The 9 Weirdest Towns in the World

There are strange places around the world, some amazing, some scary and some wonderful. Sometimes, though, you come across a place that is truly odd, weird & bizarre! Take a look at these 9 towns that are so strange - you won't believe your eyes!

1. Coober Pedy, Australia

This whole town exists underground! It was established in 1915 as an opal-mining town (and is still the biggest opal mine in the world), and miners soon realized that it's easier to remain underground since the temperatures aboveground would reach 125 Fahrenheit (51 Centigrade)!

The town has underground stores, churches, galleries, and even the world's first 4-star underground hotel! Oh, and if you were wondering about the origin of the town's name, it comes from the aboriginal "Kupa-Piti" meaning "Whiteman's Hole"... (Source 1, Source 2)

2. Miyake-jima Island, Japan

 The residents of this Island must carry gas masks wherever they go. The reason behind this is the close proximity to Mt. Oyama - an active volcano! It's not uncommon for alarm sirens to blare suddenly, prompting all of the island's inhabitants to don their gas masks due to a release of toxic fumes from the volcano.

The worst eruption was back in 2000, when the mountain released around 10,000-20,000 tons of sulfuric-dioxide every day, making the island uninhabitable and forcing a massive evacuation. Since then, people were allowed to return to their homes but must carry gas masks with them all the time, just in case. (Source)

3. Chefchaouen, Morrocco

 This incredible tourist attraction is located in the northeastern part of Morocco, with almost all of the houses and streets painted blue. The town was painted blue by its Jewish inhabitants who lived there in the 1930's.

The town has around 200 hotels that cater to the influx of European tourists and is said to be the largest manufacturer of Hashish in Morocco... (Source)

4. Colma, California, U.S.A

 After San Francisco passed a city ordinance, preventing the building of new cemeteries in the city-limits, Colma took the opportunity for the extra income and accepted all the new recently-deceased from SF.

You might ask yourself - "how did it come to be on this list, then?" and the answer is - there are currently more dead people than living citizens in Colma. There are about 1800 'above-grounders' living in Colma, and 1.5 million dead ones.(Source)

5. Manshiyat Nasser, Egypt

This slum city is literally covered in trash! The reason behind it is that its close neighbor, Egypt's capital - Cairo, doesn't have an efficient and effective system to dispose of it's trash. Instead, the people of Manshiyat became the unofficial garbage collectors for Cairo and even earned the name "Zabbaleen" (Garbage People in Arabic).

Oddly enough, when the municipal government of Cairo hired a private company to dispose of its trash in 2003, the people of Manshiyat found themselves in a competition of "who's going to get the trash"... (Source)

6. "Dwarf Village", China

Residents of this village are not allowed to be taller than 4ft 3in (130cm), the residents built this village to escape persecution and harassment due to their looks. Now, complete with their own police force and fire department, they needed to create a source of income. The 120 residents of the village decided to build their homes in unique shapes, turning the place into a tourist attraction and the first ever live-in theme-park.

7. Slab City, California, U.S.A.

There are no signs that point out to this town, and that's how the residents like it. It's completely off the grid and dubbed by the locals as "The Last Free Place in America". Comprised of RVs, housing people from all across the United States, the town has no services at all. That means no running water, sewers, electricity, etc.

Other than the 150 permanent residents (called "Slabbers") you will find seasonal residents who pick up and leave during the summer when the temperatures get too high. (Source)

8. The Villages, Florida, U.S.A.

Dubbed "America's Friendliest Hometown", this retirement town doesn't allow in anyone under 19, with the majority of the population is over 55 years of age. Boasting 34 golf courses, 9 country clubs, 2 downtown squares and plenty of restaurants, the town became infamous thanks to its ever-increasing STD infection rates, as well as outdoors sex acts. (Source)

9. Kowloon, Hong Kong 

Before its demolition in 1994, Kowloon was the most densely-populated city on earth, with almost 50,000 people living in a city 6.5 acres in size. The town was founded by the Chinese military sometime in the 17th century as a local fort and "abandoned" by local authorities in 1950. The city became a haven for the infamous crime syndicate - the "Triads."

Since the city had no real authorities, residents built their houses on-top of others with no adherence to any safety codes. (Source)

Think your town is weirder? tell us why.