Top 25 Smallest & Beautiful Towns in the US by Population Today

♦ Top 15 Most Beautiful Towns in America Today

♦ 10 Most Dangerous Towns In The United States

Top Smallest Towns in USA: Carbonate Town in Colorado

The population, area of the land, number of houses, etc. are used to determine which American city or town is the smallest. The top 25 smallest towns in the US as of 2023 are listed below.

Even though some locations are far away, uninhabited, or home to a small number of people, we still include them on our list of US towns and cities. Despite being the smallest cities, the majority of them are well-known in the US and abroad thanks to newspapers, social media, and movies.

1.Carbonate, Colorado

• Population: 0

With a population of zero, this ghost town is the smallest in all of America. Only a few old cabins remain at the historic mining site, which is located in the mountains close to Glenwood Springs and the White River National Forest.

The town had a total area of 644 acres (2.605 km2) at the time of the 2020 United States Census, including 8.9 acres (0.036 km2) of water.

In 1879, Carbonate was established as a silver camp. On April 13, 1883, the Town of Carbonate became a legal entity. Later that year, the Carbonate post office was established, and Carbonate was designated as the initial Garfield county seat.

Property owners in Carbonate decided on November 4, 2014, by a 9-to-0 margin, to reactivate the town government in anticipation of future growth. The town is the only active incorporated municipality in Colorado without a permanent population, with summer visitors but no year-round residents.

2.Hibberts Gore, Maine

• Population: 1

Hibberts Gore, also known as Hibberts, is a gore in Maine's Lincoln County. In Hibberts Gore, there was 1 person, 1 household, and 0 families as of the 2020 Census.

Only 752 square miles of Hibberts Gore were surveyed by those who mapped Maine. The majority of the water is found in wetlands and is a part of Sheepscot Pond, which is the source of Sheepscot River.

The only data we have on Hibberts Gore comes from the 2010 U.S. Census, which states that Karen Keller is the only resident. After her divorce, she relocated to Hibberts Gore. More attention was being paid to Karen than she desired. She even made an effort to have the Census include her as a resident of the nearby Lincoln County.

According to the US Census Bureau: Hibberts Gore is a legally recognized geographic entity, even though it serves no official purposes, so the Census Bureau is required to acknowledge its existence as a political unit and is not permitted to include it in the neighboring towns for data purposes. Legal action would need to be taken locally if the boundary presentation and collection tabulation for the 2020 census were to change.

3.Monowi, Nebraska

Monowi, Nebraska – The Town with a Population of 1

• Population: 1

Northern Nebraska's Monowi is well known for having only one resident.

The lovely Elsie, who is now in her 80s, is in charge of running the town, post office, pub, library, etc. She has appeared on the morning shows, the national news, and even some commercials.

Elsie Eiler is still the only resident of Monowi despite the fact that there were two people living there as of the 2020 census because her husband passed away in 2004.

In order to run the town's bar, Monowi Tavern, Eiler, the town's librarian and mayor, obtained a liquor license.

Like Monowi, Elsie used to say, "Like Monowi, I'm too tough to die," but her recent health problems have caused the town's residents to question how long the community will last. Elsie, who is 88 years old, has spoken about retiring, but never with any real conviction. If the tavern were to close, she considers what she would do to keep busy and who she would talk to.

4.Lotsee, Oklahoma

The tiniest town in all of Oklahoma is Lotsee

• Population: 2

The tiny town of Lotsee has a total population of a whopping two people. George Campbell incorporated the town in 1963, and the daughter of the town's founder, Lotsee Spradling, still lives in the town to this day.

Lotsee is located in Tulsa County and only spans 2,000 acres. The town is a family-owned cattle and pecan ranch. It had a population peak back in 1970, with 16 residents. The population then declined to seven people in 1980.

The 2010 census recorded just two residents, Lotsee and her husband Mike.

5.Warm River, Idaho

Warm River, Idaho

• Population: 3

There are only three people who live in the small town of Warm River, which is near the Wyoming border in southeast Idaho.

However, a lot of tourists come to this small town to camp in the stunning Caribou-Targhee National Forest. Visitors can explore nearby waterfalls on foot or by horseback and look for abandoned railroad tracks. Additionally, it's a well-liked location for fishing and water sports like tubing.

