I live in a small town, and I absolutely love it. There is less than 5,000 and probably 1,000 of them are Amish. (Have you ever been in a horse and buggy traffic jam? The best!) I moved here from a city of over 100,000 people and it was a big change! However, there are towns across America that have less than 100 people in them. Can you even imagine??? Check out this list of 5 towns representing small town America – population less than 100.
Mooresville, Alabama
Mooresville has a population of 58 residents according to 2016 records. One of the things I loved when looking at their website is, they do a Holiday home tour and Christmas dinner each year. This historic town breaks out the Christmas finery and really does it up! This home tour and dinner sells out too! For 2017, tickets were $75. Mooresville is also home to the oldest operational post office in Alabama. The post boxes are numbered 1 – 48 and some of them have remained with the same families for generations! How insane is that? This type of town is few and far between in the historical aspect and that they are still a functioning community is fantastic!
Hyder, Alaska
So, I’m going to tell you some crazy tidbits about an American town of 87, who are basically Canadians. Wait, what??? In Hyder Alaska, they are in the most southeastern part of Alaska. However, they are only accessible by road via Canada. They use Canadian currency everywhere except the Post Office, their utilities are provided by Canada and their children go to school in Canada. You can visit Hyder without a passport, but, if you leave Hyder by air, to travel elsewhere in Alaska, you must have a passport.
Hyder residents do not need a passport to enter Canada. I mean, can you imagine? Having to go to school and or work and showing your passport each day? This is the only town that you can enter American soil without a passport because there is nowhere else to go, but, back to Canada. And you must have a Canada ID to get back in to Canada.
With 4th of July in America and Canada Day on July 1st, Hyder, AK and Stewart British Columbia host International Days from July 1 through July 4th. How cool is that??? Getting Hyderized. This is when you drink a 151 proof shot at the bar. You actually get a certificate that you’ve been Hyderized. I have to say, when I start my RV Life? Hyder is on my list to visit.
Walpack, New Jersey
Walpack has to be added to this small town America – population under 100, as it has a population of 16, but is part of the National Park Service. It was formed back in 1731. This town was originally planned to go underwater with the Tocks Island Dam that was proposed to be built back in the 60’s. The government spent over 100 million dollars, buying residents homes, stores and the town hall. The town was a thriving one with a population of over 8,000. The dam was never built and the land was turned over to the National Park Service. The community presently includes the post office, a church, a former school used for storage, and six houses. Houses that were left, some have fallen to disrepair. But we cannot let the beauty of such a historic town be forgotten.
You can still visit Walpack for their events. Yes, even with 16 people, they are determined to keep Walpack on the map, as well they should! In the Spring and Fall, they plan hikes in the beautiful wooded area that surrounds them. They have an annual Spring and Christmas dinner mid-December at the Walpack Inn. Tickets are only $35. Make sure to keep a look out on their site for dates in 2018! They also have Van Campen Day in October each year. This event shows what life was like in Walpack on the Frontier.
Jud, North Dakota
Jud has a population of only 76. They are known as the City of Murals. Throughout the town, murals are painted on buildings that show the history of this cute little town. They wanted to be different, and not have plain buildings. Houses, Garages and the bar were all painted with murals. And I cannot love this enough! This is a town that takes pride in their community. Jud will definitely be on my list of places to stop when I’m living the RV lifestyle! There’s not a lot to do in Jud, so, it would only be a day trip. But, one of my things to do is to visit the oldest building in each state that is functioning. And Jud is home to one of the oldest standing stores in the state.
Riverside, Wyoming
Riverside is a town of approximately 60 people. This is a full on functioning town that has a gas station, grocery, and even two saloons! They offer lodging in the form of cabins and a campground. Guess where I’ll be staying when I get to Wyoming??? For such a small town, Riverside offers a vast amount of things to do. You can go hunting, fishing and camping. You can also go rafting on the North Platte River. Snowmobiling can be done in the winter months as well.
I want to also take a moment to give honorable mentions to three other towns.
They are Hillsview South Dakota, White Rock South Dakota and Luckenbach Texax. These towns are a population of only three! Hillsview, South Dakota has one household of three people. The town got the name due to the elevation and the amazing views. White Rock, South Dakota is in the far northeastern part of South Dakota. Kissing distance of the Minnesota state line. It has a lot of abandoned homes, essentially making this a ghost town, but for the three homes, that may or may not still have inhabitants. I haven’t been able to confirm this. But, they still are listed as being owned.
Now, Luckenbach made me laugh. The town was bought back in the 70’s for $30,000. It was purchased by Hondo Crouch, Kathy Morgan and an actor, Guich Koock. Hondo wanted to buy the town for one main reason. So he could keep the dance hall open as late as he wanted! What??? I found that the funniest and most endearing reason to purchase a town. Now, for the history of this town. It was first established as a trading post. It was one of the very few that never broke the peace treaty with the Comanche Indians. Citizens had also claimed that Jacob Brodbeck, who was also a citizen, launched the first airplane, years before the Wright Brothers did in the Carolina’s.
Today, Luckenbach keeps it’s ghost town feel, with one exception. They have a working gift shop where visitors can come and purchase souvenirs. The general store is in the old post office that closed back in the 70’s and the zip code retired. They have live music events going on in the dance hall every week! Luckenbach is apparently the place to be if you love country music.
Have you been to any of the towns listed here on my list of small town America – population under 100? I’d love to hear your stories! Comment below or share on my Facebook page!
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I always think I’m in a small town until I see other smaller towns and think wow, I’m almost in a big city! I love the quaintness of a small town, but I want to be in driving distance of the fun and activities!
I love seeing these small towns. I grew up in one and lived in for 40 years before moving to a huge city of 38,000. I used to have to drive 17 miles to the nearest grocery store!
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