1 week ago
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Note: This post contains mentions of many upsetting topics, including murder, racism, police brutality, and drug addiction. Please read with discretion.
Sometimes, when you're on a long drive, you pass through a place that feels...different. Whether it's the vast, empty landscape, the abandoned buildings, or the obnoxiously alt-right imagery, some things stick out in your mind, making you think, "Hmmm, something's not quite right here." On Reddit, people shared some of these unsettling places that they came across in the US. Here are a few examples that I found to be particularly bone-chilling:
Note: These are simply people's opinions. If you're from one of these places and/or think that people got it all wrong, feel free to set the record straight in the comments!
"I've only been to Bangor once, years ago, maybe late '90s. We poked around and went to Stephen King's house. There wasn't a ton to do. Being from Philly and New Jersey, we had seen a few things. But holy fucking hell, Bangor was a mess. Creepy ass people everywhere. That gothic New England architecture was all run-down, with paint peeling. There were abandoned, shitty block buildings and low-rent strip malls, all moldy and gross. We were joking that every time Stephen King goes out for cigarettes, he writes another hundred pages of new material. Not a place we wanted to hang around."
"I used to work in Bangor and can confirm it has some weird vibes. I’ve never liked going there even though it has a cute downtown and a decent amount of cultural events. Something about the atmosphere just feels edgy and oppressive in a way I don’t notice elsewhere in Maine. Plus, you have to drive past the hideous Paul Bunyan, which I thought was creepy as hell."
"Worked for a company that was based in Florida that wanted to set up shop in Chicago and utilize Gary as a staging base of operations. Let that sink in a second. Florida-based. Zero knowledge of Chi-town or the surrounding smaller cities and suburbs. They chose Gary because someone was offering them a great deal of space FOR FREE, never once stopping to ask the question, 'Why?' So when I was tasked with spearheading this, the room had a chuckle when I asked who was sending me a gun. When they realized I wasn't laughing and had a very serious face, they wanted to know what the problem was. Cue a 20-minute rundown as to why sociologists study Gary (deindustrialization, racial and class segregation, etc.). We did not set up shop there."
"The population when I worked in one of the only businesses there was 42. Yes, 42 people you could all know personally by name in a week if you really wanted to. Of course, none of them liked each other because they all elected to live as far from other humans as possible. Swell time."
4. Fall River, Massachusetts
"Satanic murders, violence, UFO sightings, Bigfoot — you name it. Those woods are creepy. And the police motto? 'We'll Try.'"
Note: The official police motto is “Service, Pride and Commitment," however "We'll Try" is the city's traditional motto due to Fall River's Great Fire of 1843. This once-hopeful two-word phrase that is now...questionable...is depicted on police emblems.
"Stopped there because it was a good halfway point to meet a friend for dinner. It was winter in a small town, so everything looked dead, but what really got to me was that people on the street would stop (seemingly mid-conversation) to stare at us as we drove by. Picked up on the weird vibe and noped out of there to Ionia instead."
"The town was believed to be cursed by a woman who was banished for allegedly practicing witchcraft, and the curse resulted in a diphtheria epidemic in 1893 and 1897, along with lumber mills burning down. By 1917, the town had fewer than 20 residents."
While local legend pins the tragedies on a "witch," some believe that the fires were caused by people from surrounding towns that wanted to prevent disease from spreading. With barely anyone left, the town was sold at a public auction in 1917. The only thing left today is the cemetery, which contains the graves of roughly 90 people. Some visitors report hearing children's laughter and/or seeing handprints on their cars, as well as ghostly figures.
"I’ve passed through a couple of times over the years on my way to visit family on the coast. There’s something about this little town that makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. And the locals are weird. Not blatantly unfriendly, but just like…weirdly neutral in a way that doesn’t seem quite normal. I always feel like I’m being watched when I stop for gas there."
"I only ever stop there for gas on my way to the coast, and it is a weird little spot. It’s not hostile, but it’s got this transient, liminal space vibe I can’t really get behind."
Population: 183
"Crazy history, including massive fire and mine casualty events. Big, creepy abandoned hospital in the middle of town. Tons of old Victorian-era buildings, some abandoned and dilapidated. Huge toxic pit on the edge of town. It's a very sleepy town, so at night it's not uncommon to not see another human being out anywhere. Of course, this is all uptown in the historic district; other parts have a very different feel."
