Despite what you may think as you trudge your way down busy city streets or through a crowded local mall, there are places in the world that are truly quiet.

They’re not vacation destinations and they’re not secret hideouts. They are simply some of the world’s abandoned cities and towns. Some have been discovered and forgotten while others have been turned into tourist destinations.

5. Kowloon Walled City, China

Just outside of Hong Kong, in China, you’ll find the Kowloon Walled City. Back when the British had control of China the city’s inhabitants would watch the nearby waters for pirates. Later, after the Japanese took control during World War II, squatters began to inhabit the city. Sadly, neither the Chinese nor British government wanted to care for the city after the war was over.

Kowloon remained a flourishing city, albeit with no government or law, for several decades. It became a disgusting area filled with trash, drugs, brothels, and any number of unimaginable illegal and indecent operations. The Chinese and British governments finally came together in 1993 and decided to tear the city down completely. Just like that, the city was gone. Nothing remains today but ruins.

4. Gunkanjima, Japan

Gunkanjima is one of the 505 islands surrounding the Nagasaki Prefecture of Japan, none of which have inhabitants today. Between 1887 and 1974, however, this island thrived as a coal mining town. The Mitsubishi company originally purchased the entire island in 1890 and began mining coal from the surrounding waters.

During the year 1916, the company built what was considered the first concrete building in Japan, where it housed the laborers recruited (many by force) from throughout Asia. The coal mining operation flourished until petroleum was discovered in the 1960’s. The island was officially shut down in 1974 and has stood empty ever since. Tourists were only recently, in early 2009, welcomed to visit the island.

3. Pripyat, Ukraine

The city of Pripyat, Ukraine does not have a long or drawn out history. It was originally formed in 1970 in order to give the workers at the doomed Chernobyl Nuclear Power plant a place to call home. Pripyat served as the home to nearly 50,000 people but on April 26, 1986 the city fell victim to what is considered one of the most detrimental nuclear power accidents in modern history.

At 1am on that day a nuclear reactor within the Chernobyl exploded, starting a series of additional explosions that in total spread more radioactive fallout over the surrounding areas than the first A-bomb dropped on Hiroshima. It was determined that 56 people died as a result of the blast. The rest of the Pripyat was evacuated over a period of two days. The area is closely guarded and only tourists with proper documentation are allowed to enter the exclusion zone.

2. Ruby, Arizona

In Arizona you’ll find the city of Ruby, one of the oldest ghost towns remaining in the United States today. The city reached its highest population in the 1930’s with a total of 1,200 inhabitants. Ruby was originally formed to serve as a mining camp where workers toiled to find zinc, copper, and lead.

The mine itself closed in the 1950’s. There are only a few buildings left in Ruby, including a jail, schoolhouse, a few offices from the mine, and a couple of private homes. Sadly, Ruby is off limits to the general public. You can only visit if you’re there to help restore the area.

1. Times Beach, Missouri

Times Beach, a small town in Missouri, was abandoned for more than 10 years. The city was once home to more than 2,200 inhabitants until 1976 when the city had to be evacuated.

For nearly 4 years, the city government had been using a waste oil to coat unpaved roads in order to stop dust from flying. Sadly, that waste oil contained a number of toxins, including the carcinogen known as dioxin. The dioxin got into the soil and then spread throughout the town. The area has been cleaned up but is now a quiet state park.

There are dozens of incredible abandoned places around the world, each with stories of their own. Keep your eyes peeled and you may be surprised at what you find during your travels.