20 Towns With Only One Resident Left

The phenomenon of single-resident towns reveals how human connection to place can outlast practicality, economy, or comfort. In each case, one person becomes mayor, caretaker, and historian, embodying the endurance of memory and belonging. Together, they remind us that even when a town fades to silence, identity and heritage can live on through one determined soul.

1. Monowi, Nebraska, USA

In the wide plains of Nebraska stands Monowi, a legally incorporated town with only one resident, Elsie Eiler. Once a bustling farming community, everyone left over the decades until Elsie remained alone after her husband’s death. She runs the town’s only business, a tavern, and maintains the library built in his honor. Every year, she signs the necessary paperwork to keep Monowi on the map.

2. Rochefourchat, Drôme, France

Rochefourchat is a tiny commune in southeastern France with a single resident recorded since 1999. Once a mountain village of farmers and herders, its population gradually disappeared after World War II. The last inhabitant continues to care for the old church and stone houses. Despite having just one person, it still holds commune status under French law.

3. Hibberts Gore, Maine, USA

This patch of unorganized territory in Maine officially has one resident. Hidden in the forest, the area never developed into a full town and slowly emptied as industries left. Its sole inhabitant lives quietly among trees, wildlife, and dirt roads. Census workers still record her name every 10 years to keep the territory alive on paper.

4. Buford, Wyoming, USA

Buford was once a railway town, but it declined sharply after the train station closed. For years, a man named Don Sammons was its only resident, owning the gas station and general store. He kept the town’s sign and post office operational until selling the property in 2012. Buford became a one-person symbol of the American West’s fading small towns.

5. Cass, New Zealand

Cass is a railway settlement in New Zealand’s South Island that once hosted dozens of railway workers. Over time, people left as rail work declined, leaving one caretaker to watch over the buildings. Today, one person still calls Cass home amid scenic mountains. Despite its size, it’s known for the 1936 Rita Angus painting that immortalized its small station.

6. Bonanza, Colorado, USA

Once a thriving silver mining town, Bonanza’s population collapsed after the mines ran dry. At times, it has been recorded as having just one resident keeping watch over its abandoned streets and historic cabins. The lone inhabitant serves as caretaker of a place that once had hundreds. Nature has reclaimed much of the land, but Bonanza’s name remains.

7. Mogo, New South Wales, Australia

Mogo was once a gold rush town but eventually faded into near abandonment. At one point in its history, it was left with a single resident who refused to leave the land his family had worked. He maintained a few remaining homes as bushland crept back. The town later revived slightly as an artists’ enclave, but it once knew true solitude.

8. Villa Epecuén, Argentina

This lakeside town was destroyed by flooding in 1985, submerging it under water for decades. When the waters receded, only one man, Pablo Novak, returned to live among the ruins. He chose to stay as caretaker of the ghost town, guiding occasional tourists. Surrounded by salt-crusted ruins, Novak became a living monument to resilience.

9. Lanfair, California, USA

Located in the Mojave Desert, Lanfair was once a farming settlement. Harsh climate and water scarcity drove nearly everyone away by the early 20th century. For years, one man remained, living in an old homestead surrounded by the desert. His life reflected the perseverance of those who refused to abandon the land.

10. Centralia, Pennsylvania, USA

Centralia became infamous after a coal mine fire began burning underground in 1962. As the smoke and toxic gases spread, residents were relocated. Only a few refused to leave, and in recent years, just one person remains, guarding his home against encroaching nature. The town’s streets now lead to empty lots and silent memories.

11. Agloe, New York, USA

Originally created as a mapmaker’s “paper town,” Agloe became real when a general store appeared at the spot. Over time, the surrounding area depopulated, and one person remained to care for the site. Though more myth than municipality, Agloe stands as a reminder of how imagination can become reality. Its last resident reportedly lived there until the late 20th century.

12. Pripyat, Ukraine

Once home to thousands near the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, Pripyat was evacuated in 1986. Over the years, one former resident illegally returned, living alone in the exclusion zone. Surrounded by radiation and silence, she tended to her home and a small garden. Her story became emblematic of human attachment to place, no matter the danger.

13. Lost Springs, Wyoming, USA

Lost Springs once had several dozen people but dwindled to a population of one in the 2000 census. The single resident served as mayor, clerk, and postmaster. She kept the general store open and maintained the town’s signs along the highway. Later, a few more people returned, but it once stood as a one-person municipality.

14. South Pass City, Wyoming, USA

This historic mining town was once a hub during the gold rush but was later deserted. For years, a single caretaker kept the ghost town intact for heritage preservation. He lived among restored cabins and relics of the Old West. His efforts kept the site from fading entirely into dust.

15. Swett, South Dakota, USA

Swett was a small town that once had a bar, a store, and a few homes. Its population eventually dropped to one man who owned the entire town. He ran the bar and acted as Swett’s only resident and mayor. After he sold it, the property was put up for sale, but the legend of his solitary rule remains.

16. Ochate, Spain

Ochate, located in the Basque region, was abandoned after disease and misfortune struck in the 19th century. For decades, it was empty except for one man who occasionally tended to nearby land. Legends grew around him and the haunted ruins. Though he eventually left, his solitary presence gave the ghost town a guardian.

17. Potosi, Nevada, USA

An old mining site in the desert hills, Potosi shrank until one man remained to look after the place. He lived in an old miner’s cabin and occasionally guided visitors through the abandoned shafts. With no stores or neighbors, his days were defined by silence and dust. His story echoed the boom-and-bust cycle of the American frontier.

18. Kodar, Russia

In the cold Siberian mountains, Kodar once housed workers for nearby mines. As industries closed, everyone moved away except one caretaker who stayed to maintain the buildings. He endured freezing winters and weeks without visitors. His dedication made Kodar one of the loneliest inhabited settlements in Russia.

19. Mallacoota Outstation, Victoria, Australia

This remote coastal outpost was once part of a small fishing settlement. Over time, isolation and storm damage drove people away until only one resident remained. He lived self-sufficiently off the land and sea, repairing his cottage with reclaimed wood. The area later became a park, but his solitary story lingers.

20. Supai Village (Havasupai Canyon), Arizona, USA

Though the broader Havasupai Reservation remains inhabited, the upper outpost of Supai once had only one caretaker during flood damage years. For a time, he lived entirely alone, reachable only by mule or helicopter. He watched over the canyon village until residents slowly returned. His endurance amid the red cliffs became part of Supai’s modern folklore.

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