Are there a lot of examples of this ^ ?
There's an exit on 55 near its southern terminus for Ruddock that has been uninhabited since 1915! And even move weird, once you get off you have no choice but to get back on 55/51 or to use old 51.
I-40 has a whole business loop for Glenrio, TX/NM with apparently a population of 1.
Chris
I-10 in New Mexico with Steins and I-17 with Bumble Bee pop to mind immediately. I-10 and I-40 are going to have a lot of them in the western states.
There's examples of this on rural stretches of I-80. One I can think of is Exit 56 which provides access to Aragonite, Utah, an uninhabited ghost town.
There's a good amount of ghost towns on former US 66. Because it parallels an interstate for most of its length, there's most likely some interstate exits to those ghost towns.
Quote from: SkyPesos on February 01, 2021, 12:23:23 AM
There's a good amount of ghost towns on former US 66. Because it parallels an interstate for most of its length, there's most likely some interstate exits to those ghost towns.
Ludlow, Essex, Canyon Diablo and Two Guns all pop to mind (aside Glenrio).
Cove Fort off I-15.
Do you count Exit #204 on I-70 in Utah, signed for Cisco?
Cisco is a ghost town, but it's also more than five miles from the exit and halfway to the next one along old US-6.
Quote from: kphoger on February 01, 2021, 02:27:54 PM
Do you count Exit #204 on I-70 in Utah, signed for Cisco?
Cisco is a ghost town, but it's also more than five miles from the exit and halfway to the next one along old US-6.
I'd count it because it's off of UT 128 but Thompson Springs is more fitting for the criteria specified by the OP.
Some for I-8:
Sentinel
Tacna
Mohawk
Also, it's debatable but I would consider Desert Center on I-10 now a ghost town. Aside from open businesses there isn't really anyone who lives in Grapevine Village near Fort Tejon on I-5. Hilt near the Oregon State Line just off I-5 would be another ghost town example.
I-79 has an exit signed for Roanoke, WV, which was flooded out during the construction of Stonewall Jackson Lake.
Quote from: Max Rockatansky on February 01, 2021, 02:34:47 PM
Quote from: kphoger on February 01, 2021, 02:27:54 PM
Do you count Exit #204 on I-70 in Utah, signed for Cisco?
Cisco is a ghost town, but it's also more than five miles from the exit and halfway to the next one along old US-6.
I'd count it because it's off of UT 128 but Thompson Springs is more fitting for the criteria specified by the OP.
There is a small population in Thompson Springs with a few businesses. And Cisco is a bit smaller, but someone just opened up a small market on the old US-6/50 highway in Cisco -- In fact, UDOT has blued out the NO SERVICES tags on the exit signs for UT-128/Cisco and Danish Flat as of a couple of months ago. Neither UDOT nor CDOT have altered their mainline NO SERVICES FOR XX MILES signs between Thompson Springs, UT and Mack, CO as of yet, though.
Quote from: Max Rockatansky on February 01, 2021, 02:34:47 PM
Quote from: kphoger on February 01, 2021, 02:27:54 PM
Do you count Exit #204 on I-70 in Utah, signed for Cisco?
Cisco is a ghost town, but it's also more than five miles from the exit and halfway to the next one along old US-6.
I'd count it because it's off of UT 128 but Thompson Springs is more fitting for the criteria specified by the OP.
Some for I-8:
Sentinel
Tacna
Mohawk
Also, it's debatable but I would consider Desert Center on I-10 now a ghost town. Aside from open businesses there isn't really anyone who lives in Grapevine Village near Fort Tejon on I-5. Hilt near the Oregon State Line just off I-5 would be another ghost town example.
Hey! Hilt isn't QUITE a ghost town. They have a liquor store that's there for Oregon residents looking to cross state lines for much cheaper booze. :-D
There's two really weird ones in MS. Like it's literally weird:
https://www.google.com/maps/@32.3426369,-88.7904867,3a,75y,273.86h,70.81t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1s6hVrN6fOYTZiVWFJ2AR71w!2e0!7i13312!8i6656
Meehan Junction isn't even a place. Not even a railroad. Junction? There's a gas station and a few local business but these aren't considered to be located in this place. Meehan shows up on a few maps, but it's not even considered a community anymore and you can't find out anything about it. There's a church listed there, but it no longer exists apparently. I think its just a graveyard. And most of the houses are abandoned. Lost Gap is even more confusing.. There's literally NOTHING there. As soon as you get off the exit, it directs you to it. But there is only a Meridian Livestock business further down old 80. Did they just make these up when they were choosing exits?
