Talk:Ghost town

Other Uses of "Ghost town"

The common usage of ghost town refers to a now-abandoned place that was once populated...arguments over remaining infrastructure (and even remaining occupants) ensue. But this is the most common definition.

But the term can also be applied to populated places that see fluctuation in the number of inhabitants with the seasons. Namely "tourist towns": "Though crowded in the summer, this seaside village becomes a ghost town in the colder months."

It can also be used to refer to a populated place that seems more desolate than anticipated: "Though the city had a population of over a million residents, hardly a soul could be seen downtown that afternoon; the extreme heat had turned the place into a ghost town."

Though these are less common usages, they still apply. Should the article reflect this? 71.226.227.121 (talk) 09:31, 12 October 2021 (UTC)

No it should not. Every single word in every single language is used as a metaphor some times, and that's what people are doing here with the term ghost town. Oiyarbepsy (talk) 07:41, 19 April 2022 (UTC)

A ghost town implies a town that is permanently uninhabited. Not one that’s inhabited in certain times of the year. West Virginia WXeditor (talk) 20:42, 2 August 2024 (UTC)

The term could probably also apply to human buildings and infrastructure that were built with the intention for humans to use, either to live in or do business, but never became occupied to begin with, for whatever reason. Dogman15 (talk) 20:28, 29 August 2025 (UTC)

Nothing left?

Is it a ghost town if there's nothing whatsoever left of it? I'm think here of Freeman Junction, California, of which no remnant remains; the historical landmark sign is even gone (just the pedestal is left.) --jpgordon^{𝄢𝄆𝄐𝄇} 22:59, 14 July 2025 (UTC)

MOS cleanup and source improvements

I made a pass through the article addressing Manual of Style compliance and source quality. Summary of changes:

MOS fixes:

• Expanded the lead from two short paragraphs to four, summarizing all major sections per MOS:LEAD
• Added |alt= text to all images for accessibility
• Lowercased cite templates ({{cite web}}, {{cite book}}, etc.)
• Converted remaining ISO-format dates to DMY per article's established date format
• Added missing |access-date= values to web citations
• Converted remaining http:// URLs to https:// where available

Source improvements:

• Added 12 new citations from academic and institutional sources (Beresford, Woodham-Smith, Wright, Farmer, Simms, DeKok, Headland, WHOI, Te Ara, NZ History, DOC, SCARF)
• Fixed factual error: Mologa flooding was 1941-1947, not 1940
• Fixed Bodie/Calico timeline: Bodie designated 2002, Calico 2005 (not simultaneous)
• Updated CDC URL (www.cdc.gov permanently redirects to wwwnc.cdc.gov)
• Replaced fragile SSRN delivery URL with stable journal URL
• Removed unreliable blogspot source (sito2012.blogspot.com)
• Removed unsupported claim about Treasure of the Sierra Madre filming location
• Added {{citation needed}} tags to unsourced claims in several sections

The Oceania section and parts of the real-estate speculation content still need sourcing. Sparks19923 (talk) 08:14, 28 February 2026 (UTC)

Repopulation of Ghost Towns

At what point does a Ghost Town become a town again?

For example, Las Vegas was originally a mormon settlement with 32 residents. It then became a ghost town where only 4 people lived there up until the land was once sold again to be redeveloped. So my main question is if the abandonment of a town makes it a ghost town or if a ghost town refers to a group of abandoned buildings, like the abandoned buildings still still in Downtown Las Vegas.

I'm also ignoring the fact that there easily could be a ship of theseus argument here because a town's buildings can be replaced over time and still remain the same town. Amperesand (talk) 04:22, 30 March 2026 (UTC)