When you think of the perfect little town to live in, what town comes to mind? I think of a picturesque small town surrounded by huge trees and mountains. It also has beautiful blue skies and nicely manicured lawns. I think of small mom and pop stores ran by the citizens of the community, where people enjoy helping each other. The town would have a nice library, grocery store, and a hospital as well as the other conveniences we have come to rely on. There is such a place and it is beautiful. It’s a small town on the northeastern coast of British Columbia, Canada. The name of this almost perfect town is Kitsault, B.C. I say almost perfect because one very important part of this town is missing. The most important part in fact, the people. Kitsault B.C. is a town with a very unique story. A sad story that is fading away like the fall leaves that cover the grounds before winter.
Kitsault, British Columbia was founded and built by the U.S. mining conglomerate, Phelps Dodge in 1979.
The town was built to sustain a mining operation for molybdenum, which is a metal used in steel production.
At its peak the town housed over 1,200 residents, and had a hospital, a sports center, a theater, and a grocery store with the promise of growth and prosperity.
Only 18 months after the town was opened, the price of molybdenum crashed and residents were forced to leave.
Phelps Dodge purchased the homes back from the residents and asked them to leave. Some were forcefully removed from their new homes, and the once booming town was seemingly closed over night.
Everything was simply abandoned, as it would have been more expensive to sell it off than to just leave it behind.
The books were even left on the shelves of the library.
As you can see, everything was left as is.
Everything was in perfect order, but they are just missing the people.
After the last person left the town, it was completely vacant. However, somebody left the power on. The power has been on for nearly 30 years and the town sits very well-preserved waiting for its residents to return.
This looks like a hallway in a school.
Due to the lack of funds, people were only able to pack up their personal belongings. Everything else was left behind.
Mailboxes were left vacant and empty.
I wonder what building this was taken in. It is so weird seeing a perfectly preserved building, sitting there empty.
You have to follow a long dirt road to enter the town which still stands in the middle of nowhere.
Everything is covered in late 1970’s decor and the names of the champions are still written in chalk on a board in the sports center.
The town’s backdrop is one anyone would be envious of. The place is stunning!
Kitsault has 94 homes, 200 apartments, a hospital, a shopping mall, a movie theater, a town & country restaurant, and a sports center.
All the homes were left completely vacant.
With the homes and structures being only 3 years old at the time of vacancy, they are all in very good condition to this day.
There must be quite an eerie feeling walking down the streets of Kitsault.
But I would love to live in a place like this!
Photographer Chad Graham is the only one in the town on this photo shoot.
An empty playground outside the school was once full of little children having a great time.
Not even a year after this plaque was made, the town was closed.
The electricity still lights the town up at night.
Everything in Kitsault was purchased brand new and just sits deteriorating now.
Can you imagine 1200 people just up and leaving after only 3 years?
Even at the end of a dock in the bay, sits a lonely boat tied up waiting for its driver.
The old refining plant that sparked the construction of this town sits empty and unproductive.
Over 200 apartments without residents.
Even the town center which provided phenomenal views of the surrounding landscape looks as if it’s ready to move in and start a party.
The bridge to Kitsault once had hundreds of cars a day crossing and now it’s a rare sight to see this bridge in use.
Kitsault went up for sale in 2004 and was purchased for $5 million dollars. Canadian entrepreneur and businessman Krishnan Suthanthiran purchased the town sight unseen. He had just found an article in the newspaper and sent a check.
He had hopes of turning the town into a sort of retreat for intellectuals, scientists, and doctors to work together.
The town was to be opened in 2011 but things have since changed.
There are talks about opening a natural gas plant in Kitsault but that would require an investment of $30 billion to get off the ground.
The plan is still open, as investors are sought after for this large venture.
The housing and infrastructure are already in place and something needs to happen to breathe life back into this beautiful town.
It is tragic that this beautiful little place on earth was left abandoned but at least there are talks of revamping this little town. With so much character and such a beautiful landscape, it would sure be a shame to leave it all alone to rot.
Take a tour of the abandoned town Kitsault by clicking the video below.
More Info: Wikipedia
Looking at the photographs and understanding the memories of this town, it is hard not to hope that this wasted land gets put to good use. A great opportunity for people to start their lives. Hopefully Kitsault has a better future than the island town, Holland Island, that eventually sunk to the bottom ocean.
