The Smallest Town In Every State Slideshow

At The Daily Meal, we know a thing or two about our country's 50 states. We've previously rounded up the Strangest Fact About Every State, the Weirdest Law in Every State, and the Prettiest Town in Every State. Which left us wondering: What about the little guys? So we set out on a quest to discover the Smallest Town in Every State, and was it ever enlightening.

We sifted through data from the 2010 U.S. Census (the most recent national census completed) and found the tiniest towns, villages, boroughs, and CDPs (census designated places) in each state.

You may need a magnifying glass to spot some of these places, but each one offers a unique (and sometimes peculiar) view into our country's past. Some of these little towns flourished during the gold rush and coal mining heydays, with wild, romantic pasts. Some have been nearly decimated by natural disasters, ghosts, or the dreaded airport expansion. Each of these places has a story to tell, even if there may soon no longer be any residents left to tell it.

Enjoy this peek into truly small-town American life, as we check out the smallest town in every state.

Hobart Bay was first settled as a logging camp in 1889 in southeastern Alaska, in what would later be named the Tongass National Forest, the largest national forest in the United States. Hobart Bay may be at risk of losing its status come the next census, however. In the 2010 census, its lone resident was counted in the Hoonah-Angoon Census Area. On January 3, 2013 Hobart Bay was incorporated into the new Petersburg Borough. In the meantime, at least until the 2020 census, pristine Hobart Bay can enjoy its solitude and stunning views of Stephens Passage

Magnet Cove is a mecca for geologists and mineralogists, as the nearby Magnet Cove igneous complex boasts a plethora of odd minerals. Encyclopedia of Arkansas claims that "there were more distinct minerals found in the five-square-mile radius of the cove than were found anywhere else on the planet." Though it has recently been proven that a small location in Russia is comparable, Magnet Cove can still claim to be the only place where kimzeyite is found. These crystals are named for the Kimzey family, which has resided in Magnet Cove for generations.

Established in 1889, Fulford was a bustling mining town in the Colorado mountains, right on the spine of the Continental Divide. Once-optimistic pioneers eventually left after the mines turned out to not be as fruitful as first hoped and heavy winter snows began blanketing the mountains. Around World War II, a man named Heime was surveying for minerals in the area, and came upon the abandoned town of Fulford. He bought up all the land deeds for a few dollars each. Today, you can take Jeep "ghost" tours and pass abandoned cabins and mining relics as you follow old stagecoach roads through gorgeous alpine forest. Keep an eye out for elk, or one of the two remaining Fulford residents.

This 49-acre town is part of the larger Dover, Delaware Metropolitan Statistical Area, but it is technically the least populous municipality in Delaware. It was founded in 1734, and according to documents passed down by local residents, is named after a Mr. Hart, who was a railroad employee and used his influence to help the small town secure a railroad station. The Hartly Hotel opened in the 1883 and housed a bar, a store, and an insurance business. These all closed by the 1940s, and the store was turned into the Hartly post office.

This unincorporated community was originally founded as a logging and mining community, and is located right near the Georgia/North Carolina border on the Tallulah River. There's nothing for miles around, which makes the "Tate City Mall" sign on a decrepit wooden shed even more creepy, as Tate is too tiny for even a single store. People camping in the area tell tales of getting lost and accidentally driving "through" Tate, to the apparent dismay of the stone-faced locals.

Warm River is located next to its namesake river, right on the edge of the massive Caribou-Targhee National Forest. Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Park are also within a few hours' drive, and the nearby river is known for fly fishing and tubing. We suspect that this little town is only considered the smallest in Idaho because all the local bears weren't counted in the most recent census. Taking the ultimate American road trip? Here's where you have to eat when you head out west.

This town of 22 is right on the banks of the White River, 39 miles outside Indianapolis. The town comprises 12 acres centered around one street, the aptly-named River Forest Street. The median age in the town is 58, with nearly 60 percent of the residents being male and 40 percent female.

Freeport was founded in 1885, and its first post office was established later the same year. Against all odds, the post office has remained open for 132 years. "When you lose a post office, you lose a little history," said Carol Peterson, Freeport's city treasurer and one of its five remaining residents. Freeport once held the distinction of being the smallest incorporated place in the United States with a bank — until the bank moved in 2009.

