Five of the strangest small towns in the United States
Stephen Leonardi via Pexels
America is full of quiet little towns, but some of them are anything but ordinary. From places where the laws make you do a double-take, to communities built around the downright bizarre, these small towns prove “normal” is overrated. Be it quirky traditions, unusual landscapes, or residents proudly embracing the weird, these towns deserve their spot on the map for all the strangest reasons.
76% of America’s municipalities are considered small towns, loosely defined as having fewer than 5,000 residents. In total, they collectively represent trillions in unrealized or unconventional infrastructure assets in the United States Census Bureau.
These secret hamlets break all models of municipal economics and offer a surreal, high-stakes look at hyper-local governance and outlier demographics that dramatically impact regional spending and tax revenue projections. The following five locations represent spots where the ROI is measured in sheer disbelief, rather than dollars and cents.
Monowi, Nebraska: The ultimate micro-community
The 2020 U.S. Census confirmed that Monowi enjoys a singular distinction: a population of precisely one person, Elsie Eiler. Ms. Eiler, in her late 80s, operates the only business in town, the Monowi Tavern, while simultaneously serving as Mayor, Librarian, and Treasurer. Taxes are collected; about $500 a year to maintain infrastructure: water, electricity, and presumably roads, according to Grokipedia.
Maintaining the town’s minimal infrastructure, including access to utilities and road upkeep, requires an estimated annual state allocation just to retain official incorporation status and maintain state highway frontage. This yearly expenditure represents a staggering cost per capita, underscoring the significant governmental subsidy required to preserve the very definition of a municipality.
Colam, California: The city of the souls
Jim Wilson via The New York Times
According to a report by Mental Floss, Colma has about 1,700 living residents to over 1.5 million deceased residents, making it the country’s highest living-to-dead ratio. The city officially incorporates seventeen active cemeteries, collectively utilizing nearly 75% of its total land area.
This highly profitable funeral services industry generates approximately $20 million in local revenue and jobs, thereby strongly stabilizing the town’s specialized municipal tax base through associated fees and permits.
Walking down the main street of Colma, you immediately recognize a dense concentration of florists, monument sculptors, and hearse liveries, illustrating an economy entirely dependent on final services. This extreme specialization occurred after San Francisco banned new interments within city limits in 1900, creating a lucrative niche market just south of the city limits.
Gibsonton, Florida: The carnival city
Gibsonton, more commonly known as “Gibtown,” has historically served as winter quarters for traveling sideshows and circuses. For this reason, Gibsonton has had to provide unique urban planning. The town enacted specialized zoning laws tailored to the entertainment industry, requiring specialized utility hookups and parking zones to accommodate oversized equipment such as elephant trailers and large carnival rides, according to the Guardian.
The unique infrastructure required by a town based on seasonal migration and specialized equipment storage led to the creation of the International Independent Showmen’s Museum, which cemented the town’s cultural heritage and generated substantial tourist revenue. The special infrastructure costs of Gibtown represent an investment committed solely to meeting the logistical needs of a highly specialized mobile workforce.
Cassadaga, Florida: The metaphysical market
Founded in 1894 and originally incorporated as the Cassadaga Spiritualist Camp, this community serves as a highly specialized religious enclave where nearly every resident is a medium or healer.
The camp as a whole is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, which protects its architectural integrity and provides zoning stability. Tourists often reserve accommodations months in advance, revealing one of the more powerful, demand-driven economic models in existence, driven by conviction and curiosity.
Such a focus on esoteric services demonstrates how firmly held ideological beliefs can create a robust, profitable microeconomy, yielding very impressive financial returns regardless of conventional retail or industrial anchors.
Slab City, California: The zero-cost infrastructure
Located on retired WWII military property, Slab City is completely off-grid, with absolutely no municipal sewage, water, or electrical services. The population swells to an estimated 4,000 during the winter months and drops to fewer than 150 during the summer’s extreme heat, creating immense seasonal volatility.
Since the State of California technically owns the land, residents build informal residences (“slabs”), which, although having no formal appraisal value, represent millions in aggregate scrap materials and specialized, complex solar energy infrastructure.
Slab City is a radical, anti-establishment departure from traditional municipal planning, attracting thousands who seek an escape from conventional regulatory and financial pressures.
Key takeaways
These five American towns prove that municipal viability seldom follows conventional economic projections. The single-occupant governance of Monowi and Colma’s reliance on the deceased challenge standard demographic principles and their tax base assumptions.
Second, Cassadaga uses deeply held spiritual beliefs to drive a high-margin service economy focused on professional readings and workshops. And finally, Slab City is an example of a zero-infrastructure model, as thousands are drawn by the promise of financial liberation through radical off-grid autonomy. Examining these outliers provides potent insight into how extreme specialization and unusual demographics drastically skew local administrative costs and long-term economic stability around the country.
I am Sharon, a home-improvement and DIY writer passionate about helping homeowners create beautiful, functional spaces on any budget. I break down complex projects into simple, practical steps that inspire confidence and creativity. When I’m not writing, I’m exploring new design ideas and hands-on solutions for everyday living.
