The world is full of many places that are away from modern-day civilization. Places where you can take a break from your everyday life and enjoy the peace and quiet of being secluded. However, there are also places in the world where seclusion is a bad thing. These places are known as ghost towns. Ghost towns are more or less evacuated for one reason or another and many of the residents never return. This makes these areas empty and they slowly deteriorate due to no one being there to maintain these places. There are several reasons that a place can become abandoned. Some of these towns were once prosperous and promised financial stability for people living there. Places like mining towns that eventually dry up and force the residents to relocate.

Other areas are abandoned due to natural disasters or destruction of the land by the people who lived there. No matter the reason there are now many different ghost towns all across the world waiting to be explored. Many of these ghost towns were abandoned quickly leaving an idea of what life was like living in these towns before they became abandoned.

25 Hashima Island, Japan

Originally built in 1887 Hashima Island was first put into place to mine coal from local coal deposits. The island is located near Nagasaki and acted as a huge provider for much of Japan's coal industry in its prime. The prime of the coal industry hit in 1959 for Hashima Island but that boom would be short-lived as the town's mine closed in 1974. The many buildings that made up the houses of the miners and their families are now abandoned and deteriorating quickly. It is an amazing island to walk through if you ever get the chance.

24 Bodie, California

Bodie was one of those towns that served as a mining town to the inhabitants and it made everyone who worked in the mines fairly wealthy. However, after years of mining the town's resources, it eventually depleted forcing the townspeople to relocate. The town was first founded in 1876 which is around the time the Gold Rush was at its highest peak. The town was built solely for the reason of gaining gold riches and the rush went as fast as it came. It is estimated that around 10,000 people once lived in Bodie and when viewing pictures it seems unlikely that everyone could have fit into this small town.

23 Kolmanskop, Namibia

Kolmanskop which is an abandoned town in the Namibia Desert is an intriguing case and one of the most popular places to photograph abandoned buildings. This is due to the fact that the town was originally built by German miners in the 1900s. They used the same architecture you would see in Germany which directly counteracts the setting of a desert. The miners eventually moved on to a better source of minerals as there were rumors of diamonds near. Soon the whole town became abandoned and by the 1950s the town was officially a ghost town.

22 Centralia, Pennsylvania

Centralia located in Pennsylvania is a tragic story of how a town's carelessness with their disposed of garbage eventually ran them out of their own homes. After storing much of the garbage in an old mine located underneath the town, the town officials decided to burn the garbage when the mines became too full. The fires grew out of control and forced people to relocate away from Centralia. Now the main roads in and out of the town have large cracks in them and smoke still emits from these cracks even to this day. The town is so popular it inspired the creation of the film adaptation of the video game series Silent Hill. 

21 Craco, Italy

Craco is a largely abandoned city in Italy that overlooks a large body of water. Unlike most other places on this list, the city of Craco has aged exceptionally well and is a treat to visit and look around. Craco was at its peak in medieval times but now remains abandoned and has been for several decades. A few of the main things that lead Craco to abandonment is the constant worry of earthquakes, non-fertile land for crops, and landslides. The city is now hosting tours and has even been featured in films like Quantum of Solace.

20 Kadykchan, Russia

Kadykchan is a large town that was built as a mining town in Russia. The area was originally built and constructed by Gulag prisoners and the town served as a coal mining town. With the fall of the Soviet Union and the fact that coal was becoming less needed the town didn't survive long before becoming abandoned. With very few people still living in Kadykchan, the rest of them would be forced out after a mine explosion caused the remaining people to fear for their lives. Now the town is completely abandoned and the deteriorating buildings show.

19 Pyramiden, Norway

Svalbard is a Norwegian region that once served the USSR and a town by the name of Pyramiden was built as a place to mine local coal mines. After buying it from Sweden in 1927 the Soviets immediately began work on mining the area's resources. As it is with the case of many of these other mining towns soon the resources depleted forcing many of the people living there to relocate. However, unlike other towns, the area had things like libraries and a music hall that can still be explored if you visit the area today.

18 South Pass City, Wyoming

South Pass City now serves as a historical site in the state of Wyoming. However, it originally served as a gold mining town in the height of the gold rush. The population of the small town quickly grew to 2,000 after it was founded in 1867. As of 1872 the population dwindled and dwindled until the entire town was abandoned. However, it isn't all bad as the town is now home to a historical center where the buildings are being up kept and tourists can enjoy a blast into the past during the gold rush era.

17 Bannack, Montana

A man by the name of John White claimed to have found gold when prospecting in a nearby river in the town of Bannack, Montana. After this occurrence in 1862, many people fled to the town of Bannack in the hope of finding riches. However, not even a year later a nearby town has the promise of riches and many people left the small town of Bannack. Few people still remained until the gold ran out and the town has been more or less abandoned ever since.

