Top World’s Biggest Abandoned Cities

What do you imagine when you think of a ghost town? Most likely a small abandoned settlement. But in fact, there are many abandoned megalopolises and large cities in the world, from which people left for various reasons: war, destruction, running out of resources or natural disasters.

Larger cities that lose their population can be unsettling, and the reasons for this can be tragic. Larger cities can fail as a result of an economic downturn. When the unemployment rate is high, individuals may move to pursue jobs and never return to their community. Other cities are entirely abandoned due to a natural calamity that prompted inhabitants to flee for fear of death or ruin. Consider cities with serious weather challenges, such as a large storm that threatened to destroy them! Others have also had to contend with chemicals leaking into the water. People are compelled to leave their homes for a variety of reasons.

These creepy ghost cities stand out from the crowd, whatever the case may be. It’s almost as though mankind vanished overnight. If you’re searching for a post-apocalyptic vacation spot, here are 40 cities that have been abandoned for various reasons.

Bodie, California

Bodie, founded in the late 1800s, surged with the finding of ore containing indications of gold. Within a decade, the city’s population had risen to 8,000 people. However, everything swiftly went broke, and by 1910, the recorded population had dropped below 700. In the past, Bodie was a ghost town, but now it’s a National Historic Landmark and a state park.

Nova Cidade de Kilamba, Angola

40,000 people live there now.

Designed for 500,000 people.

Unlike the other cities on the list, Kilamba New City is a brand new residential neighborhood seeking to attract inhabitants. The investment has yet to pay off. Colorful new apartment complexes remain vacant, awaiting new tenants. An overhead view of the city resembles a model of a Lego village. There is still a long way to go before reaching the 500,000 people for whom the region was designed.

Hashima Island, Japan

Hashima, a former submarine coal mine, was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. During the 1950s, the island hosted approximately 5,000 employees in concrete apartment structures designed to withstand salty sea spray and high typhoon winds. The setting may look familiar to those who have watched the James Bond film Skyfall, as it has been abandoned since the mines closed in 1974.

Kayaköy, Turkey

Humans have resided in this area since the 1400s BCE when it was the home of the ancient Lycian region. People resided here from 1919 to 1922 during the Greco-Turkish War. During the battle, Greeks living in the region faced persecution and war crimes, resulting in major exoduses from the city. The city had been abandoned at the end of the campaign in 1922. It now functions as a museum.

Centralia, Pennsylvania

Throughout the early 1900s, coal mining was Centralia’s biggest economic output; nonetheless, it proved to be the city’s undoing. A fire broke out in the deep mines in 1962, and it has been burning ever since. Toxic levels of carbon monoxide have subsequently forced the evacuation of the town’s 2,700 population, except seven lone holdouts.

Kadykchan, Russia

This far eastern Russian settlement, founded as a mining town to serve the neighboring electric power station, fell along with the Soviet Union when coal became unprofitable. After a mining explosion in 1996 that killed six miners, most Kadykchan’s people swiftly migrated following the mine’s closure.

Varosha, Cyprus

Varosha was Cyprus’s most popular tourist destination, drawing stars like Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton. Following Turkey’s invasion of Cyprus in 1974, residents fled street-level combat operations. Following the conflicts, Varosha was stationed on the northern edge of the United Nations Buffer Zone in Cyprus, where Turkey still refused entrance. After 40 years of inactivity, opulent high-rises are disintegrating.

Ordos, China

30,000 people live there now.

Designed for a million people

The Chinese government committed enormous sums of money to establish the Kangbashi New Area real estate development within Ordos, like it did in Kilamba, Angola. Despite being planned to house one million people, just about 30,000 people have moved to the excessively ambitious neighborhood. At the very least, rush hour isn’t too horrible.

Pripyat, Ukraine

While most people believe that Chernobyl was the primary victim of the Chernobyl nuclear accident, the city of Pripyat was positioned closer to the plant and had a population of approximately 50,000 people (compared to Chernobyl’s 14,000). Following the tragedy, residents were relocated to Slavutych, a purpose-built city. The region has been unoccupied for almost 30 years and is still one of the most polluted areas on the planet.

Chernobyl, Ukraine

Chernobyl was the site of one of the world’s largest and most well-known nuclear meltdowns. When Reactor No. 4 began to leak in 1986, the city was evacuated as quickly as possible. Today, just a few individuals dwell in the town with signs saying, “Owner of this home resides here.”