Quote from: thenetwork on February 02, 2021, 07:05:53 PM
There is a small population in Thompson Springs with a few businesses. And Cisco is a bit smaller, but someone just opened up a small market on the old US-6/50 highway in Cisco -- In fact, UDOT has blued out the NO SERVICES tags on the exit signs for UT-128/Cisco and Danish Flat as of a couple of months ago. Neither UDOT nor CDOT have altered their mainline NO SERVICES FOR XX MILES signs between Thompson Springs, UT and Mack, CO as of yet, though.
Are any of the businesses actually in Thompson Springs up and running, though? This past summer I visited it while clinching SR 94 and everything I remember seeing looked like it had been shut down for quite some time. Either way, the gas station right off the I-70 interchange is probably enough to disqualify it.
In addition, I-80 has several in northern Utah outside the Wasatch Front:
- Knolls
- Clive
- Aragonite
- Delle (this somehow has a functioning gas station, but zero permanent population)
- Castle Rock
- Wahsatch
Not sure if it fits, but I-95 VA exit 24 is for, uh, nothing.
Quote from: US 89 on February 03, 2021, 10:43:21 PM
Quote from: thenetwork on February 02, 2021, 07:05:53 PM
There is a small population in Thompson Springs with a few businesses. And Cisco is a bit smaller, but someone just opened up a small market on the old US-6/50 highway in Cisco -- In fact, UDOT has blued out the NO SERVICES tags on the exit signs for UT-128/Cisco and Danish Flat as of a couple of months ago. Neither UDOT nor CDOT have altered their mainline NO SERVICES FOR XX MILES signs between Thompson Springs, UT and Mack, CO as of yet, though.
Are any of the businesses actually in Thompson Springs up and running, though? This past summer I visited it while clinching SR 94 and everything I remember seeing looked like it had been shut down for quite some time. Either way, the gas station right off the I-70 interchange is probably enough to disqualify it.
In addition, I-80 has several in northern Utah outside the Wasatch Front:
- Knolls
- Clive
- Aragonite
- Delle (this somehow has a functioning gas station, but zero permanent population)
- Castle Rock
- Wahsatch
Very few of the examples on this thread would be "absolute ghost towns" with a population of zero. I think the general consensus on Thompson Springs is that it way beyond it's prime and has lost the overwhelming majority of it's population. Put it this way, almost all the ghost towning circles I run in have stuff the likes of Thompson Springs included as ghost towns.
Quote from: kenarmy on February 03, 2021, 09:12:34 PM
Meehan Junction isn't even a place. Not even a railroad. Junction? There's a gas station and a few local business but these aren't considered to be located in this place. Meehan shows up on a few maps, but it's not even considered a community anymore and you can't find out anything about it. There's a church listed there, but it no longer exists apparently. I think its just a graveyard. And most of the houses are abandoned.
Yep, Meehan Junction. It's a place.
Here is the road sign (https://goo.gl/maps/xXLYtDnNGVyDitNe7) entering from the west, and
here is the one (https://goo.gl/maps/wSnBaSnFAigNU8Et7) entering from the east.
Meehan Junction was the location of a railroad depot on the Alabama & Vicksburg railway, 1.3 miles west of the Graham station and 5.1 miles east of the Chunky station. In other words, it was a depot located at what is currently the siding
visible here (https://goo.gl/maps/5SA5FSzunEW7mHhX8). The post office there had formerly been called Siding (prior to 1902), was later simply called Meehan (after 1950), and was closed in 1958.
(https://images.findagrave.com/photos/2014/90/55713525_1396367723.jpg)
Railroad sidings are probably the most common form of American ghost town. Usually most railroads set them up every ten miles on average. They usually included a stop and facilities to service trains. The car and highways really negated the need for rail siding facilities but so did the improvement in locomotive technology. So when you see a blank space with a name next to a railroad on Google Maps chances are it really was a active community probably well into the 20th Century.
