ohio
This mall opened in 1975 with 140 stores. In 2008, only two stores remained open. In 2013, the mall was completely closed down. It is set to be demolished, but for now, it’s a creepy 1.3 million sq foot building that serves no purpose.
Bumble Bee, Arizona
This was a town in Arizona that never really picked up or got popular. Eventually, the small population that it had dwindled and became a ghost town. Many buildings, although in disrepair, still remain.
Cochise, Arizona
Established in the 1880s, it was mainly used as a water stop along the Southern Pacific Railroad. The Cochise Hotel, pictured, was built in 1882 to serve railroad crews specifically.
Ashcroft, Colorado
Believe it or not, this area was actually supposed to be the place of a large ski resort in the 1930s. Eventually, someone else took over that project and moved it to Aspen. Virtually, this tiny ghost town would have been the iconic skiing town that Aspen is!
Elk Falls, Kansas
Dubbed as the “world’s largest-living ghost town,” Elk Falls still has around 100 residents there but is otherwise extremely abandoned.
Batsto Village, New Jersey
This town was established in 1766. Joseph Wharton bought the town in 1876 to start agriculture and manufacturing before moving on to start the Wharton School in Philadelphia. Wharton grants still keep this old-colonial town up and running.
Craco, Italy
This town was established in the 8th century. It sits on top of a cliff, which didn’t suit it very well. There were too many natural disasters like landslides, flooding, and earthquakes that threatened the small community. You are able to book a private, guided tour.
Bannack, Montana
This gold mining town actually operated for a little over one hundred years before gold simply couldn’t sustain it anymore.
Ludlow, California
This town was another water stop for the Atlantic and Pacific Railroad. The town was booming between 1906 and 1940.
Dankin, Saskatchewan
The only thing that remains of this little farming town is this wheat pool grain elevator.
Chemung Mine, California
This town sits on top of many mines that they used to use. There are only about six or seven buildings struggling to survive today.
Unknown Town, Alabama
This is a random town that not many people have the history on. There are no records of it, so no one knows what it was used for, how many people lived there, or when people abandoned it.
Montefalcone, Italy
Of course, Italy would have a ghost town this extravagant. This used to be the hideaway for the Lord of Monteverde after his citizens had risen up against him.
Gilman, Colorado
This town was forcibly evacuated by the EPA as it registered extremely high levels of toxic pollution due to the lead and zinc mining in the area. It’s not safe to be there anymore.
Balaclava, Ontario
This town heavily relied on timber as a resource for income. Eventually, they exhausted their resources and had to leave.
Berlin, Germany
When Germany hosted the Olympics in the 1930s, they built an Olympic village. It was actually used during Hitler’s Olympic Games and abandoned once the last Russian solders left the area in 1992. It’s pretty creepy!
Chloride, Arizona
When the Santa Fe Railroad came to Chloride, the community was ecstatic. They soon discovered ore in the area and suddenly, the place was booming. Like all the mining towns before them, the ore had diminished and what the town used to heavily rely on became their demise.
Silverville, Indiana
The only thing left of this small town are a few abandoned houses, shops and an old store.
Hot Springs, Texas
This town is a bit different from the others. Many people came here because they thought that the people living here could heal them with natural elements.
Dachong, China
Nearly 60,000 people had to be relocated to make way for a redevelopment project. The city is in the process of demolishing 1,400 buildings, but for the meantime, they are abandoned.
Shoshoni, Wyoming
This town was built around on the study of uranium and nuclear power in the 1980s. That didn’t last long, obviously, as the city is completely abandoned.
Salton Sea, Caalifornia
In 1900 the California Development Company built irrigation canals diverting water from the Colorado River into a dry lake called the Salton Sink, making the land fertile for some time. But it didn’t last long, and farmers and other residents eventually were forced to leave.
Carabanchel Prison, Spain
This prison was built by the Franco regime to imprison political prisoners after the Spanish Civil War. After it was abandoned, the old prison was inhabited by squatters and heavily looted.
Picher, Oklahoma
Picher was once a booming lead and zinc mining town but after a century of unrestricted excavation the town was left toxic making it totally uninhabitable.
Outside of Xai Xai, Mozambique
Xai Xai was flooded by the Limpopo River in 2000 and the buildings were left under 10 feet of water. Many businesses did not return to the area after the flood.
Drawbridge, California
In the 1880s, hundreds of weekend visitors flocked to Drawbridge. By the 1920s, the town had nearly 90 buildings, but no roads. Residents slowly left, seeking more convenient living.
Outside of Alenquer, Portugal
This abandoned factory provides a distant memory of Alenquer’s once thriving industry.
Outside of Le Havre, France
Le Havre was once a German-occupied city devastated by the Battle of Normandy. 5,000 people were killed and nearly 12,000 homes were destroyed by Allied air attacks. Despite this, the city became the site of one of the biggest Replacement Depots in the European Theatre of operations in WWII.