At an elevation of 5,200 feet and nine miles northeast of Ashton, Idaho, is the Warm River Campground. It is situated along the calm Warm River. Riverbanks are lined with willows, and some shade is provided by pine trees. Popular river activities include tubing and fishing for brook trout, rainbow trout, cutthroat trout, and whitefish. There are many trails nearby for horseback riding, mountain biking, and hiking that lead to scenic natural springs, waterfalls, abandoned railroad lines, and tunnels. Thirteen single units, two double units, a group site with a pavilion, and thirteen tent sites are available.

6.Hillsview, South Dakota

• Population: 3

The least populated municipality in South Dakota, Hillsview is home to just three people, made up of one family - a married couple and their son.

Hillsview’s three residents were all of the Imberi family—unfortunately, the next Census may reflect that one of them, Jim Imberi, passed away in 2016. Born in 1929, he lived his whole life in the tiny town.

Tied with White Rock with only three residents listed on the Census estimate, Hillsview is smaller by area, with just 410 acres.

7.Luckenbach, Texas

When asked why he bought the town, Hondo would respond, “Dallas wasn’t for sale. Besides, the American way is to start small and work your way up.”

• Population: 3

Luckenbach is a tiny town with a big personality and an almost unbelievable history, unlike anywhere else on earth.

Actually, the word "town" is thrown around a lot. It is an unincorporated area of just over 9 acres, and the post office and zip code were shut down almost 50 years ago. Currently, it consists of a combination gift shop/saloon and the storied dance hall, where many outlaw country music performers have appeared. One of them, Jerry Jeff Walker, even got married there with Hondo Crouch, the town's proprietor, serving as his best man.

Actor Guich Koock and rancher Hondo Crouch paid $30,000 for Luckenbach in 1970, and they turned it into a dance hall.

Although there are only three people who live there legally, it is a popular location for country and western music festivals and the site of a Guinness World Record for the most guitar players playing simultaneously for five minutes at once.

Currently a wonderful location to visit, unwind, and enjoy live music while sitting beneath the massive, 500-year-old oak trees. A historic dance hall that is still in use every weekend, live music every day, a general store, and a bar can all be found in Luckenbach, Texas.

8.Ruso, North Dakota

Ruso, North Dakota has long held the title of the least populated place in the state. It was founded in 1906.

• Population: 4

Even though Ruso is the smallest city in North Dakota, it is one of the most well-known worldwide. There are other cities in the state with movies besides Fargo. The tiny town of Ruso gained international recognition thanks to the Turkish movie The Cut, which heavily featured it!

The smallest town in North Dakota recently experienced some difficulties. As North Dakota requires a minimum of three residents for a town to be incorporated, Bruce Lorenz, Ruso's longtime mayor, passed away in 2018 at the age of 86, which appeared to spell the end for the small community.

The remaining citizens of the town, however, were pleasantly surprised to learn that property owner Greg Schmaltz was a resident because he maintained daily contact with his horses and chickens and had a Ruso mailbox. He and his wife promised to settle down in the town and maintain it after he was elected as the city's next mayor. Ruso now had four inhabitants, or a doubling in size.

Ruso will likely continue to be one of the smallest cities in America for a very long time because the current population wants to keep the town going for a very long time.

9.Thurmond, West Virginia

During the first two decades of the 1900s, Thurmond was a classic boomtown

• Population: 4

After Captain Thurmond, who was given the land as payment in the 1870s, Thurmond was established in 1900. The town quickly gained notoriety as the Gorge's mining communities' social center.

Due to its location on the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway, Thurmond experienced a boom in business activity at the turn of the 20th century.

Although Captain Thurmond passed away in 1910, the town kept expanding. The town, which was the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway's biggest revenue-producing stop, was only reachable by train until 1921. Every day, fifteen trains rolled into Thurmond. That only includes passenger trains, too! Freight trains carried coal out of the Gorge every day, transporting New River Smokeless Coal from the West Virginia mountains to the locations where it was required.

