Across the US there are dozens of degreased, empty cities that still stand, though their residents fled decades – and sometimes centuries – ago.
Visitors can still sneak around the spooky places today and see the derelict saloons from the days of the Wild West, solitary confinement prisons and haunting cemeteries.
In some abandoned places, there is still furniture in houses and rubbish on the ground – alongside vacant buildings that are about to collapse.
Many are towns and camps that once thrived nearby because of the gold rush, the mining boom, or the construction of new highways. But for one reason or another, they now stand alone, giving passers-by a snapshot of a bygone era.
Here are 11 of the spookiest ghost towns scattered across the US.
Bodie, California: At its peak in 1879, the gold mining town had a population of about 10,000 – but in 1915 it was officially designated a ghost town
Cahaba, Alabama, used to be a major cotton distribution area — but it’s now a ghost town
South Pass City, Wyoming
South Pass City is one of Wyoming’s largest historic sites, and the abandoned site is open to visitors from mid-May to mid-October each year.
The area was formerly home to over 30 gold mines in the Oregon Trial – but shortly after they closed it became a ghost town.
It has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and the city also played an important role in women’s history.
South Pass City was where legislation was passed to make Wyoming the first territory where women could vote and hold public office after legislation was signed in 1869. This freedom was not granted to women nationwide until 1920.
By the mid-1870s, South Pass City’s population was reduced to about 100 people. In the years that followed, many of the town’s homes and businesses began to fall into disrepair.
South Pass City, Wyoming: Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the city also played an important role in women’s history
By the mid-1870s, South Pass City’s population was reduced to about 100 people. In the years that followed, many of the town’s homes and businesses began to fall into disrepair
Bodie, California
Bodie, near the Nevada state line in the Sierra Nevada mountain range and 75 miles southeast of Lake Tahoe, has been described as a true ghost town – with buildings still collapsing.
The ghost town sits at an elevation of 8,500 feet and was once again one of the boom towns during the Gold Rush.
At its peak in 1879, the gold mining town had a population of around 10,000 – but in 1915 it was officially designated a ghost town.
Bodie has been designated a California Historic Landmark, meaning the town will remain for years to come—and it welcomes approximately 200,000 visitors annually.
Among the buildings lost in the Wild West ghost town are a wooden church and gas pumps – with the remains of old trucks still around.
The interiors of some degreased buildings can still be seen today—and often still contain everyday objects like china plates and newspaper clippings.
The buildings in the abandoned town of Bodie, California
Among the buildings lost in the Wild West ghost town are a wooden church and gas pumps – with the remains of old trucks still around
Texas, Oklahoma
Texola sits on America’s most famous route, Route 66 – but the 2010 population is just 36.
The ghost town has actually undergone name changes over the years, reflecting the change in state borders. It used to be called Texokla and Texoma, after Texas and Oklahoma.
Texola grew rapidly in the 1920s — and its population peaked at 581 in the 1930 census, and the area had a booming local economy after the creation of Route 66.
Texola, Oklahoma once had a booming local economy following the creation of Route 66
But in the decades that followed, the lack of cotton production — something the city was known for in its earlier years — caused the number of people who lived in the area to slowly decline.
One of the only things visitors can see when they come to Texola is a quirky roadside one room jail. Built in the late 19th century, it is a single celled unit with an iron barred door and window.
Centralia, Pennsylvania
Due to a fire that has been burning under the district since 1962, only five residents lived in this town in 2020.
Once a booming mining town, the area has fallen into steep decline. At its peak, the city had seven churches, 27 saloons, two theaters and a bank.
There were also five hotels, a post office, 14 general and grocery stores in Centralia – but as many of the miners enlisted in the military during World War I, the population began to decline.
The Wall Street Crash of 1929 also caused chaos in the city. The Lehigh Valley Coal Company closed five of its local mines in Centralia, creating further difficulties for the local economy.
Once a booming mining town, the area has fallen into disrepair. At its peak, the city had seven churches, 27 saloons, two theaters and a bank
Centralia, Pennsylvania: Nature has overtaken the eerie buildings that still stand, while the fire still roars in the maze of abandoned coal mines below
When many of the miners enlisted in the military during World War I, the population began to decline
Mines then began to collapse when people tried to loot them. This made preventing the mine fire in 1962 more difficult. The fire still burns over 400 acres stretching along four fronts, 300 feet underground.
Steam and smoke are still coming from abandoned parts of the area, and unstable ground and dangerous levels of carbon monoxide also indicate the underground fire is still burning.
