America has seen plenty of cities rapidly grow and fade. From the boom towns of the Gold Rush to Detroit’s rise and fall alongside the country’s auto industry, the narrative is the same: People are drawn where they think they can make their fortune. When the money and jobs dry up, some stay out of attachment—they want to see their home rise again. And many have nowhere else to go. But on the large scale, populations move to wherever the next city of opportunity happens to be.

read more: There’s hidden beauty in abandoned World Of Warcraft cities · Special Topics In Gameology · The A.V. Club.