13 Ghost Towns From Around the World

Given how long humans have been around, it stands to reason that not every town is still inhabited. So what exactly happened to some of them? Why did they abandon their homes?

1. Centralia, Pennsylvania. Before being evacuated, this town held a population of 1,000. However, in 1962, a fire broke out from an unknown cause in the coal deposits under Centralia. As long as the fire and coal is exposed to oxygen, it can keep burning for hundreds of years. On top of that, it is emitting harmful gasses. Save for about twelve people who decided to stay in their homes, the whole town evacuated in 1992.
2. Pripyat, Ukraine. Pripyat is the next town over from the highly radioactive Chernobyl. In 1986, a nuclear power plant exploded in Chernobyl, which caused the whole town to be abandoned and left to rot. The radiation was so strong that it also affected Pripyat. The radiation in this town has decreased significantly, but not entirely. While people do explore this ghost town, prolonged stays can massively affect your health.
3. Bodie, California. Bodie is one of the oldest ghost towns in America. It once housed dozens of saloons, mills, and rough crowds. It was thriving until two different fires burned down the mills. Thanks to those fires, it stopped business, forcing people out and welcoming tumbleweeds. In 1962, it became a state historic park.
4. Six Flags in New Orleans, Louisiana. Back in 2005, Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans, which displaced many, many people. There were protective measures to prevent flooding and other damage, but these measures had broken and a lot of damage was done. Six Flags had been completely submerged and thus abandoned. Understandably, the city focused on building up other parts of the city, so now that Six Flags sits as a decaying reminder of what happened. What’s eerie is the fact that there’s a sign that reads “Closed for storm” still sitting at the entrance.
5. Hashima Island, Japan. The island was once a thriving coal mining town until the collapse of the mines. It has a very distinctive shape, which gave it the nickname Battleship Island. In the late 19th century, this island was one of the most densely populated places in the world. But the coal mines ran dry in 1974, causing the workers to leave the island.
6. Wharram Percy, United Kingdom. This abandoned area can be found in the Yorkshire Wolds and was once home to two manors and a church as well as a number of homes belonging to peasants. The population slowly dwindled until it was completely abandoned shortly after 1500 after any remaining peasants were evicted. Today, the church is the only building still standing while the foundations of the manors and other homes can still be seen.
7. Wittenoom, Western Australia. Wittenoom was at its peak in the 1950s and 60s and most of the business was thanks to mining. However, there was an excess amount of blue asbestos, which is believed to be the most dangerous of the all six types of asbestos. Mining stopped in 1966 due to great losses and the growing health concerns, leading to the abandonment. In 2007, the town was erased from maps and all roads leading there were closed off. But that still hasn’t stopped multiple people from traveling there.
8. Ross Island, India. The island sits in the Indian Ocean and was home to settlements in the 18th century before being abandoned the first time in the late 18th century due to extreme climatic conditions. Sixty years later, it became home to administrative headquarters and a penal settlement owned by the Britishers. That is until an earthquake hit in 1941. Now, it sits in ruins and is completely abandoned.
9. The Island of Dolls, Mexico. This abandoned island is full of dolls, thanks to the island’s caretaker, Don Julian Santana. As the story goes, Don sadly found the body of a young girl who drowned in the lake in the 1950s. He had found a doll floating near her body, so he started to hang dolls around the island to make the girl’s spirit happy. In 2001, Don himself drowned in the lake. Today, it is said that the dolls are haunted by this unnamed girl and perhaps by Don himself as well.
10. Okpo Land, South Korea. This one is another abandoned theme park, much like the Six Flags in New Orleans. However, Okpo Land became abandoned for an entirely different reason. In 1999, a cart on a duck-themed ride derailed and killed a girl. This was not the first death at the park, though. There was another death on the same ride earlier in the decade, and yet the park remained open. After the second death, though, the owner disappeared and the park fell into disrepair. It has since been demolished, but I couldn’t find any evidence of anything being built on the land since.
11. Craco, Italy. Craco was founded in 540 AD, but it’s said that the oldest building dates back to the 11th century. The city survived through plagues and crimes during its centuries long run. Its downfall? Mother Nature herself. Craco suffered from a series of earthquakes in the 20th century, which made the building unsafe to live in. Which, as you can imagine, caused the abandonment.
12. Eastern Settlement, Greenland. The settlement was a collection of two towns founded sometime in 985 BCE by thousands of Norsemen. They thrived here for hundreds of years on farms. Yet by 1450, both towns were completely empty. And no one knows exactly why. The leading theories seem to be that most if not all died of starvation or they left due to the lowering temperatures and coming ice age. The last written record of life in these towns is a wedding in 1408.
13. Goldfield, Arizona. As the name might suggest, this town was once a thriving mining town up until 1898 when the mines dried up. But the town didn’t stay abandoned forever. In 1921, it was renamed Youngsberg until it was abandoned yet again, this time just five years later in 1926. Now, much like many ghost towns, it’s a tourist attraction and you can do a number of activities such as ziplining and visiting a saloon.
14. Rolling Acres Mall in Akron, Ohio. This mall opened up in 1975 and expanded several times. In its prime, it was home to a food court, movie theater, and more than 140 stores. Rolling Acres mostly closed in 2008, with only two major retailers operating within the building. Those two stores finally closed those doors in 2013. Ownership changed multiple times and went through a foreclosure in 2019. That same year, it was demolished. As of November 1, 2020, the land became an Amazon center.