Oradour-Sur-Glane, France

Oradour-Sur-Glane, despite its small population, met a horrible end. Nazi soldiers stormed the village in 1944, mistaking it for Oradour-Sur-Vayres. They massacred 642 of its residents as soon as they arrived. Another village was created nearby, and the old now serves as a memorial.

Kolmanskop, Namibia

In the early 1900s, Kolmanskop was a massive diamond mine. Residents rapidly erected a hospital, ballroom, power station, school, skittle alley, theater, casino, ice plant, and the first x-ray facility in the southern hemisphere after discovering how rich the area was in diamonds. The settlement was abandoned once the diamonds were exhausted.

Humberstone, Chile

In the Atacama Desert, Humberstone was a mining community. The miners were looking for nitrate-rich earth that could be used to create fertilizer. The “white gold” (as it was dubbed) was extremely costly and required rapid growth of food. Unfortunately, WWI no longer required the fertilizer, and the enterprise failed.

Santa Laura, Chile

Santa Laura was the Saltpeter Works’ second mine. Like Humberstone, it was mined until the nitrate bust and then abandoned. It is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site that tourists may tour, with many ancient structures still standing.

Wittenoom, Australia

The town of Wittenoom expanded rapidly during WWII due to the need for asbestos produced at the area’s blue asbestos mine. However, as you might expect, this did not last. The risk was revealed in 1944, when a mine inspector determined that the dust levels were too high. By 1966, the town had been permanently closed. Wittenoom is now home to only three people.

Craco, Italy

This once-beautiful city facing the Mediterranean Sea had breathtaking views from its cliffside setting. Floods and earthquakes severely harmed the region, and by 1980, it had been fully abandoned for safety concerns. However, underground sewage infrastructure has caused landslides throughout the years, putting building foundations at risk.

Gary, Indiana

Throughout the 1900s, Gary, Indiana, had a bad image due to political violence, racial violence, labor unrest, and industrial pollution. The city previously had a population of over 200,000 people, but that has since dropped to 76,000 (as of the 2016 census) due to the reasons it became a “difficult” town. It is now projected that one-third of the dwellings are vacant.

Picher, Oklahoma

Picher, Oklahoma, is one of the most tragic illustrations of what can happen when mining goes wrong. This village mined zinc and iron, but the water became contaminated as a result of trash run-off. The garbage, also known as chit, was piled up in massive quantities all around Picher, releasing significant amounts of poisons into the wind.

Agdam, Azerbaijan

Agdam soon expanded to a vast population, but it did not endure long. During the Nagorno-Karabakh War, there was heavy combat, causing residents to evacuate eastward owing to displacement. The city was Azerbaijan’s largest military zone, and officials saw it as a military necessity. It is now off-limits to tourists and utterly deserted.

Times Beach, Missouri

Times Beach, located 17 miles southwest of St. Louis, is a ghost town. Because of dioxin pollution, everyone in Times Beach was evacuated in 1983. The poison was generated by the Northeastern Pharmaceutical and Chemical Corporation, Inc’s chemical waste disposal — a plant operated by the same company that manufactured Agent Orange.

Cahokia

Cahokia is a historic Native American metropolis that was once one of the most populous cities north of Mexico (at the time). Many archaeologists believe the city was originally a trading center that drew people from all across the region. It is now in modern-day Illinois. Cahokia is intriguing since no one knows what happened there. The cause of the decrease is unclear, and no one knows where everyone went or why.

Tawergha, Libya

Tawergha, Libya, has a troubled past. The pro-Gaddafi village was destroyed in 2011 by rebel forces. After the battle, it is believed that 40,000 people were relocated from Tawergha. They had 30 days to depart, and any who did not do so were murdered or imprisoned.

Ross Island, India

Ross Island was a British colony in India that was intended to house the British Administration of the Indian Penal Settlement. The weather, however, proved far too harsh for the island, and the inhabitants were forced to evacuate it.

Cahaba, Alabama

Cahaba (or Cahawba) was previously the capital city of Alabama, which may surprise those unfamiliar with the state’s history. The settlement was abandoned because it was positioned between two rivers and was constantly inundated. After heavy floods in 1865, the capital was relocated to neighboring Selma.

Kennecott, Alaska

Kennecott, an Alaskan mining village, was difficult to reach. When the resources ran out in 1938, it was a ghost town. Thus, the living circumstances were made better as a consequence. The practice of employees working seven days a week and paying family members was not unusual.

