Ghost Town

A ghost town is an abandoned village, town or city, usually one which contains substantial visible remains. A town often becomes a ghost town because the economic activity that supported it has failed, or due to natural or human-caused disasters such as floods, government actions, uncontrolled lawlessness, war, or nuclear disasters. The term is sometimes used to refer to cities, towns, and neighborhoods which are still populated, but significantly less so than in years past; for example those affected by high levels of unemployment and dereliction.

Some ghost towns, especially those that preserve period-specific architecture, have become tourist attractions. Some examples are Bannack, Montana, Calico, California, and Oatman, Arizona in the United States, Barkerville in Canada, Elizabeth Bay and Kolmanskop in Namibia, and Prypiat in Ukraine. Visiting, writing about, and photographing ghost towns is a minor industry. A recent modern day example is Ōkuma, Fukushima which was abandoned due to the 2011 Japan earthquake and tsunami incident.