Largest Abandoned Cities Around the World

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When you think about a ghost town, you may imagine a tiny town, right? Probably something in the west that had a little population boom because of a mining excursion. You’re not alone. Small towns often have their citizens abandon it for a number of reasons. Maybe the resources ran out while other times, a state may bypass it entirely on the highway, which can lead to many issues. However, population loss doesn’t just affect small, rural cities—it can also affect larger towns. They can also fall off the map for the same reasons.

Larger cities that end up losing their population can be creepy, and the reasons can be devastating. Sometimes, larger cities fail because of an economic crisis. If there’s a high unemployment rate, people may leave to find work and never return to their hometown. Other times, cities are completely abandoned due to a natural disaster that forced citizens to move for fear of death or destruction. Take cities that have dealt with major weather issues, like a massive hurricane that tried to wipe it out! Others have had to deal with chemicals seeping into the water, as well. There are a number of reasons people are forced to leave their home.

Whatever the reason, these eerie ghost cities stand apart from ghost towns. It’s almost as if humanity suddenly disappeared. If you’re looking for a post-Apocalyptic vacation destination, here are 40 cities that have been abandoned for one reason or another.