When Wildwater Unlimited established its business on the banks of the New River in Thurmond in the 1960s, the city began to receive tourists. Travel to Thurmond, a ghost town, where you can take a walking tour and reflect on the past of this formerly prosperous community. Visitors have the opportunity to see a location that has largely escaped the effects of the twenty-first century because the entire town is included on the national registry of historic places.

Now there are only four people left. Due to its location along the New River Gorge National River, the majority of the town is owned by the National Parks Service, which is also actively involved in maintaining the area's historic structures, including the restored Thurmond train depot.

10.Lost Springs, Wyoming

Lost Springs

• Population: 1 (now 4)

The sign at Lost Springs used to read "Population 1," but it has since been changed to reflect the town's current population of 4.

However, compared to some of the other places we've stopped at on our fictitious cross-country road trip, the smallest incorporated town in Wyoming has a little bit more going for it. There is a bar, a store/post office, a wagon with pots and pans hanging off of it (for decoration? ), and even outhouses, should a weary traveler passing through need to stop.

The town is surrounded by sunny farmland just outside the busy business district. The major thoroughfare starts to wind and changes to gravel. The posted limit is still an impressive 40 mph, though.

The population had decreased to 9 by 1950. Amazingly, for the past 70 years, the official population count has stayed below 10. However, Lost Springs hasn't completely disappeared, so at least there's that!

Wyoming's Converse County contains Lost Springs. Cheyenne, Wyoming, which is located 112 miles away, is the closest city with at least 50,000 residents.

While driving along Hwy 20 West in Wyoming, we came across a VERY small town called Lost Springs. The population sign says 1 (now 4), but the town contains a handful of buildings.

11.Magnet Cove, Arkansas

Magnet Cove in Arkansas -Smallest Town in the US

• Population: 5

Magnet Cove is a census-designated place which, at the last census, was found to have five residents.

The area is known for being rich in odd minerals, including magnetite.

12.Cave, Missouri

Cave, Missouri

• Population: 5

There are only five people living in this small, generically named town an hour's drive northwest of St. Louis. It is close to Cuivre River State Park, which provides swimming, hiking, camping, fishing, and many other outdoor activities, and is situated on the Cuivre River.

The park has an Ozark-like feel with bluffs, caves, and interesting topography for those who live nearby to explore, despite the majority of the surrounding area being agricultural.

The Sleeper family still resides in the house and runs the website caveland.us. It is situated in Festus at 1101 North 11th Street.

In the 1930s, it was a mine that operated beneath a forest. The 17,000 square foot area was transformed into "Caveland" in the 1950s, a roller skating rink and concert venue that hosted notable pop performers like Tina Turner.

After Caveland's doors were shut in 1985, it underwent a second transformation into a glass recycling facility, where it remained until its closure in 1990.

After that, it appeared to have been abandoned forever. Finally, in 2003, Curt and Deborah Sleeper came across it being sold online. The couple bought the cave after falling in love with it and began the difficult process of converting it into a house.

It came close to not happening at all. The Sleepers were about to relocate to Belize due to financial difficulties with the cave when the owner finally consented to a down payment of 50% in exchange for them covering the remaining balance.

With money at a premium, Sleepers enlisted friends' assistance to construct the building using glass doors and other supplies purchased from a nearby store. They were residing in the cave at the time in a huge tent.

The cave had been transformed into an amazing three-bedroom home and office space four years later. The dining and living rooms are on the ground floor, while the bedrooms are located on a mezzanine above the kitchen. The interior of the cave is enormous (it is three acres in size). Additionally, the property has a natural spring.

13.Tavistock, New Jersey

• Population: 5

The founders of Tavistock, which now has a population of five, must have really wanted to work on their backswings.

A group of golfers in the 1920s who lived in neighboring Haddonfield wanted to play on Sundays, but a local law prohibiting sporting activities on Sundays prevented them from doing so at the Haddon Country Club. Their solution:

Buy land next to and around the country club, start a new town, and allow golf on Sundays.

14.South Park View, Kentucky

• Population: 7

Before the relocation of nearly 5,000 residents from South View Park and neighboring communities due to the expansion of the runways at Louisville International Airport (now Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport), this tiny town had many more residents than its current seven. Instead, it now consists of unmaintained roads off a major street lined with substantial commercial and industrial buildings.