This little village of 19 lies right near the banks of the Mississippi River, which separates Louisiana and Mississippi. Louisiana has the oldest earthen mounds in North America, with more than 700 recorded mound sites in the state. Mounds are artificial hills built by Native Americans most likely for burial customs. Visit the nearby Fitzhugh Mound, which has two remaining mounds of what once was a complex of seven. They serve as an active historic cemetery, and prehistoric ceramics found at the site indicate that the mounds date from between the years 1200 and 1541.

Tucked away at the tip of an inlet of the Potomac River, this little village was settled by the English in the seventeenth century. It flourished as a port for the tobacco trade, with access to Chesapeake Bay and the Atlantic Ocean. Siltation at the head of the Port Tobacco River contributed to the eventual demise of its river traffic, and the town was bypassed by the railroad, which all led to the village's decline. The siltation may have spelled eventual doom for the little village, but many archaeological sites were preserved because of it, and it's now one of the most abundant areas for studying the blended history of colonial and Native American cultures.

Pilgrim is practically surrounded by water and nature. It lies directly east of Lake Michigan, west of Crystal Lake, and south of the Betsie Dunes Nature Preserve, a fragile and unique habitat located along an important migratory route for diverse bird species. If any of Pilgrim's 11 residents need to get out of town fast, the single-runway Frankfort Dow Memorial Field public-use airport is just down the road, but residents will need to make their getaway during business hours, as it is only staffed from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Satartia lies on the east bank of the Yazoo River in central-eastern Mississippi, and was briefly featured in the 2000 movie O Brother, Where Art Thou. A vertical lift bridge was built over the Yazoo River in 1976 and has since been the site of some unexplained paranormal occurrences. Reports of phantom moanings, yellow-green bubbling water, the scent of rotting flesh, and a sudden, crushing sense of panic have been described by multiple residents over the years. Some say the bridge and the river are haunted by the Yazoo Indians, who inhabited the area long before Europeans arrived. Local legends suggest that after being defeated by the French, tribe members were marched into the river to their deaths, and still haunt the area.

Ask someone to describe what they imagine a ghost town looks like, and Elkhorn wouldn't be far off. It was a booming town of 2,500 residents in the 1880s and 1890s during Montana's silver and gold rushes. Elkhorn's prosperity declined over the years due to many factors, including a diphtheria epidemic, a decreased desire for silver, and railroad service eventually being suspended. The Western Montana Ghost Town Preservation Society has undertaken renovation of some buildings, with the 1893 Fraternity Hall being one of the best-preserved buildings. A few of Elkhorn's cabins have also become reoccupied.

Little Logan Creek lies on the eastern shore of Lake Tahoe. Feel like rolling the dice? Drive 16 miles east to Carson City. Want to take a hike? Hop on the Tahoe Rim Trail, a 165-mile hiking trail that encircles the lake. If you need a snack while on the trail, pack one of these eight healthy hiking snacks.

Not only does it have the distinction of being the smallest town in New Jersey, but Tavistock is probably the only borough ever incorporated with the sole intention of allowing people to play golf. In the early 1900s, playing golf on Sundays at Haddon County Club in Haddonfield, New Jersey, was prohibited, due to blue laws banning Sunday sporting activities. Local golfers did not approve, and in 1921 Tavistock became incorporated by a small group of people who believed in life, liberty, and the pursuit of all things green.

This tiny, old-money village on the north side of Shelter Island is nestled between the forks of Long Island's east end. Rent a kayak and paddle through the gorgeous Mashomack Wildlife Perserve, keeping an eye out for ospreys and the endangered piping plover. Residents of Dering Harbor can also brag that no one who calls the tiny village home lives below the poverty line, and in fact most live far, far above it, as the median family income is $98,750.

Right off Highway 41 in North Dakota is Ruso, which locals say was named for the homeland of the Russians who settled there in 1906, and is either coined from the first two letters in the words "South Russia," or is a play on the Russian word which means "south of us." A handful of abandoned buildings dot the tranquil landscape, and parked in a field outside a crumbling church is a curious bus advertising the "Huntley Project Red Devils."