Well, Meehan Junction isn't a ghost town anyway, it's just an unincorporated community. Here is GSV (https://goo.gl/maps/H5V9Dd9YUFj29AfC7) of multiple occupied houses there. Here's another (https://goo.gl/maps/cJqX4rsPEjs3coE47) along old US-80.
Quote from: kphoger on February 04, 2021, 10:36:25 AM
Well, Meehan Junction isn't a ghost town anyway, it's just an unincorporated community. Here is GSV (https://goo.gl/maps/H5V9Dd9YUFj29AfC7) of multiple occupied houses there. Here's another (https://goo.gl/maps/cJqX4rsPEjs3coE47) along old US-80.
But why are these places listed as Enterprise or Meridian? And why cant I find a permanent population. Its kind of confusing. And what about Lost Gap?
Quote from: kphoger on February 04, 2021, 10:36:25 AM
Well, Meehan Junction isn't a ghost town anyway, it's just an unincorporated community. Here is GSV (https://goo.gl/maps/H5V9Dd9YUFj29AfC7) of multiple occupied houses there. Here's another (https://goo.gl/maps/cJqX4rsPEjs3coE47) along old US-80.
Nonetheless if we are counting sidings (I don't see why not) it does open the possibilities up for this thread by a lot.
Quote from: kenarmy on February 04, 2021, 10:42:36 AM
Quote from: kphoger on February 04, 2021, 10:36:25 AM
Well, Meehan Junction isn't a ghost town anyway, it's just an unincorporated community. Here is GSV (https://goo.gl/maps/H5V9Dd9YUFj29AfC7) of multiple occupied houses there. Here's another (https://goo.gl/maps/cJqX4rsPEjs3coE47) along old US-80.
But why are these places listed as Enterprise or Meridian? And why cant I find a permanent population. Its kind of confusing.
Because they're part of other towns as far as the numbers go. It's those towns that you'll find data for. Think of it more as the name of a neighborhood in a city, rather than as the name of a distinct town. Except that, in this case, it isn't within the city limits.
This is similar to thousands of small unincorporated communities all over the country: their data is lumped in with the larger town nearby, because they're officially part of it for number-crunching purposes. You have to put their data
somewhere, after all!
Quote from: kenarmy on February 04, 2021, 10:42:36 AM
And what about Lost Gap?
I didn't look into that one.
One that I've always noticed is the "town" of Farad, California, the last exit eastbound on I-80 before entering Nevada.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Farad,_California
https://www.google.com/maps/place/Farad/@39.4244477,-120.0411076,14z/data=!4m8!1m2!2m1!1sFarad,+CA!3m4!1s0x80995dafd5035301:0xf84187e59b82231a!8m2!3d39.4199196!4d-120.0316373
Quote from: Max Rockatansky on February 04, 2021, 10:50:07 AM
Quote from: kphoger on February 04, 2021, 10:36:25 AM
Well, Meehan Junction isn't a ghost town anyway, it's just an unincorporated community. Here is GSV (https://goo.gl/maps/H5V9Dd9YUFj29AfC7) of multiple occupied houses there. Here's another (https://goo.gl/maps/cJqX4rsPEjs3coE47) along old US-80.
Nonetheless if we are counting sidings (I don't see why not) it does open the possibilities up for this thread by a lot.
If you have an old DeLormes Gazetter of (insert state here), you'll find plenty of "ghost town" listings for every county/parish.
Quote from: Hot Rod Hootenanny on February 04, 2021, 07:29:50 PM
Quote from: Max Rockatansky on February 04, 2021, 10:50:07 AM
Quote from: kphoger on February 04, 2021, 10:36:25 AM
Well, Meehan Junction isn't a ghost town anyway, it's just an unincorporated community. Here is GSV (https://goo.gl/maps/H5V9Dd9YUFj29AfC7) of multiple occupied houses there. Here's another (https://goo.gl/maps/cJqX4rsPEjs3coE47) along old US-80.
Nonetheless if we are counting sidings (I don't see why not) it does open the possibilities up for this thread by a lot.
If you have an old DeLormes Gazetter of (insert state here), you'll find plenty of "ghost town" listings for every county/parish.
