Buzz
Is your town feeling overcrowded? Dreaming of solitude? Imagine having the roads, skies, land, and even the post office entirely to yourself. While purchasing a private island might cost around $100,000, it comes with the hassle of relying on submarine cables for electricity. Alternatively, consider visiting one of the world’s sparsely populated towns where a single family’s arrival could nearly double the headcount. Explore 15 places where fewer than 15 residents reside.
1. MONOWI, NEBRASKA (POPULATION: 1)
AroundMe
Before automation reduced farming jobs, the small Nebraska town of Monowi had around 300 residents. Over time, the population dwindled to just two: the Eilers, who had lived there since childhood. After Elsie Eiler’s husband, Rudy, passed away in 2004, she became the town’s only resident. At 82, Eiler manages the Monowi Tavern and serves as the village’s librarian in a building dedicated to her late husband. Annually, she pays taxes to herself to maintain the town’s four streetlights.
2. TORTILLA FLAT, ARIZONA (POPULATION: 6)
Arizona Lodging Experts
Nestled in Tonto National Forest, Tortilla Flat is a historic Old West town where the Superstition Saloon and Restaurant serves as the hub of activity, run by its six residents. Each year, bikers flock to nearby Old Highway 88, temporarily boosting the population to around 500. The town also features a post office, perfect for sending postcards during the visit.
3. PICHER, OKLAHOMA (POPULATION: 10)
Wikimedia Commons
When the Environmental Protection Agency labels your town a biohazard, chances are your city council won’t last long. Picher once thrived with 20,000 residents until toxic waste from heavy metal mining polluted the area in the early 1980s. Federal grants funded cleanup efforts, but most residents accepted buyouts. Those who stayed faced a devastating tornado in 2008, which injured 150 and claimed eight lives. Today, about 10 people remain, including a pharmacist who declined the government’s offer and relies on water from tested wells.
4. VILLA EPECUÉN, ARGENTINA (POPULATION: 1)
Alaina
Located south of Buenos Aires, Villa Epecuén was once a thriving spa town with 1,500 residents who trusted a manmade flood wall to protect them. However, in 1985, the wall failed, and the nearby salt lake engulfed the town, submerging it under 33 feet of water. It took nearly three decades for the waters to retreat, exposing the town’s crumbling structures. Pablo Novak, a former resident, returned to live in the ruins, occupying an abandoned house and tending to cattle. As of 2015, Novak remained there, occasionally encountering curious tourists eager to hear about his life in Argentina’s modern-day Atlantis.
5. CASS, NEW ZEALAND (POPULATION: 1)
EcoEye
Barrie Drummond, a KiwiRail employee, was assigned to Cass in 1987 to manage a rail section linking Christchurch to Greymouth. Initially concerned about isolation in the uninhabited town, he found warmth among nearby residents. With affordable rent, no traffic, and a KFC within driving range, Drummond thrived. He even built a mini-golf course and bowling green in his free time. As of 2014, he remained the town’s only inhabitant and the organizer of Cass Bash, a music festival attracting visitors from surrounding regions.
6. BUFORD, WYOMING (POPULATION: 1)
Mark Brennan via Flickr // CC BY-SA 2.0
A 10-acre rest stop, Buford was acquired in 1992 by Dan Sammons, who invested earnings from his moving business to become the area’s sole resident. He constructed a log cabin and launched a trading post, promoting Buford as a one-person town, which drew tourists heading to Yellowstone National Park. In 2013, Nguyen Dinh Pham bought the town for $900,000, aiming to establish a Vietnamese coffee venture, PhinDeli, on the property. Recognizing the benefits of owning a town, Pham rebranded it as PhinDeli Town Buford. Sammons relocated to Colorado, and a caretaker now maintains the property to keep the population sign accurate.
