Buzz
Ghost towns are often imagined as forgotten, desolate places hidden away in remote regions, where few people reside. This is what typically defines them. However, as we will soon discover, that’s not always the case.
Some ghost towns exist in or even right next to thriving, well-known cities. In fact, many residents of these major urban centers are unaware of the abandoned settlements lying just around the corner. Below are ten such mysterious locations.
10. Goussainville-Vieux Pays, Paris
The abandoned town of Goussainville-Vieux Pays is located right next to Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris. Its proximity to the airport is so close that it falls directly within the flight path approach. The town lies in ruins today due to the airport’s expansion, which had originally aimed to transform it into a vibrant urban space.
A significant portion of the population fled the town during the airport's construction in 1973 after a Soviet Tupolev Tu-144 supersonic jet, participating in the Paris Air Show, crashed into the village. The disaster destroyed 15 homes and a school, claiming the lives of eight villagers and six crew members.
Even more residents abandoned Goussainville-Vieux Pays when the airport officially opened a year later. The noise from low-flying planes drove many out, with most leaving their homes behind without even attempting to sell them. Today, many of these homes are engulfed by overgrown vegetation.
9. North Brother Island, New York City
North Brother Island lies just off the Bronx in New York City, neighboring South Brother Island. While both islands remain uninhabited, North Brother Island was once more developed. It was designated as a quarantine island in the 1880s, housing individuals with deadly, contagious diseases like tuberculosis and measles. The island’s most infamous resident was Typhoid Mary, who lived there intermittently for 28 years before passing away in 1938.
After World War II, North Brother Island was repurposed as housing for veterans. Later, it became a rehabilitation center for young heroin addicts. However, the center closed in 1963 after failing to succeed. New York City considered various uses for the island, such as selling it, creating homeless housing, or turning it into an extension of Rikers Island prison, but a decision was never made.
As time passed, nature began to reclaim the island, overtaking roads that are now overrun with weeds. Buildings began to deteriorate, slowly collapsing brick by brick. In 2001, the New York Parks Department took control of the island, designating it as a “harbor herons region,” where the birds can nest without human disruption.
8. Olympic Village, Wustermark
The Olympic village is located in Wustermark, on the outskirts of Berlin, and was constructed by the Nazis for the 1936 Berlin Olympics. Hitler had it built as a tool for propaganda, aiming to showcase the power of Nazi Germany.
The 1936 Olympics marked the first time the event was televised. Hitler seized this opportunity to display Germany’s perceived superiority and beauty to the world. He infamously attempted to prevent Black athletes and Jews from competing but relented after several countries threatened to pull out. The village accommodated approximately 4,000 athletes.
During World War II, the village was repurposed as a military hospital and later transformed into a Soviet Army barracks after the war. Following Germany’s reunification, the Soviet Army vacated the site, and the village has remained abandoned ever since. Germany has contemplated turning it into either a housing development or a museum, though no final decision has been made.
7. Matildaville, Virginia
Matildaville, a ghost town, sits along the Potomac River in Virginia, not far from Washington, DC. Founded in the 1790s, Harry Lee, the father of Confederate general Robert E. Lee, leased the land for 900 years and established the town, naming it after his deceased wife.
Lee envisioned industrializing the land, utilizing the nearby Potomac Canal’s water currents. The canal itself was an initiative of President Washington, who persuaded Virginia and Maryland to create the Patowmack Company, which dredged the canal to make it navigable for cargo boats. Most of the townspeople worked with these boats, while others operated businesses like forges and sawmills.
The Patowmack Company dissolved in 1823 after it failed to pay off its debts. Though it collected tolls from boats using the canal, the revenue was insufficient to cover its expenses or maintain the canal, which was often frozen in winter or flooded during rainfall.
The Chesapeake & Ohio Canal Company took over the canal in 1828 and constructed a new route that bypassed the original, ruining Matildaville’s economy and causing most of the residents to leave. However, in 1838, a textile factory powered by the water opened, drawing people back to the town, which was renamed South Lowell. In 1853, the federal government sued the factory for using the canal’s current to run its machinery. The government won the case 40 years later, and the town collapsed.
6. Thames Town, Shanghai
Thames Town, located in the Songjiang District, is just a 40-minute drive from downtown Shanghai. It is a planned community that represents a failed attempt by the Shanghai government to encourage people to move away from the crowded city center and settle in the underpopulated outskirts of the metropolis.
In 2001, the Shanghai Planning Commission initiated the construction of Thames Town as part of its One City, Nine Towns initiative. The plan envisioned creating miniature replicas of famous global locations. Thames Town was designed as a copy of Britain and even carries the name of the River Thames. Over two billion yuan was spent by the Shanghai government to build this city.