The eerie buildings that still stand have been overtaken by nature while the fire still roars in the maze of abandoned coal mines below. Experts assume that it could burn for the next 250 years.
North Brother Island, New York
North Brother Island is a 20-acre island in the Bronx that is close to Rikers Island and the Bronx.
Until 1964 it housed the Riverside Hospital and its patients who have quarantined contagious diseases. The hospital was formerly on Roosevelt Island – but moved in the 1880s.
People who were in hospitals on the island were being treated for smallpox, tuberculosis, polio and typhoid.
In 2007, the island was given to the city, which turned it into a sanctuary for waterfowl.
It is closed to the general public, and most of the original 25 buildings still stand but have been degreased.
North Brother Island is a 20-acre island in the Bronx that’s close to Rikers Island and the Bronx — but is no longer open to the public
New York’s ghost town: people hospitalized on the island were being treated for smallpox, tuberculosis, polio and typhoid
Ruby, Arizona
Located 50 miles southwest of Tucson, Ruby was once the largest mining camp in southwestern Arizona.
But it’s now officially a ghost town, despite its thriving business in the 1930s and housing 1,200 residents.
Its activities as a mining center were heavily supported by the Montana Mine and the Eagle-Picher Mining Company, but when these ended in 1941, the town also went into decline.
Between 1920 and 1922, the city was also the site of three double murders dubbed the Ruby Murders. The crimes led to the largest manhunt in Southwest history.
Today, visitors can tour around 25 buildings, including the prison and school, for a fee of around US$12.
Ruby, Arizona: It’s now officially a ghost town, despite its thriving business in the 1930s and housing 1,200 residents
Cahaba, Alabama
Cahaba was once Alabama’s first permanent state capital in the 1820s—and served as a major cotton distribution area.
The residents often had to endure flooding – and soon the area became almost uninhabitable. After 1880 it no longer appeared in census lists.
The area is now operated by the Alabama Historical Commission, which maintains the site as the Old Cahawba Archaeological Park.
Visitors can see the antebellum architecture, ancient streets, cemeteries, and ruins of the old state capital.
Cahaba was once Alabama’s first permanent state capital in the 1820s—but it soon faded in importance
Alabama: Visitors can see the antebellum architecture, old streets, cemeteries, and ruins of the old state capital
Spokane, South Dakota
Located about 10 miles southeast of Mount Rushmore National Memorial in South Dakota’s Black Hills, Spokane was a former mining camp.
The area is now dotted with ghost town buildings that once surrounded lucrative gold, silver, and copper mines.
After the mine failed, it was closed in 1940 – and the town was largely abandoned within the next decade.
A Warden remained in the town until the mid-1980s, when it was officially abandoned.
In Spokane, visitors can still see the big schoolhouse and several old cars lining the streets.
Spokane, South Dakota: After the mine failed, it closed in 1940 — and the city was largely abandoned over the next decade
Blue Heron, Kentucky
This area along the Big South Fork River near the Kentucky-Tennessee border was once home to a blast mine that operated from 1937 to 1962.
The town was then abandoned after the coal mines closed – and its buildings were either removed or fell into disrepair.
But in the 1980s there was an attempt to rebuild the city, now open as “ghost structures”. People can visit Blue Heron and experience what it was like in the isolated mining community.
There are now “ghost” structures throughout Blue Heron, Kentucky for visitors to visit
Frisko, Utah
At its peak in 1885, Frisco was a thriving town of 6,000 thanks to its active mining caps between 1879 and 1929.
By 1885 Frisco had mined over $60 million worth of zinc, copper, lead, silver and gold. The town had a total of 23 saloons and was known for being the wildest town in the Great Basin – murders plagued it on an almost daily basis.
However, the busy city’s lucrative industry collapsed on February 13, 1885. The Horn silver mine collapsed completely, causing the economy to slowly decline.
Frisco, Utah: This mining town used to thrive—but is now held back only by degreased buildings
Good Springs, Nevada
Located about 45 minutes from the Las Vegas Strip, Goodsprings is frozen in time.
Visitors can see the Pioneer Saloon, which used to service one of the richest mining districts in southern Nevada.
By World War I, Goodsprings had a population of about 800 people, but this declined significantly after World War II as mining families slowly moved away.
About 200 people live here today.
The Pioneer Saloon formerly served one of the richest mining districts in southern Nevada
Goodsprings, Nevada: About 200 residents live there today