However, the question is still which ones have a signed exit on the Interstate.
Ok I get all of that about Meehan Junction, but it's still kind of weird. It's not even listed as an unincorporated community or a CDP, and there are several others in the county such as Keewanee, Russell, and Toomsuba (all exits off of 20/59). I thought Meehan and Meehan Junction were two different things. By looking at signs, The gas station, EMCF, and the lauderdale water place aren't in Lost Gap or Meehan Junction.
So what is Lost Gap? I'm guessing those abandoned trailers and the house between this stockyard and Meridian Memorial Park are considered Lost Gap. But The Meridian Stockyard is listed as meridian, not unincorporated lauderdale county like the others. Either way, I'm sure this could be called a ghost town right?
Quote from: kenarmy on February 04, 2021, 10:42:36 AM
Quote from: kphoger on February 04, 2021, 10:36:25 AM
Well, Meehan Junction isn't a ghost town anyway, it's just an unincorporated community. Here is GSV (https://goo.gl/maps/H5V9Dd9YUFj29AfC7) of multiple occupied houses there. Here's another (https://goo.gl/maps/cJqX4rsPEjs3coE47) along old US-80.
But why are these places listed as Enterprise or Meridian? And why cant I find a permanent population. Its kind of confusing. And what about Lost Gap?
Like kphoger said, there are thousands of communities in the US that are don't have a post office and are thus addressed to larger towns nearby.
Quote from: Caps81943 on February 04, 2021, 11:36:30 PM
Quote from: kenarmy on February 04, 2021, 10:42:36 AM
Quote from: kphoger on February 04, 2021, 10:36:25 AM
Well, Meehan Junction isn't a ghost town anyway, it's just an unincorporated community. Here is GSV (https://goo.gl/maps/H5V9Dd9YUFj29AfC7) of multiple occupied houses there. Here's another (https://goo.gl/maps/cJqX4rsPEjs3coE47) along old US-80.
But why are these places listed as Enterprise or Meridian? And why cant I find a permanent population. Its kind of confusing. And what about Lost Gap?
Like kphoger said, there are thousands of communities in the US that are don't have a post office and are thus addressed to larger towns nearby.
It would be really inefficient for the Post Office to have a facility in really small communities when they could operate out a larger one. Speculative deduction on my part but I'm guessing Meehan Junction probably had a Post Office long ago.
I would also not trust the post office for place names since they will on occasion use city names that don't correspond to what's actually on the ground, simply to make mail processing easier. Take zip code 84013, for example. The post office prefers mail to that zip code be addressed to "Cedar Valley, UT". That's not a town or settlement of any kind, just a general name for a region that encompasses the actual incorporated towns of Cedar Fort and Fairfield.
And just a bit further north, every 841xx zip code is supposed to be addressed as "Salt Lake City, UT" ... never mind that a large portion of the 841xx region is not in Salt Lake city limits and is instead in various other suburbs.
USPS preferred place names are stupid. They prefer mail addressed to 73093 to say "Washington, OK" (pop. 601) since that's where the post office is...despite the fact that the zip code also covers Goldsby (pop. 2454), among other towns.
Doesn't the USPS also have a no duplication rule with communities in the same state? I want to say that's how the 15 plus "Dog Towns" in California ultimately mostly ended up being renamed.
Quote from: kphoger on February 04, 2021, 10:06:57 AM
The post office there had formerly been called Siding (prior to 1902), was later simply called Meehan (after 1950), and was closed in 1958.
Quote from: Max Rockatansky on February 04, 2021, 11:46:52 PM
Speculative deduction on my part but I'm guessing Meehan Junction probably had a Post Office long ago.
Nah, not speculative deduction... ;-)
Clive, UT (I-80)
Those practices of the USPS are really stupid. Over here in Spain the postcode 22194, for example, is shared by five populated places (three with municipality of their own -thus, "incorporated"- and two part of a nearby city), and Correos (the Spanish post) asks for the actual place be used in the address rather than grouping then under one. Also, did I mention there is no post office anywhere in that postcode?
Back on topic, I'm surprised and not (that sounded Alanland-ish) that Buford WY, right off I-80, hasn't been mentioned yet. I'm not that surprised because there's lots of mentions of it having only one person living there, but that's outdated: It has been a true ghost town since 2017.
