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It is one thing for a city to bepicturesque, little frequented and off the beaten track. This is another thing if all the residents have decided to pack your suitcases and leave due to a sudden change in circumstances - leaving a haunting shell from a forgotten community. While most municipalities tend to hang on even in the worst moments, there are still nearly 3,800 ghost cities in the United States,accordingThe New York Times. Some are also relatively well preserved in the past, while others are practically in ruins. But in almost all cases, these relics of abandoned civilizations offer a surreal experience that you cannot recreate and make an unforgettable visit. Read more to see the most scary ghost cities you can find in the United States

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Most ghost cities evoke images of booming mining camps in the West that have long lost their inhabitants. But there are still such sites east of Mississippi, includingA notable location in Alabama.

"Old Cahawba was once a flourishing city built between the Cahaba and Alabama rivers. This place would prove to be very lucrative for the cotton industry, and the city would become one of the richest in the United States during the 1800s" , ExplainAndi Martin, Director of public relations for the Alabama tourism department.

However, the city quickly saw many of its inhabitants move when the state capital was moved to Tuscaloosa in 1826. Once the civil war was over, the city was formerly installed in the past and experienced some time in As long as the center of shopping in full swing before the population clarified, becoming a ghost city just before the turning point of the century, according to Martin.

"Today, Old Cahawba is known as" the most famous ghost town in Alabama "," she says. "The Cahaba Foundation was founded in 2008 to help raise private donations to preserve it, and now Old Cahawba is an archaeological research site."

West Texas is famous for its natural beauty and vast desert, but it is also the house of a city abandoned for a long time with a great reputation.

"Terlingua is the most famous ghost city in Texas, with buildings that have an old West feeling in the middle of the decaying ruins of the former Chisos de Chisos company,"Steve Prohaska, travel expert and founder ofSee the best places, recountBetter life. "You can walk among the abandoned buildings, the old houses of the old minors and the historic cemetery. It is particularly strange during the celebrations of the candles of the city in early November. And the same week, you can also taste the Chile of the city of the city of the city during its annual championship, the kitchen. "

But it is not because most permanent residents of the city have long been over that there is a place to rest your head, especially if you plan to travel to the region.

"Unlike some other ghost cities, you can find very good accommodation options here," said Prohaska. "This is the perfect base from which to explore the Big Bend National Park, which itself has frightening places like ranches and abandoned mines, located a stone's throw from the ghost city."

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Some cities dry when the local industries disappear and the inhabitants go away. In the case of Bombay Beach, it took the body of water itself which made it a coastal destination to literally start drying so that the city is done in the dark.

Not too long ago that the city all but forgotten was a popular vacation destination in the 1950s along theSalton Sea shore, an artificial interior lake near the Mexican border surrounded by a Stark desert in the imperial county, according toThe Guardian. However, the agricultural runoff in the rivers that nourished it has increased its salinity, killing almost all millions of fish that lived there from the 1980s and creating an unpleasant odor that hunted the high -end customers in the region. Today, bungalows, trailers and abandoned vehicles seem to surpass residents.AE0FCC31AE342FD3A1346EBB1F342FCB

But even if the Salton Sea has since evaporated and has shrunk from its previous shore, the city again shows signs of life as a colony of artists. Although the site has only two small stores, visitors can look forward to the annual art festival of the Bombay Beach Biennale, visit the "Drive-in" cinema or stop for a meal at the only restaurant and bar of the city, the ski inn.

Anyone who made a road trip through the west is not lacking in options concerning the abandoned colonies. But experts say that a particular ghost city has found its way in the afterlife as a well-preserved experience for travelers who cross.

"Make a stop at the stand in the city of Nevada, a ghost town about 90 miles northwest of Yellowstone National Park, while adopting a clear sky of Montana and an amazing environment. The old community of mines of Revitalized, shelters many buildings in historical logs as well as a variety of varieties of vintage calliopes varieties, pianos of players and music boxes ", saidJenny Ly,,travel blogger And the founder of Go Wanderly.