16 Eureka, Utah

The town of Eureka located in the state of Utah was first discovered in 1870, but it wasn't until much later in 1910 that the town gained a name for itself. Boasting a whopping 3,900 people the town was producing hundreds of thousands of dollars from the local mines. It wasn't until 1957 that the mining slowed down due to flooding that occurred within the mines and made it more difficult and risky to get the ores. As more time passed more people left Eureka and eventually the town became abandoned. Today it doesn't serve as much besides a small convenient store located in it.

15 Glenrio, Texas

Glenrio located in Texas was first founded in 1901 when Rock Island and Pacific Railroad passed through the area. Most of the tourism and popularity that Glenrio saw in its prime was due to the famous Route 66 passing through the small town. However, after the construction of Interstate 40 that rerouted people away from Glenrio the town fell into abandonment. Soon the town saw less and less tourism and eventually, the town's people decided to leave due to the popular tourism industry being diminished.

14 Terlingua, Texas

The Chisos Mining Company was the main responsibility for Terlingua's existence and it was constructed as yet another mining town. The thing that really put Terlingua on the map was the discovery of mercury in the area. This occurred in the early 19th Century and business was booming until the Great Depression hit and the need for mercury drastically fell. The town isn't completely abandoned today as some people still call it home. It certainly is a small town as there are only around 60 people living there and the most exciting thing there is a diner.

13 Spinalonga Island, Greece

At first glance, the island of Spinalonga off the coast of Greece may look like a great place to plant your next summer vacation. However, the island once served as a home for a leper colony. The island was first created in 1913 and anyone who was suffering from the disease was sent to Spinalonga Island. As many as 400 people would spend their days on the island until it closed in 1957. Since then the island has opened back up to tourists looking to spend a day looking at the unique architecture and soaking up the sun on this beautiful island.

12 Thurmond, West Virginia

West Virginia was a great place for the gold rush and other mining operations in the early 20th century. One of the towns that thrived the most through this was known as Thurmond. The town didn't grow much after it was founded as even when the town grew in popularity due to its promised riches there was still only one railroad that would let people in and out of the town. This among other things is what leads to the town losing so many residents. The buildings that once served these miners are still in great condition and it is a great place to visit if you want to be transported back in time.

11 Jussarö, Finland

The town of Jussaro located in Finland is actually located inside the Ekenäs Archipelago National Park. The town was first founded due to it being rich with iron ores. The mine operated for around three decades before it closed due to the resources being dried up. This left many residents with no choice but to leave the town. Since then the town of Jussaro has been used as training grounds for Finnish Defence Forces. After they were done with it the government decided to open the town and the island to the public.

10 Rhyolite, Nevada

Rhyolite is a town that looks like it could come straight out of a western movie. Located in Nevada the area is very flat and resembles a desert of sorts. Rhyolite gained its fame when two men struck gold in the Bullfrog Mountains. This happened in 1904 and the years that followed grew Rhyolite into a big town with luxurious things like saloons and even swimming pools. However, the need for the mines started to decelerate and by 1914 the town of Rhyolite was no longer profitable.

9 Millwood, South Africa

America wasn't the only ones who were participating in the gold rush as the mining town of Millwood was a popular spot during the gold rush. Located in South Africa reports of the mines near Millwood being filled with gold made people flock to the small town. Soon enough buildings like hotels and restaurants were popping up left and right to accommodate these newcomers. The turnaround for this was as quick as only five years later the town was completely abandoned.

8 Dallol, Ethiopia

Dallol is a town that was once thriving in Ethiopia but now is completely abandoned. One of the main reasons for this is the climate is borderline unlivable in Dallol. Dallol is considered one of the hottest places on Earth with temperatures averaging 94°F (around 34°C) year-round. The town also served as a mining town that mainly mined potash to salt. However, all mining operations stopped in the 1960s and now the area is mainly visited to see the unique terrain and feel the warm temperatures.

7 Goldfield, Arizona

Goldfield located in Arizona is one of the best-case scenarios that could have happened to a ghost town. Most of the original buildings that once served this old mining village still stand and they are now being used for tourist purposes. The area is a huge tourist spot and people who visit get the chance to see the town like it was in its prime. There are many things like saloons to restaurants that were once mining buildings. The town once inhabited 30,000 people but soon after fell into abandonment until it was resurrected once again.

6 St. Elmo, Colorado

The term ghost town is usually used to describe a town or city as being abandoned, but in the case of St. Elmo located in Colorado, you can take a literal stance on the term ghost town. This is because the town of St. Elmo is said to be one of the most haunted towns in Colorado. During the gold rush era St. Elmo would see 2,000 residents living in the small western town. However, by the time the gold rush had ended, there weren't even a dozen people left. Now the town is visited by people wanting to take amazing pictures with the old buildings or the paranormal community hoping to catch evidence.