1. Whittier, Alaska
From underground fires to two months of darkness, these towns survive in conditions that seem impossible, yet people still call them home. In Whittier, Alaska, nearly the entire population lives in one 14-story building called Begich Towers. Built during the Cold War, it contains apartments, a school, a post office, a grocery store, and even a church. The idea is simple: life can continue without residents stepping outdoors during brutal winters. Snow and wind make travel impossible, but inside, neighbors become more like family, turning an unusual setup into a tightly knit community that works in its own way.
2. Monowi, Nebraska
Monowi is perhaps the strangest town in America. It is the only incorporated town in the country with a population of just one. That one person is Elsie Eiler, who acts as mayor, clerk, librarian, and bartender, paying taxes to herself and running the Monowi Tavern. Travelers passing through stop for drinks and stories, making her tavern feel like the heart of a ghost town. Though unusual, Monowi shows how identity can exist even in a place with only a single resident. It is tiny, it is lonely, but it is still legally recognized as a functioning American town.
3. Slab City, California
Slab City sits deep in the Sonoran Desert of California. On the site of a former Marine base, people live off-grid without rent, running water, or law enforcement. Residents create makeshift homes and decorate the desert with colorful art, murals, and the well-known Salvation Mountain. Artists, free spirits, and wanderers gather here, drawn to the idea of freedom at any cost. The environment is harsh, but it offers independence unlike anywhere else. While it is far from comfortable, Slab City thrives on creativity and community built by people who choose to live entirely outside the expectations of ordinary society.
4. Centralia, Pennsylvania
Centralia is the definition of a ghost town. Since 1962, an underground coal seam fire has been burning beneath it, releasing heat and smoke that rise through cracks in the ground. Most of its residents relocated after the danger became clear, leaving behind abandoned homes and empty streets. Even the town’s ZIP code was removed. Today, only a few holdouts remain in what feels like a haunting memory of the past. Nature has slowly reclaimed the land, but the fire still burns unseen, reminding visitors that Centralia is a place transformed by both accident and stubborn human resilience.
5. Bombay Beach, California
Bombay Beach was once a shining jewel on the Salton Sea, where families vacationed and the future looked glamorous. By the 1970s, pollution and rising salinity destroyed the lake’s ecosystem, killing fish and driving people away. What was left turned into a wasteland of abandoned trailers, rusting cars, and crumbling buildings. Yet artists returned, creating surreal sculptures and street art that make the ghost town strangely alive again. Festivals and visitors bring new energy, making Bombay Beach a mix of decay and creativity. It is no longer a resort, but it has become an unlikely stage for desert imagination.
6. Green Bank, West Virginia
Green Bank is a town where silence is part of daily life. It sits inside the National Radio Quiet Zone, where wireless signals are restricted to protect the Green Bank Telescope from interference. That means no cell service, no Wi-Fi, and even microwave ovens are limited. For locals, it feels like living in another time. Conversations happen face to face, children play outdoors, and neighbors remain connected without constant buzzing technology. It is unusual by modern standards, but Green Bank shows that quiet can create a stronger sense of community, even if it means sacrificing modern conveniences to keep peace.
7. Terlingua, Texas
Terlingua, in the Texas desert, was once a booming mercury mining town. After the mines closed in the 1940s, it became a ghost town left in ruins. Over time, artists and adventurers moved in, breathing new life into its abandoned buildings. Today, Terlingua is known for its quirky community, stunning desert views, and its world famous chili cook-offs that draw crowds every year. Old stone structures mix with vibrant homes, creating a one of a kind atmosphere. Terlingua proves that even places forgotten by industry can reinvent themselves, keeping history alive while building something entirely new from the past.
8. Rachel, Nevada
Rachel, Nevada, is tiny in size but big in mystery. With fewer than 100 residents, it sits closest to the legendary Area 51 military base. This makes it a magnet for alien hunters and curious travelers. The town’s Little A’Le’Inn is its only motel and restaurant, filled with alien themed decorations and stories of strange sightings. With no schools, gas stations, or churches, Rachel feels as isolated as it gets. Still, it thrives on curiosity and tourism. Visitors keep coming, fascinated by the unknown, and residents embrace the reputation of living in a place tied forever to mystery and speculation.
9. St. Elmo, Colorado
St. Elmo is one of Colorado’s most well-preserved ghost towns. Once a busy mining hub, it declined after the mines shut down, leaving behind wooden storefronts, cabins, and dirt roads frozen in time. A few residents live there year-round, while tourists flock in the summer for hiking, ghost stories, and even chipmunks that greet visitors at the general store. St. Elmo feels like a town paused in history, where the past never quite disappeared. Instead of fading completely, it has become a living museum of the mining era, showing how some places survive by holding onto memory.
10. Utqiaġvik, Alaska
Utqiaġvik is the northernmost town in the United States, sitting above the Arctic Circle. Winters bring two months of total darkness, while summers offer weeks of constant daylight. Reached only by plane or boat, it faces freezing temperatures, icy seas, and even polar bears. Yet more than 4,000 people live here, many of them Iñupiat who carry on traditions alongside modern life. The town is a balance of resilience, culture, and survival in one of the most challenging environments on earth. Some places seem impossible to endure, but people find ways to build homes even in the harshest conditions.
This story 10 American Towns That Shouldn’t Exist but Somehow Do was first published on Daily FETCH
