ghost town
ghost town — noun
1. a town that was once busy and full of life but now stands mostly empty, with har
a town that was once busy and full of life but now stands mostly empty, with hardly anyone still living there
Jabari's grandfather grew up in a gold-mining ghost town in Nevada.
collocation: gold-mining ghost town
After the factory shut down, the village slowly became a ghost town.
pattern: become a ghost town after [event]
Sophia and Nikhil explored the ghost town's crumbling schoolhouse and empty saloon.
The old railway ghost town draws a handful of curious tourists each summer.
By 1960 the once-busy port had turned into a ghost town with empty streets.
- abandoned town
more literal and neutral; carries less emotional or historical weight
- deserted settlement
more formal; often used in academic or archaeological writing
- empty town
broader term — can describe a place that is only temporarily quiet
- boomtown
a town experiencing sudden rapid growth, often from a new industry
- thriving town
a town that is busy, healthy, and economically successful