The city facilitates decline in the past. "During a trip, visitors can make a 20 -minute train trip between Nevada City and Virginia City, Montana, Pan for gold, observe the live reconstructions of historical events, and even more. A former stage stop by stage by compared to the 1860s, or in a real pioneer cabin. "

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Some cities lose their inhabitants with regard to changes in industry or transport networks. Others lose them due to more tragic and unexpected accidents.

Centralia, Pennsylvania, operated like a mining city of coal which was boiled at one pointOver 2,000 residents Before its population fell to around 1,000, according to all that is interesting. In 1962, a fire in the city landfill spread to the nearby coal tunnels, triggering an underground fire that continues to burn to date. After repeated attempts to eliminate the flames failed, officials ordered that the city was evacuated in the 1980s due to the toxic gases that infiltrate the soil and the dangerous cracks created by underground hell. However, some residents challenged the state expulsion opinions, with a handful still claimed to their property today - despite the 60 -year fire that still warms the ground under their feet.

While many previous structures of the colony have been shaved, the abandoned route 61 which leads to the city has been transformed into a work of sprawling graffiti, everything that is interesting reports. The city was also inspired for thesilent Hill Series of video games and the 2006 horror film of the same name.

Ghost cities are essentially abandoned, so they tend to show their age. However, there are still places that seem dated while somehow offering a strange feeling that there are still residents.

"One of the best-preserved ghost cities in Colorado is Saint Elmo, which is only 83 miles south-east of Aspen," explains Ly. "The last residents of the city would have embarked on the final train in 1922 and never returned."

"The city was founded in 1880 for minors looking for gold and silver. Several wooden stores, including the general store, can still be seen in there today if you travel there in a car Or an all-terrain vehicle, "she says. "Rent a log cabin for the ideal mountain escape. And the famous Colorado Town of Tin Cup, which is well known for its links with bandits of Wild West Shady and its cemetery of the strange city, is also nearby. ""

Other experts agree that this is worth the stopover. "It is better preserved and easily accessible all year round", "editor and hotel expertMolly Egan recountBetter life. "He has more than forty buildings remaining for the frightening but realistic additional atmosphere, including a show, a prison, a courthouse, a mercantile and houses."

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Seeing an abandoned building can feel frightening as it is, but the experience of an entire city which seems to have been abandoned in the middle of the night can provide a completely different level of suffocation.

"Bodie in California is really scary due to the number of personal effects still in buildings", "Louise Walker, editor -in -chief ofAglaia magazine, recountBetter life. "It looks like the time has maintained motionless while the residents suddenly get up and left for a huge fire. The city is in a state of" decomposition stopped ", which means that it is not rebuilt and only receives the maintenance required. You can see some of the stores still filled with goods with cutlery on tables exactly to stay them. The school still has lessons on the board. "

The lower 48 is not the only place where you can find standing ghost cities. Experts point out that one of the best things still standing is well in the north in an area that was also affected by gold and mining rushes over a century ago.

"Kennecott, Alaska is the site of an abandoned copper mining camp which appeared in 1903,"Nick Mueller,,Director of Operations de Hawaiianislands.com, saysBetter life. "The drying of resources and low prices had many residents move, and it was abandoned in 1938. This is now a national historical landmark with many preserved buildings."

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The story ofAnimas forks, Colorado, is similar to many other ghost cities in the region. After having become the hub of an animated mining operation in the mid -1870s, the city supported several companies and even a newspaper before it finally succumbed to the decline and was abandoned by the 1920s, according to Discover Colorado. But the site stands out for a few other reasons.

"This is particularly fascinating because it is one of the largest mining cities in the United States in terms of elevation", "Michael Belmont, owner of the online travel agencyThe prodigy of the park, recountBetter life. "It is located on a ridge between Cinnamon Mountain and Houghton Mountain and offers beautiful radical views and many still intact buildings that are worth checking. Access to them is unlimited, which is unique for many of these abandoned cities. "

But if you're really trying to collapse, just wait until the sun sets. "The city has a very frightening feeling on this subject, especially at night. The abandoned mine at the foot of the city allows your mind to go wild in darkness, and the light of stars dancing on intact but lifeless buildings can be particularly frightening. "