7. HIBBERTS GORE, MAINE (POPULATION: 1)
LincolnCountyNews
A mapping error created a 640-acre unincorporated area, separating a small part of Palermo. The U.S. Census lists only one resident: Karen Keller, who moved to Hibberts Gore after her marriage ended. A 2001 Boston Globe article about the oddity brought Keller unwanted publicity, and she unsuccessfully requested the Census to include her in nearby Lincoln County. As of 2012, Keller was renovating her home while avoiding a creek filled with aggressive turtles and snakes.
8. GROSS, NEBRASKA (POPULATION: 2)
Wikimedia Commons
Fires and poor railroad access dashed Gross’s hopes of becoming a thriving community. Today, only two people live there: Mike and Mary Finnegan, who run the Nebrask (no "A") Inn. The couple moved to Gross in 1985 and quickly appointed their 5-year-old son as the unofficial mayor. They even overturned a local law banning Sunday wine sales, and their inn has received glowing reviews on Facebook.
9. FUNKLEY, MINNESOTA (POPULATION: 5)
Waymarking
When you’re both the mayor and the bartender in a tiny town, you can print your own money. Emil Erickson does just that, though the currency—featuring his face—is only valid at his tavern. Funkley’s residents also serve as its city council. With little to attract newcomers, the town has always been small, with just 26 residents in 1940.
10. CENTRALIA, PENNSYLVANIA (POPULATION: >12)
Douglas Muth via Flickr // CC BY-SA 2.0
While a dozen residents declined government buyouts to leave Centralia in 1992, the rest had a compelling reason to go: the town has been burning for over half a century. The fire, likely sparked by coal mining, continues to rage through underground shafts. Streets frequently crack, forming sinkholes and emitting unsettling smoke. Experts estimate the fire could last another 250 years, and properties of deceased residents will be claimed under eminent domain.
11. LOST SPRINGS, WYOMING (POPULATION: 4)
QuirkyTravelGuy
Although the sign claims "Population: 1," the four residents of Lost Springs insist it’s a Census mistake. The town once thrived with 280 people during the mining boom of the 1920s. As the industry faded, so did the population. Today, it features a town hall, post office, park, general store, and a few public restrooms.
12. BONANZA, COLORADO (POPULATION: 3)
ColoradoGuy
Mark Perkovich moved to Bonanza in 1994 seeking peace and quiet. He found it: Bonanza, a former mining town in the Rockies, is nearly deserted except for him. When not chatting with the mail carrier, Perkovich spends his time clearing snow and maintaining his property. In 2014, Colorado considered dissolving Bonanza due to its inactivity. Perkovich opposed the move but was frustrated that his county property taxes provided no services. By 2015, rumors suggested a couple had moved in, increasing the population to three.
13. WEEKI WACHEE, FLORIDA (POPULATION: 4)
Sun-drenched and mostly devoid of people, Weeki Wachee boasts just three residents but is famous for its mermaids. Weeki Wachee Springs State Park features an underwater theater carved into limestone, where visitors can observe performers dressed as mermaids. The attraction dates back to 1947, when former Navy officer Newton Perry launched the venture. In 2001, mayor Robyn Anderson dubbed herself a "mer-mayor" due to her history as a mermaid performer.
14. SWETT, SOUTH DAKOTA (POPULATION: 2)
ExitRealty
Once home to 40 residents in the 1940s, Swett’s decline is due to its limited economy, centered around a single tavern. Today, only Lance Benson and his wife remain. Benson, a traveling concessions salesman, purchased Swett in 1998 to run the bar and attract patrons from nearby areas. (He lived in the town’s only house.) In 2014, he decided to sell the town, listing it for $199,000. The listing by Exit Realty humorously mentioned that "locals believe the house is haunted."
15. NOTHING, ARIZONA (POPULATION: 0)
NotSoFancyNancy
Nothing, a desert town 120 miles from Phoenix, offers little more than a general store and a partial gas station. Established in 1977 to bring life to a remote stretch of US 93, Nothing failed to retain its residents, especially after a pizza shop couldn’t lure truckers. The town’s name became fitting as it now has no known inhabitants. In June 2016, Century 21 staged a publicity stunt, offering free plots of land to dads on Father’s Day. The value? Literally nothing.