Virginia City, Montana

Virginia City was another mining community that drew everyone looking for gold. The resources were drained, as they were in every other mining town. Charles and Sue Bovey sought to rebuild the town but were unable to do so. Everyone had fled, and the city was designated as a historical site in 1961.

Boston Mills, Ohio

Boston Mills is a peculiar town with many tales around it. Those who are familiar with the town refer to it as Hell Town. The government took it in 1974, which added to the mystery. The houses were quickly boarded up, and the residents were forced to flee. According to rumors, the administration was only attempting to conceal a chemical release.

Merv

Merv used to be along one of the Silk Road’s most affluent routes. It was the Seljuk Sultanate’s capital and had a large population. It was the largest metropolis in the world, about 1,200 A.D., but Genghis Khan’s army destroyed it. Hundreds of thousands of people died.

Pueblo Bonito, Chaco Canyon

Chaco Canyon is thought to be one of the country’s earliest civilizations. The Puebloan people originally lived there, and many Native American tribes regard it as the ancestral home of their forefathers. It had a sizable population, with Pueblo Bonito housing roughly 1,200 people at its peak. People in Cahokia, like Cahokia, just departed one day and never returned.

Pyramiden, Norway

Pyramiden, Norway was a Russian mining community created in 1927. The owner, however, left in 1991, and the settlers followed. The structures are still there today, although travelers can only get there by snowmobile or boat.

Döllersheim, Austria

The village was scheduled to be transformed into a military training center after Nazi Germany conquered the territory of Austria. It was forced to evacuate, but the training area never came to fruition. The town was never formally repopulated after WWII ended. Even though the area has a relatively small population, deserted churches and residences remain in ruins.

Copperhill Down, England

Copperhill Down was never intended to be a residential neighborhood in the first place. During WWII, the British military utilized it as a counterfeit German hamlet for training operations. However, the extent to which the military transformed Copehill Down is astounding. There is genuine landscaping, and the windows of the houses have curtains. Even though no one has ever lived there, it appears as though they did. Its size would make it a fairly large little town with hundreds.

Tianducheng, China

Yes, it is the correct image. This isn’t Paris, but the Chinese government designed the city to look like it. Despite the fact that it was designed to house 10,000 people, the city is home to barely 2,000 people. The majority of these folks are employed at a neighboring French-themed amusement park.

Pegrema, Russia

Despite its attractive setting on Lake Onega near Finland, Pegrema has been abandoned since the Russian Revolution and has not seen people in over 100 years. The wooden structures of this town are now decaying and crumbling in the midst of a stunning natural environment.

Belmont, Nevada

This mining boom town produced silver, copper, lead, and antimony. It had roughly 9,000 persons at its heyday, four businesses, two saloons, five eateries, and its own post office. Ruined structures still stand, and the brick courthouse has been restored for historical purposes.

Pomona, Namibia

One of the other mining towns was Pomona. It was known for having a lot of precious gems, so much so that you might take them home with your hands and not break them. Despite being in a remote region that required frequent replenishment by train, the hamlet expanded to a population of roughly 1,000 people. When World War I stopped mining activities, the inhabitants fled, never to return.

Kitsault, British Columbia

Kitsault has become a ghost town for the second time. SECOND! It was a mining hamlet in the 1910s, but as silver ore mining halted, the populace moved elsewhere. It was later recreated in 1979 as a molybdenum mining village. The neighborhood dwellings (with roadways and lamps) were designed to accommodate up to 1,500 people but have been fully abandoned since 1982. It is without a doubt the most recent abandoned city on our list.

Elmo, Colorado

St. Elmo’s mining sector began to deteriorate in the 1920s, despite its location deep in the heart of Colorado. By 1922, the railroad had ceased operations, and what had once been a village of roughly 2,000 people had been abandoned. Because of historic financing, the structures have been kept relatively well-preserved.

Calico, California

Calico, located in San Bernardino County in the Mojave Desert, had roughly 3,500 people in the late 1800s. After being bought in the 1950s, it is now used as a county park, and the structures have been restored to its former splendor.

“Ghost Neighborhoods” of Detroit, Michigan

Technically, Detroit is not an abandoned city, but so many people are fleeing that there are extensive “ghost neighborhoods” of abandoned houses and business areas. In 1950, the region had a population of slightly about 1.9 million people! It now has a population of well under 700,000 people. That equates to a population decrease of almost 64% in 50 years!