However, the town failed to meet its objectives, as a property bubble caused housing prices to skyrocket, making the homes unaffordable for the middle class. Today, most of the houses are owned by wealthy individuals, who either use them as vacation homes or hold onto them in hopes of future profit from reselling or renting them out if their value increases.
5. Gary, Indiana
Gary, Indiana, located just 64 kilometers (40 miles) from Chicago, one of the largest cities in the US, is slowly morphing into a ghost town. While the population is still around 77,000, the town feels deserted, with large areas overtaken by weeds and many buildings crumbling into disrepair.
Once a booming manufacturing hub, Gary was notorious for its crime issues, including frequent murders and drug use. However, with the closing of most industries, the town’s population shrank, and so did the crime. Criminals and drug dealers left in search of new opportunities as there was no longer anyone to steal from or buy their drugs. Today, Gary is a mere shadow of its former self, emblematic of the many American cities that have lost significant populations due to industry closures.
4. Olympic Park, Rio De Janeiro
To secure the bid for the 2016 Summer Olympics, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, pledged to build a sprawling sports village for the event. The outcome was a 300-acre complex costing 2.5 billion Brazilian real. Despite this massive investment, the village fell into neglect within just six months of the Olympics, ultimately becoming a ghost town.
Basic services such as electricity, water, and sanitation, which were available during the Olympics, are now non-existent. Even the towering Marriott hotel constructed for the games has been abandoned. The development of Olympic Park sparked controversy, as the land was once home to a poor neighborhood, or favela. The government forcibly displaced the residents to make way for the village, though some were allowed to stay after the forced evictions made headlines worldwide.
A key factor in Olympic Park's post-Olympics failure to thrive was its location far from the heart of Rio. It is situated too far from the city center, and commuting to the more active areas of Rio takes over two hours by public transit, requiring multiple bus transfers.
3. Tianducheng, Hangzhou
Tianducheng, located in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, is another one of China’s cities designed to mimic famous global locations. In this case, the inspiration is Paris. It lies relatively close to Shanghai, and although Hangzhou itself is a large city with nearly ten million residents, it pales in comparison to Shanghai's population of 24 million.
Tianducheng was created to accommodate 10,000 Chinese residents desiring their own replica of the Eiffel Tower, to live in a city that mimics France. However, the city never attracted the expected population. Instead, it has become a site mainly for tourists and newlyweds looking for picturesque wedding photo locations. Only about 2,000 people have settled there.
Tianducheng’s lack of popularity can be attributed to its distance from the central areas of Hangzhou and Shanghai, as well as the absence of public transportation. However, the city may not remain deserted indefinitely. As Shanghai or neighboring cities expand, Tianducheng could eventually find its residents as more people are pushed out towards it.
2. Valdeluz, Yebez
Valdeluz, located just 61 kilometers (38 miles) from Madrid, Spain's capital, is ironically a ghost town. Designed by Spanish construction company Reyal Urbis, the city was built along the busy Madrid-Barcelona train route. Originally planned to house 30,000 residents, Valdeluz was marketed as a peaceful, green alternative to Madrid's bustling environment, complete with facilities and a golf course. The city was meant to contain 9,000 homes.
Reyal Urbis was only able to complete 2,200 homes before Spain’s economic crisis in 2008. At the time, Valdeluz was home to just 200 people. The value of homes plummeted by 50 to 60 percent, while undeveloped land was discounted by as much as 80 percent. A property that once sold for $325,000 in 2007 was worth just $135,000 in 2014. While the drop in housing prices has led to a slight population increase, it remains far below the intended numbers.
1. Drawbridge, California
Drawbridge, California, is an abandoned settlement with no residents, despite being in close proximity to populated areas like Fremont, San Jose, and San Francisco. Located at the southern edge of San Francisco Bay, Drawbridge was established in the 1800s by “Slippery” Jim Fair and Alfred “Hog” Davis, who created the South Pacific Coast Railroad to provide transportation for San Francisco residents heading to Santa Cruz.
Rather than following the longer route used by stagecoaches, the train company decided to lay its tracks across a small island in the water. This area, a crucial waterway, led to the construction of swing bridges in 1876, which they mistakenly referred to as drawbridges. This is how the island came to be known as Drawbridge. George Mundershietz was hired to manage the bridges, making him the first resident of the island.
As trains began passing through, passengers discovered that Drawbridge was teeming with wildlife, often halting to hunt. Over time, hunting cabins and small hotels appeared, transforming the place into a modest town. The town became notorious for its lawlessness, with prostitution, gambling, and illegal alcohol sales during Prohibition being commonplace.
Drawbridge's decline began when nearby cities started dumping human and industrial waste into the surrounding waters, causing an unbearable stench. The salt ponds in the area also drove the birds away, forcing them to migrate elsewhere. The island started sinking, flooding regularly during high tide. By 1979, the last resident had left. Today, it is a designated wildlife refuge for birds, with trains still passing through, but without stopping.