South Park View got its name because it's close to South Park Hill, which is 902 feet above sea level and the highest point in Jefferson County.

The Jefferson Memorial Forest, a well-liked hiking and adventure destination in the Louisville region, is also not far from the town.

This tiny town is actually incredibly small for a reason. There were 196 people living there in 2000, so there are now unquestionably 7 people.

So check out South Park View, the smallest town in Kentucky, if you're looking for a place to enjoy yourself where you might be the only local.

15.Fontana Dam, North Carolina

Town of Fontana Dam

• Population: 7

Unofficially, this Great Smoky Mountains community has existed since the 1940s.

The Tennessee Valley Authority constructed the 480-foot-tall Fontana Dam, the tallest dam east of the Rockies, in response to a pressing demand for electricity during World War II; work started in 1942 and was completed in just 36 months.

Fontana is one of the most stunning dams in the world, surrounded by the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, the Nantahala National Forest, and deep river gorges. The lake formed behind the Little Tennessee River dam is a well-liked location for many types of outdoor recreation in addition to providing hydroelectric power and flood control for the area.

Fontana Village is a year-round vacation destination resort with a history dating back more than 100 years to the logging and mining industries that were prosperous in the region at the turn of the 19th century. It has a lodge, cabins, campgrounds, a marina, and programming that includes traditional music, car club and motorcycle gatherings, outdoor activities, and special holiday events.

Visitor Center The Fontana Dam Visitor Center is located off N.C. Highway 28 near the Tennessee/North Carolina state line. It is open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily from May through October except major holidays. Newly refurbished and staffed by TVA retirees, the visitor center has updated maps, videos, and displays about TVA and the construction of the dam.

16.Funkley, Minnesota

• Population: 8

Greetings from Funkley town! A locally renowned establishment called Funkley Bar used to be the only place open and operating in this town of eight residents.

First-time customers would receive Funkley Bucks, which were dollar bills bearing the image of the bar's owner and mayor, Emil Erickson. The bar used to be a favorite hangout for bikers and hunters, but recently, business has sadly declined.

17.Waldron, Kansas

• Population: 10

Freeport, with a population of 4, the former smallest city in the state, sadly decided to dissolve itself in 2017. So, Waldron, which has 10 residents, is the new owner of the title. Visitors would undoubtedly recognize that they are in Kansas, unlike the fictional Kansas resident Dorothy. This rural community is a perfect representation of the state because it has flat terrain, gravel and dirt roads, and plenty of farmland.

However, some vintage photographs from the Wichita State Library and the Kansas Historical Society depict a busier frontier life in the early days of Waldron.

18.Marineland, Florida

• Population: 11

The smallest town in Florida right now is Marineland, which has 11 residents. There are several small towns in Florida with double digit populations. Due to the fact that the town's boundaries extend three miles into the Atlantic Ocean, this coastal community to the south of St. Augustine probably has a lot more residents than that.

There are many marine biologists and researchers in the town, including the mayor who presided from 2013 to 2020. The Whitney Lab of the University of Florida, Marineland Dolphin Adventure, kayak and eco-tours, and several marine reserves are also nearby.

19.Dering Harbor, New York

Dering Harbor, New York

• Population: 11

Technically speaking, Dering Harbor is a village that is a part of Shelter Island. Red House in upstate New York has the smallest "town" population in the state, but since all villages are incorporated in New York State, we're going with Dering Harbor, which has just 11 permanent residents.

Dering Harbor, which is on Shelter Island between the two forks of Long Island, is still a posh summer resort town with old mansions, fine dining options, and stunning beaches.

20.Centralia, Pennsylvania

• Population: 11

The strangest small town in America must be this one. After a failed attempt to burn landfill waste in 1962 accidentally started a fire in the coal mines, a coal fire has been raging beneath the city for more than 50 years. Due to graffiti-covered unsafe highways and urban legends about a "gateway to hell" beneath the streets, the town is now well-known due to the fire.