The town of Lotsee is actually the Flying G Ranch, a 2,000-acre cattle ranch and pecan farm incorporated by founder George Campbell in 1963. The two remaining residents are George Campbell's daughter, Lotsee Spradling, and her husband Mike. She runs the Nut Shop, the lone storefront in "town."

A coal seam fire began burning under the borough of Centralia on May 27, 1962, resulting in the town's slow abandonment over the past 50 years. The fire, which is 300 feet underground, originally began during a routine attempt to clean up a town landfill that was located in an abandoned strip-mine pit, which happened to be connected to a myriad of coal-filled, underground mining tunnels. Firefighters set the dump on fire, as they had always done in years previous, but this time the fire was not fully put out. Other legends persist that a coal fire from 1932 was never fully extinguished, and had just finally reached the landfill in 1962. Over the years, multiple excavation projects to discover the perimeter and depth of the fire, as well as plans to flush the fire, either failed or were abandoned. In 1992, all real estate was condemned by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and claimed under eminent domain. Officials have allowed the few remaining residents to continue living in their homes, but when they either pass away or decide to move, the rights to their houses will be taken by the state. Scientists believe the fire could continue to burn underground for 250 more years.

This small South Carolina town of 45 was incorporated in 1895 and is named for the Smyrna Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church. Visit the nearby Jackson's Furnace Site, a historic archaeological site that was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1987. It's one of two sites affiliated with the King's Mountain Iron Company, an iron mine that operated from 1815 to 1860. You can imagine the laborious life of a miner in the 1800s as you view the original stone foundation of an iron furnace, an earthen sluiceway, and old slag heaps.

Located along Highway 57 in southwestern Tennessee, Saulsbury's origins date back to an earlier settlement named Berlin. When a Berlin landowner presumably refused to sell his property to the railroad company building the Memphis and Charleston Railroad, tracks were instead laid a mile north. These tracks crossed the land owned by Burrell Sauls and Berry Futrell. The subsequent railroad station was named the Sauls-Berry Depot, and Saulsbury was incorporated in 1856. Saulsbury was briefly taken by the Union Army during the Civil War, but eventually returned to Confederate control. Quite a few antebellum buildings and homes are still preserved in Saulsbury.

Bonanza sits at an elevation well over 5,000 feet in northeastern Utah on the Colorado Plateau, an area known for oil drilling and fossil fuel extraction. It was first settled in 1888 when gilsonite was discovered in the area — by Samuel H. Gilson, who named it after himself, naturally. This glossy, black solid resin looks similar to coal and asphalt and has a high melting point. Bonanza's lone neighbor is the Bonanza Power Plant. Oh, and the beautiful, massive blue sky.

This little town of 60 lies on the Virginia portion of the Delmarva Peninsula, which is also occupied by Delaware and the eastern shore of Maryland. Chesapeake Bay lies to the west, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Nearby lies the Assateague Island National Seashore, known for its herds of wild ponies. Every year in July, the fire department rounds up the herds of feral ponies to drive them across Assateague Channel for the traditional pony auction. This annual event was portrayed in the popular children's book Misty of Chincoteague by Marguerite Henry, which was published in 1947. This area also produces some of the best wine on the East Coast due to its maritime climate and long growing season.

Thurmond was once a prosperous train town, due to its location along the Chesapeake and Ohio railroad lines during the heyday of coal mining in the New River Gorge. The infamous Dun Glen Hotel reportedly hosted the world's longest-lasting poker game, which lasted 14 years, according to Ripley's Believe It or Not. Today, it's practically a ghost town — in more ways than one, as reports abound that the few remaining structures are haunted.

The sign on Route 20 used to say "Population 1, Elevation 4996" — but that's old news, based on the 2000 census. As of the 2010 census, the population has increased 300 percent, and the town now boasts four residents. Mayor Leda Price has lived there for 37 years, and also owns the general store. According to legend, the town was named by railroad workers who couldn't locate a spring shown on their map.