Times change, and the many ghost towns that dot the United States are a reflection of this. In the Appalachian Mountains, many communities became extinct when the coal mines were abandoned, while in the West many towns were abandoned after the gold or silver ran out. Other communities were abandoned due to urbanization and other circumstances.
Today there are plenty of ghost towns to discover across the country. Some of the ghost towns are protected and impressive, while others have largely disappeared, with little more than cemeteries remaining. Here are the most notable ghost towns in the United States that are very remote.
10 Bodie, California: One of the best-preserved ghost towns in the US.
bodie california ghost town
Bodie is one of the most famous ghost towns in the United States and is protected as a California state park. It is located in the high desert in a remote part of the state right on the Nevada state line. While many of the buildings have been lost to fire and time, the collection of buildings at Bodie is highly impressive, and visitors truly feel like they are in the Wild West.
9 Aurora, Nevada: a city lost in history
Ghost Town of Aurora, Nevada
Just over the Bodie Mountains in Nevada is the ghost town of Aurora. Aurora is notable as it was once one of the largest cities in Nevada, with a population of around 15,000, and was visited by Mark Twain. Today, little remains of the town except for the cemetery. Aurora stands in stark contrast to its well-preserved neighbor, Bodie.
8 Bannack, Montana: A Well-Preserved Wild West Town
Bannack, Montana ghost town
Head to Montana, and one of the best ghost towns to explore is the Old West town of Bannack. The buildings are protected and well maintained. Come during Halloween and watch the ghost town come to life again as the locals dress up for Halloween in town.
7 Berlin: where ichthyosaurs and ghost towns collide
Berlin-Ichthyosaurus State Park, Berlin, Nevada
Remote in the deserts of Nevada lies the forgotten ghost town of Berlin, which is among the best US ghost towns to visit. Like many old abandoned mining towns, not much of the town remains, although some buildings remain. The special thing about this ghost town is that one of its main attractions are the ichthyosaur fossils, ancient marine reptiles from the time of the dinosaurs.
6 Saint Thomas: Mormon people claimed by Lake Mead
Santo Tomas desert city
St. Thomas was founded as a Mormon ghost town that was initially abandoned as a result of a tax dispute. After it was found, the city was in a different state than previously thought. Later, new settlers arrived, but they too were forced to leave due to rising waters in Lake Mead after the construction of the Hoover Dam. Today, St. Thomas rises again when the waters are low.
5 Thurmond: A West Virginia Coal Mining Ghost Town
Old buildings in Thurmond
West Virginia is full of old coal mining ghost towns, but what makes Thurmond special is that it’s owned by the National Park Service and used as the base for New Gorge National Park (America’s newest national park ). Today, visitors see the old train station and learn what the 19th century coal mining years of remote Appalachia were like.
4 Monowi: Population – One
Monowi Ghost Town in Nebraska
Monowi is famous as a ghost town in Nebraska, as it is an incorporated town with a population of one. The only remaining resident of Monowi is the old woman, Elsie Eiler, who keeps the town running by electing herself, paying taxes to the town, issuing herself a liquor license, etc. She continues to operate a bar for anyone who wishes to visit. .
3 Chaco: see old houses of great ancestral towns
Pueblo Bonito, National Historical Park of the Chaco Culture
When most people think of ghost towns in the United States, they think of European settlements. But the lands of what is now the United States are littered with ghost towns of peoples that were before. One of the best examples are the Casas Grandes of the Chaco Valley. These were the largest houses in the United States for hundreds of years and remain well preserved today.
2 Vulture City: Arizona’s Creepiest Ghost Town
Arizona Ghost Town Vulture City – Abandoned building and rusty old car
Vulture City is one of the best ghost towns to explore in the Southwest. It’s a privately owned ghost town and a great place to learn about the Wild West days of the region. His story sounds like an Old West novel filled with Apache raids, stagecoach robberies, lawlessness, and more.
1 Scull Shoals: a village reclaimed by the forests
Blue Ridge Mountains in North Georgia
It can be more interesting when one must walk to visit a ghost town. Unlike the ghost towns of the western deserts, the ghost towns of the east coast tend to be reclaimed by the forests. Scull Shoals in the state of Georgia is an Appalachian ghost town lost in the woods that hikers must hike to in the Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forest.
