Some of these towns become residential only. Sometimes the term can refer to cities, towns, and neighborhoods which are still populated, but that have lost significant population in years past.
Floods, government policy repercussions, uncontrolled lawlessness, war, or pollution and nuclear disasters can all be to blame. It can be caused by changes or failures in economic activity it once supported, or due to natural or human-caused disasters. According to Wikipedia, a ghost town is “an abandoned village, town, or city, usually one which contains substantial visible remains.” There are many reasons a town becomes a ghost town.
