America’s historic ghost towns, mapped | Geotab (2024)

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America’s historic ghost towns, mapped | Geotab? ›

There aren't any abandoned cities in the United States (yet). But there are ghost towns, or former large towns that have lost all their former inhabitants. Most of these ghost towns are out in remote regions of the mountainous American West and were settled in the mid- to late-19th century.

There aren't any abandoned cities in the United States (yet). But there are ghost towns, or former large towns that have lost all their former inhabitants. Most of these ghost towns are out in remote regions of the mountainous American West and were settled in the mid- to late-19th century.

NORTH AMERICA

The hardy souls that remained, promoted Jerome as a historic ghost town and in 1967 Jerome was designated a National Historic District by the federal government. Today the mines are silent and Jerome has become the largest ghost town in America.

The giant state of California is home to golden beaches, fine wine country, world-renowned ski resorts and the vast Mojave Desert – and it also plays host to almost 350 ghost towns, mostly the result of the fabled California gold rush in the 19th century.

Some writers discount settlements that were abandoned as a result of a natural or human-made disaster or other causes using the term only to describe settlements that were deserted because they were no longer economically viable; T. Lindsey Baker, author of Ghost Towns of Texas, defines a ghost town as "a town for ...

Clark moved away from Dudleytown, though he helped create the 'Dark Entry Forest Association' to help preserve the remains of the habitat and the surrounding forest. Today, only cellar holes and a few stone foundations remain in Dudleytown, and it's illegal to visit to prevent trespassers and vandals.

Dudleytown is an abandoned settlement, located in a valley known as the Dark Entry Forest, in northwestern Connecticut in the United States, best known today as a ghost town.

Pripyat, Ukraine

Source Pripyat is located in Ukraine and is the most famous ghost town in the world. Once home to around 50,000 people, the entire town was evacuated in April 1986 when a part of the Chernobyl Nuclear Station exploded.

Five states — Illinois, Kansas, Michigan, Mississippi and New Hampshire — could see population declines in about three-fourths of their cities. Some cities that could lose nearly a quarter of their population are Cleveland; Buffalo, New York; and Pittsburgh.

Why is Gary Indiana abandoned? ›

The loss of residents, jobs, and tax revenue resulted in crime, poverty, and the dismantling of civic infrastructure. Gary, once famously idealized as the model American town in The Music Man and the birthplace of the Jackson Five, would never recover.

Bodie, California

In 2005, both Bodie and Calico were named state ghost towns: Calico as the official state silver rush ghost town and Bodie as the official state gold rush ghost town.

Be it for their fertile land or stellar trading, these tiny settlements once boomed across the nation — until one day, they didn't. Abandoned because of illness, collapsing industry, or merely because their pioneering citizens moved on, these communities became known as “ghost towns.”

A study conducted by a company named Geotab has compiled a list of over 3,800 ghost towns across America. According to the company, Texas has the most ghost towns of any state, with over 500.

Ghost towns are what remains after environmental disasters or boom-and-bust economic cyles leave a community deserted. With dilapidated buildings and oftentimes graveyards, ghost towns are real-world museums that can give visitors a visceral connection with the past.

Geotab reports that Texas has about 511 ghost towns — the most in the country. The analytic hub made the discovery after analyzing data that included more than 3,000 abandoned towns across the country and created an interactive map that showcases the nation's ghost towns.

And then there's an entirely different ghost town, the modern ghost town. More sad in nature than their Wild West counterparts, these are places that have been marooned, some over time, and some literally overnight for various reasons: toxic contamination and political conflict to name just a few.