"I stayed at a hotel there. My family was sleeping, and I was going to the restroom on my left, while our closet door on the right was open. Out of nowhere, I heard a very loud sound of children running, and suddenly the closet door SLAMMED SHUT in front of me. The next morning, I asked the front desk lady if the hotel was haunted. She looked both ways before making an affirmative gesture. Knowing that the city had the worst natural disaster in US history, it actually doesn’t surprise me that there are tons of people seeing things there."
"I thought Wichita Falls was pretty creepy, especially at night. A lot of run-down buildings and boarded-up houses. Seems like a town that once had life but shut down not too long ago, and all that’s left are ghostly remnants of a past that was once promising."
"I used to travel via Greyhound before I got my license. Every time I had a trip that would take me through Texas, I'd always end up having a layover that was several hours long in that town. You feel watched by something malicious, even in broad daylight. At night, it was outright terrifying. It might be different now (it's been 23 years since I was there), but I will never set foot in that town again."
"My husband and I got lost in this area late at night while driving from Tennessee to Texas. Only time I’ve been genuinely scared for my life. While we were trying to figure out where we were, we encountered several fires in fields that nobody was putting out, and all the smoke made it very hard to see. There were signs warning not to pick up hitchhikers due to a prison nearby that housed dangerous criminals, multiple boarded-up churches straight from a horror film, and when we finally found a gas station to ask for directions, teenagers surrounded our car and threatened us. They only left when a cop pulled up. The cop was shady as fuck, too, but he saved our ass."
Population: 3,381
"The population is around 666. My wife and I were driving from El Paso to Phoenix. We stopped at the ONLY restaurant in 'town' for a late lunch. As soon as we walked in, all conversation ceased, and all eyes were staring at us. Suddenly we weren’t hungry. We went back to the car and got the hell out of there. Totally creeped out, like a real-life version of The Hills Have Eyes."
"It’s barely a town by any means, but the most unshakable sense of unease I have ever felt was in Money while standing outside the ruins of Bryant’s Grocery & Meat Market."
14. Simi Valley, California
"On one side was a police station; on the other, a county sheriff's office. Law enforcement, both active and retired, also make up a huge percentage of the population... Any place with that much strategic public safety is creepy af."
"Been there a few times (the line for the DMV tends to be short enough that I'd rather drive over there than wait at the ones near me lol), and it is a bit off-putting. I must have seen some people of color there at some point, but it sure feels extremely white in a creepy way."
15. Slab City, California
"It's described as an off-grid community. There used to be a Marine Corps base there, I think in the 1940s. You can still see ammunition bunkers in the distance. Concrete slabs were poured to serve as foundations for Quonset huts (those half-cylinder buildings made of corrugated steel). The huts were eventually removed, maybe scavenged. The empty slabs eventually became home to people living in camp trailers and the like who wanted to live away from society's restrictions. Eventually, it became a self-governing community. Now, if you want water, you can get it yourself, or maybe buy it from another resident. If you want electricity, you generate it yourself with solar panels and/or maybe small windmills."
"Eads, Colorado, at the site of the Sand Creek Massacre. The whole vibe of the place gives you an immediate sense of dread and sorrow. I don’t think I believe in ghosts, but I swear I could hear crying in the wind."
17. Chester, Pennsylvania
"I've been to a lot of different hoods, and I'm from a rough neighborhood myself...but the first time in my life I ever felt true anxiety was while waiting for a bus at midnight after getting off a train there. I was the only one to get off when it let out, and the bus stop was barely lit, looking like something out of Silent Hill. I'm a 6-foot-tall male, and I felt like I had to stick near the few lights at the bus station for my own safety."
"I worked with a girl from Chester about 35 years ago. She had to go home in the middle of the day once, and I offered to drive her. She made me take another male co-worker with us and told us that once we dropped her off, we were to leave town immediately. No stopping for stop signs or red lights because two white guys like us in a nice car were just asking for trouble. I’ve been in some sketchy areas in my life, but that was near the top of the list."
18. Kensington, Philadelphia
"My new job takes me into the Kensington section of Philly. I have no words for how heartbreakingly depressing and creepy it can be."
Have you ever been to a town that unsettled you? If so, we'd love to hear about it. Tell us your story in the comments or through this anonymous form.
Note: Comments have been edited for length/clarity.
The National Alliance on Mental Illness helpline is 1-800-950-6264 (NAMI) and provides information and referral services; GoodTherapy.org is an association of mental health professionals from more than 25 countries who support efforts to reduce harm in therapy.
If you or someone you know is struggling with substance abuse, you can call SAMHSA’s National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357) and find more resources here.
To donate to the victims of mass crimes, visit The National Compassion Fund. To help aid the survivors of homicide victims, visit Parents Of Murdered Children.
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