Quote from: CNGL-Leudimin on February 10, 2021, 02:50:59 PM
Also, did I mention there is no post office anywhere in that postcode?
There isn't a post office in every ZIP code either. Mine doesn't have one.
There's a "Ghost Town Rd" exit off I-15 north of Barstow, CA. However, the exit itself is at the small, but not ghost, town of Yermo, and the road does lead to the ghost town of Calico, which is more of a tourist attraction (trap? Haven't been there myself).
Quote from: GaryA on February 10, 2021, 03:59:25 PM
There's a "Ghost Town Rd" exit off I-15 north of Barstow, CA. However, the exit itself is at the small, but not ghost, town of Yermo, and the road does lead to the ghost town of Calico, which is more of a tourist attraction (trap? Haven't been there myself).
It's basically a rebuilt mining town. It's a mix of authentic and recreation, I enjoyed my visits.
Quote from: Takumi on February 03, 2021, 11:10:55 PM
Not sure if it fits, but I-95 VA exit 24 is for, uh, nothing.
I don't think it's the same thing, as a sign with no destinations listed doesn't meet the criteria for this thread.
Funny you should mention it, but Future I-11 goes through a place called Nothing, AZ, and I can see the signs for it when it actually becomes an Interstate.
Patrick, NV off of I-80 (?)
There's several in Nevada (exit numbers in parentheses)
I-15: Ute (80), Byron (84), Carp & Elgin (100) (although these two are 40+ miles from I-15 and I think take unpaved roads to get there)
I-80: Jessup (78), Oreana (119), Stone House (212), Argenta (244), Hunter (292), Moor (360), Pequop (376), Shafter (387), Ola (407)
Quote from: kenarmy on February 11, 2021, 11:10:53 AM
Patrick, NV off of I-80 (?)
I'm not 100% sure if Patrick would be classified as a ghost town, as I've not seen it on any list of ghost towns. It may have been a station or siding along the railroad that had a small amount of inhabitants at one time–which is the case with some other exit names along I-80 in Nevada that at first glance may appear to be ghost towns, such as Toulon (exit 93) or Dunphy (exit 254).
Quote from: roadfro on February 15, 2021, 04:10:25 PM
There's several in Nevada (exit numbers in parentheses)
I-15: Ute (80), Byron (84), Carp & Elgin (100) (although these two are 40+ miles from I-15 and I think take unpaved roads to get there)
I-80: Jessup (78), Oreana (119), Stone House (212), Argenta (244), Hunter (292), Moor (360), Pequop (376), Shafter (387), Ola (407)
Quote from: kenarmy on February 11, 2021, 11:10:53 AM
Patrick, NV off of I-80 (?)
I'm not 100% sure if Patrick would be classified as a ghost town, as I've not seen it on any list of ghost towns. It may have been a station or siding along the railroad that had a small amount of inhabitants at one time–which is the case with some other exit names along I-80 in Nevada that at first glance may appear to be ghost towns, such as Toulon (exit 93) or Dunphy (exit 254).
I don't even Patrick as a siding on any of the early maps which display the Central Pacific:
http://www.davidrumsey.com/ll/thumbnailView.html?startUrl=%2F%2Fwww.davidrumsey.com%2Fluna%2Fservlet%2Fas%2Fsearch%3Fos%3D0%26bs%3D10%26lc%3DRUMSEY~8~1%26q%3DNevada%2520railroad%26sort%3DPub_List_No_InitialSort%2CPub_Date%2CPub_List_No%2CSeries_No#?c=0&m=0&s=0&cv=0&r=0&xywh=5208%2C2895%2C665%2C1090
Dun Glen and Unionville, exits 149 and 151 on I-80 in Nevada. I've seen that Unionville has a population of 20 but I've also seen that it was declared a ghost town.
Quote from: kenarmy on February 26, 2021, 10:45:11 AM
Dun Glen and Unionville, exits 149 and 151 on I-80 in Nevada. I've seen that Unionville has a population of 20 but I've also seen that it was declared a ghost town.
Considering Unionville was the county seat and a had a population reported well over 1,000 I would (IMO) say it qualifies.