Do You Live In A Texas Ghost Town Without Even Knowing It?

You may be living in a ghost town right here in Texas without even knowing it!

The CW 33 reported that Texas joined California as one of only two states with a population greater than 30 million. But driving through Texas' hours-long expanses of seemingly nothing makes it hard to tell.

Texas tends to feel empty in places with half-rotted churches, rusted wells, closed-down stores, and tattered barns.

So what exactly is a ghost town?

According to author Philip Varney, they're defined as "any site that has had a markedly decreased population from its peak, a town whose initial reason for settlement (such as mine or railroad) no longer keeps people in the community." Author T. Lindsey Baker defines ghost towns as "a town for which the reason for being no longer exists." These towns can "die" in several different ways, including economy crashes, infrastructure issues, and natural disasters.

There are a number of Texas ghost towns. One website has a comprehensive list of ghost towns in the state. Check out the full list on TexasEscapes.com.

Do you live in one of the ghost towns without even realizing it?