21 Towns That Vanished from the American Map

In the late 1950s, developers presented ambitious plans to transform the Salton Sea into California’s French Riviera. Homes were planned on thousands of lots, but the natural world had other ideas. Rising salinity levels and widespread fish kills made the water toxic, so construction was put on hold before it could be finished. Now that not a single house has been built, visitors can walk the empty streets, which still have street signs and fire hydrants.