However, the curious tourists are unaware that the town is still inhabited by 11 brave people. They were permitted to remain despite the risks, but they are unable to sell or pass on their homes because the state will acquire ownership of them upon their death or relocation.

21.Kaskaskia, Illinois

• Population: 13

You don't need to "ask" us twice as to why we selected this tiny community on the Mississippi River and the Missouri border as the tiniest town in Illinois. Both Kaskaskia and Valley City are tied for having the smallest population (13 as of 2019), but Kaskaskia has the edge due to its smaller size (only 67 acres).

The village, which was isolated from the rest of the state by the great river's course, also has a fascinating past. Kaskaskia has been repeatedly destroyed by flooding over the past 200 years, but it has always been rebuilt. In the early 19th century, it even served as Illinois' temporary capital. Even though it continues to experience flooding today, the small town's few and proud residents will not leave.

22.Le Roy, Iowa

• Population: 13

Le Roy and Beaconsfield, two rival villages, have been at odds for years, competing to be the smallest town in Iowa. They are tied, according to the 2019 estimate, with 13 residents each, but Le Roy will win because it is smaller, at 210 acres, than Beaconsfield.

The town, which has only a few gravel streets and a tiny City Hall that is essentially a small cabin with a hand-painted sign, is situated in Decatur County in southern Iowa. However, the abundance of greenery and chirping birds works in the town's favor.

23.Frye Island, Maine

• Population: 5 or 13

There are only five year-round residents on Frye Island, which is located in Cumberland County. It was established in 1998 and is situated on Sebago Lake.

In the state of Maine, all incorporated locations fall under the category of "cities," as is the case for much of New England, while towns are classified as "minor civil divisions." Frye Island, a summer vacation destination with only 13 year-round residents, is the smallest organized town.

Frye Island is located in Sebago Lake, about an hour's drive from Portland. The majority of those who own vacation homes here are only seasonal residents because the ferry to the island doesn't run in the winter, leaving it alone. But in the summer, it's a lovely place to go.

24.Port Tobacco, Maryland

Port Tobacco, Maryland

• Population: 15

The tiny village of Port Tobacco, once the county seat for Charles County and a significant port on the Potomac River for exporting its namesake crop centuries ago, now has only 15 residents.

When you hear about a town of 15 or 16, you probably don't picture Port Tobacco. It isn't isolated in the countryside because La Plata, a town of 9,000 people with lots of stores and restaurants, is nearby.

Unexpectedly, Port Tobacco was once Maryland's second-largest port. During its heyday in the 1700s, it transported the crop after which it is named across the globe and had three hotels, two newspapers, and a plethora of taverns, shops, and amenities.

However, significant remnants of Maryland's colonial past have been preserved in the town's historical structures. The Port Tobacco Courthouse's reconstruction, which was completed in the 20th century after it was destroyed by fire in the late 19th, is particularly impressive.

25.Ismay, Montana

• Population: 19

When a Kansas City radio station called in 1993 looking for a small town in Montana to change its name to "Joe" after then-Kansas City Chiefs football quarterback Joe Montana, this town of 19 people experienced its 15 minutes of fame.

The town complied and, in a brilliant PR move, used the proceeds from the sale of T-shirts and other memorabilia to pay for fire truck repairs. Nearly the entire population was flown to Kansas City to meet their town's namesake after the story was picked up by national media, including Sports Illustrated. The locals made enough money to pay for a fire hall and community center in addition to their fire truck.

Since then, the town’s name has reverted to Ismay.

Los Ybanez, Texas • Population: 19 In Texas, everything is bigger—everything but this tiny town. It is the smallest incorporated town in the state, with only 19 inhabitants. According to Texas Monthly, in 1980 a man by the name of Israel Ibanez purchased a few old homes in the west Texas neighborhood for migrant workers. He and his wife, Mary, incorporated in 1983 to get around the county's "dry" laws and permit alcohol sales through town ordinances so they could open a beer store. However, many of the homes are now boarded up.

Summary

You have just joined us in visiting 25 of the smallest towns or cities in America that still exist today. Although small, in a remote, remote and very few inhabited place, they all have a rich history with interesting stories.

It is missing, if you have not once visited or learned about the smallest cities in a large United States with the largest population in the world.

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