Rhyolite, Nevada

In 1905, this community began as a mining camp. A gold rush drove hundreds of individuals to Rhyolite in search of their fortune, eventually resulting in a population of about 5,000. Charles M. Schwab made significant investments in the town’s infrastructure, resulting in the establishment of a hospital, a school, an opera theatre, and a stock exchange. Rhyolite had become a ghost town by 1920, when the gold rush had finished, and a succession of natural and financial calamities had devastated the community.

Ilha dos Tigres, Angola

This island was formerly connected to the mainland and had a well-established fishing hamlet with around 1,500 residents. This town had developed a pumping station for freshwater by 1960, so it no longer needed to be carried in by ship. In 1962, a severe storm wrecked the pipeline and shut the residents off from the mainland, transforming the island into an island overnight. Since then, the island has been abandoned and has become a favorite destination for daring travelers and vandals.

Lukangol, South Sudan

Many cities in Southern Sudan were abandoned as inhabitants fled for their lives as a result of the ethnic hostilities that erupted in 2011. Before the disastrous attack in 2011, which resulted in the town’s departure, Lukangol had a population of almost 20,000 people. The city was burned to the ground, and 30 people were killed when a competing town attacked due to a long-running dispute over grazing land and water. Since then, the city has become a ghost town.

La Güera, Western Sahara

After negotiations with local tribal chiefs, Spanish colonizer Francisco Bens erected a fort and an aviation base in Western Sahara in 1920. Until 1975, when the town changed hands three times, it was a Spanish fishing port and military garrison. The village was officially claimed by Morocco and had over 1,200 people before being abandoned. Today, just a few fishermen live in the deserted village.

Grytviken, South Georgia

Grytviken was established in 1904 and was formerly South Georgia’s largest whaling station. During the summer months, this whaling station employed around 300 men. Grytviken, formerly considered the greatest harbor on South Georgia Island, was abandoned in 1966 due to falling inhabitants making it uneconomical to maintain the town operationally. Now, the South Georgia Museum is the only place in Grytviken where you may learn about the town’s whaling heritage.

Sonargaon, Bangladesh

Sonargaon was a medieval administrative, commercial, and marine hub that was made renowned by the remarks of numerous visitors as a bustling center of trade and commerce. Because of the growing economy, this city became home to upper-middle-class Bengali businesses and roughly 1,400 families in the late 1800s. Flooding, vandalism, and crumbling structures prompted officials to include Sonargaon on the Watch List of the 100 Most Endangered Sites in 2008, evicting residents. Today, the town remains in ruins while efforts to rehabilitate it with the country’s meager resources continue.

Ochamchire, Georgia

Ochamchire was a beach city in Georgia, a Eurasia nation. In 1978, the city had a population of 18,700 individuals from diverse ethnic groups. Georgians were forced out of the city of Ochamchire after the conflict between the Georgians and the Abkhaz people in 1992.The majority of those who were not slain fled the town and never returned, leaving behind a tiny population with failing infrastructure and large city blocks abandoned.

Vijayanagara, India

Vijayanagara, which translates to “City of Victory,” was the capital city of the medieval Vijayanagara Empire in the early 14th century. The city was built by Hindus but opened its doors to people of other religions, resulting in multi-religious monuments and influences from many civilizations. Before hostilities between two different religious factions concluded with the Vijayanagara leader being killed, this opulent metropolis was home to about 500,000 people. The city was then plundered and destroyed, and all that is left are the ruins.

Quneitra, Syria

Quneitra was the capital city of Syria’s Quneitra Governorate in the southwest. Until the late 1800s, when communities of Circassians moved into the region, this city was abandoned. The city was repopulated, and infrastructure began to expand, with around 20,000 people living there at its height. After a succession of conflicts and occupations, settlers destroyed the city in 1974. Syria never restored the city after it was completely destroyed, and Quneitra was abandoned once more.

Belchite, Spain

Belchite is a municipality and town in the province of Zaragoza, Spain, and the administrative region’s seat. This city had a population of almost 2,000 people before the Peninsular War’s Battle of Maria, which was fought in and near the city and ended up destroying Belchite in 1937. The remnants of this deserted town remain as a war memorial. A new Belchite town was established exactly close to the remains in 1939. You may have come upon some of Belchite’s ruins without even realizing it. Several directors, including Guillermo del Toro, shot sequences at this ancient landmark for his film Pan’s Labyrinth.