These Ghost Towns Are Downright Chilling

The concept of a ghost town is pretty strange. It means that people used to live there and there were once thriving cafes, restaurants, hotels, and full apartment buildings and houses. Now, however, things are super different in these places and there isn't a soul to be seen anywhere. Sometimes these towns really are left empty and no one goes there anymore, and other times, they become tourist spots that people walk through.

There are many ghost towns that are downright chilling. Let's take a look at some of them (and visit them if we have strong stomachs and nerves of steel).

Kitsault, British Columbia Is A Ghost Town We Should Know About

According to CBC, Kitsault, British Columbia is "Canada's most famous ghost town." As Carl Puck, who wanted to create a musical about it told the publication, "Most ghost towns, you don't really know their history, you don't know the people who used to live there, and that's why there's this ghostly feel. But Kitsault is almost a spirit town because the people who used to live in Kitsault are still around."

What's wild about this ghost town is that the elements of everyday living are still there. You can find apartment buildings (there are seven), a pub called Maple Leaf (so Canadian), and even a supermarket. There's even a community center with a pool. Global News calls it a "perfectly preserved town." It definitely makes you feel pretty weird to see these images as this town really could be the environment that a thriller or horror movie is filmed in. The trees and mountains of British Columbia are always beautiful, but this town has more of a creepy vibe.

Even Italy Has A Ghost Town

According to Insider.com, Italy has a ghost town called Craco. We might recognize it if we saw the movie Passion of the Christ, and we should know that if we want to see it, we have to set up a tour ahead of time with a guide because the city has a gate. There have been a lot of things that led to this town being left behind There was an earthquake in 1980 that was the last straw, but before that, there was a flood in 1972 and a landslide in 1963. Craco, which has been around since the 8th century, has a cliff 1,312 feet above the ground.

Ancient.origins.net says that this town used to be a "medieval village" and that Greeks were the founders back in 540 AD. The website explains, "Despite the precarious living conditions, many of the “Crachesi" (inhabitants of Craco) were still very much attached to their beautiful medieval town and refused to leave. In the 1950s, the soil conditions of the town deteriorated further, causing more landslides and making the town and the buildings dangerous to live in."

Centralia, Pennsylvania Is Pretty Creepy

Where Traveler shares some interesting information about a ghost town called Centralia, which is located in Pennsylvania. It's a ghost town because of a fire in the area's coal mines in 1962. It took a while for it to be completely abandoned, though: the town's ZIP code was no more in 2002, the state "condemned" the real estate in 1992, and everyone was forced to leave in 1981. The fire was caused by employees of the city who were in a cemetery and lit some garbage. This ended up causing a fire in the mines, which is pretty wild to think about. There are some people who never wanted to leave and they have been allowed to stay there as of 2013.

It's crazy to imagine wanting to live in a ghost town, especially one that looks as creepy as this one does. There is also smoke that remains in the town, which adds an even scarier element and also makes it seem pretty dangerous to want to keep living here. It's not your average small town, that's for sure. According to Uncovering PA, there are sidewalks that remain in this town, and there are still a couple of homes. There is also a Veteran’s Memorial and a single church called the Blessed Virgin Mary Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church.

When we think of ghost towns, we immediately picture empty streets and crumbling houses. It's fascinating to realize how many of these types of towns there are around the world, everywhere from Canada to Italy to the United States. While we might be nervous about visiting them, it would be really awesome to witness them in person and think about the history of each of them.

NEXT: Disturbing Things To Happen At Haunted Houses (We Can’t Ignore Anymore)