People Revealed The Creepiest, Cult-Like Towns In The United States And, Jesus Christ, It's Icky
A while back, Reddit user _Persona-Non-Grata asked the intriguing question, "What are some mysterious, cult-like, bad-vibes towns across the USA?" And the folks over at AskReddit had plenty to say. In fact, there was so much interest that members of our own BuzzFeed Community had a lot to add, too! Here's a combination of what everyone wanted to share:
Note: Some of these stories contain mentions of racism and sexual assault. Also, apologies if your hometown is on this list...but maybe you agree with what these people experienced.
1."Harrison, Arkansas — There used to be several billboards on the main highway. Lots of white pride radio saying things like, 'Is it wrong to love your kind?' There is only one billboard now. It says, 'Let’s Go Brandon' by the Christian radio network. I think it is a KKK stronghold. There are YouTube videos of people protesting the old signs. Local people warning the protesters to watch their backs, etc."
—Anonymous
2."Moscow, Idaho — Moscow has a cult-like church with thousands of followers. Their leader, a self-ordained pastor, has publicly stated he wants to take over the town and turn it into a theocracy. They are deeply misogynistic (marital rape isn’t 'possible') and have a history of sexual abuse within their group. Their members keep running for local office and failing, but they are buying up all the property in town and moving in people from all over the country to attend their private school, theology 'college,' and church. Moscow also happens to be the town where the four University of Idaho students were murdered in 2022."
3."Woodland Park, Colorado — Some dude started an unaccredited 'bible college' there. He’s a total grifter and takes people's money and claims to be able to heal with his hands but you have to pay him a bunch first. People come from all over the country and then get stuck there after giving away their money to this greedy, evil, piece of crap human. Just like Moscow, Idaho — this dude is taking his followers to take over the town. From what I hear, they are starting to do so. Big nope!!!"
—Anonymous
4."Seabrook, Washington — It is idyllic. Perfectly idyllic. Too much so. Strong Stepford Wives vibes. I read somewhere that it was inspired by the town in The Truman Show."
"The idyllic facade is made creepier by the fact that it's located minutes from Taholah, an impoverished reservation town that's literally sinking into the ocean. Driving through both towns is a weird contrast."
5."Vidor, Texas — It's just east of Beaumont, and it's still a sundown town. Local infrastructure vendors, i.e. Telco, power, etc. know to send only white workers to that town for safety. I've been through once, and it just feels off, but I was also traveling with a Black friend."
"I worked on a door-to-door sales team, and we got sent there because we happened to be all 'white' at the time. Spoiler: We weren't all 'white,' and our crew included several Latino members. Someone spoke in Spanish, and we were detained by the most overtly racist cops I have ever met and literally escorted out of town. Freaky shit."
6."Colorado City, Arizona — Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints stronghold. Lots of inbreeding."
"I used to have to drive through Colorado City to get to my grandma's assisted living center; it is so creepy, and it is the LDS Poly Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints hot spot. Very creepy feeling driving through."
7."Powers, Oregon — Stopped in the diner for coffee once on a drive-thru. I shit you not, like straight out of a movie, the other patrons just turned and quietly stared, not touching their plates, until we left."
"Holy shit I can finally share my Powers, Oregon story! My girlfriend and I were doing a trip down the coast, and on our way back to I5 for the return trip, we went over a dirt road pass near the Rogue River and ended up driving through Powers. Same shit as you, but one of the properties we drove by on the way out had a massive Trump sign erected on 4x4s. The dam sign had three dead sheep hanging from their necks on the bottom! I’m kicking myself for not getting a picture, but after seeing that, we wanted to GTFO."
8."Tonopah, Nevada — The Clown Motel, located next to the Tonopah Cemetery, is a popular place to stay because of all the reports of being haunted by 'ghost clowns' and miners who were killed in the 1911 Belmont Mine Fire."
"It reminds me of Captain Spauldings in House of 1000 Corpses!" 😆
9."Heritage USA — This Christian-themed water park was founded by televangelist Jim Bakker and his wife, Tammy Faye. In the mid-'80s, my brother returned to school as a journalism major at the University of South Carolina. One of his assignments was to write a story about the newly opened theme park. So, one weekend, off he went. He later told me that the whole time he was there, he felt like he had to keep looking over his shoulder because he felt like a couple of guys were going to come up behind him, grab him, and say, 'You don't belong here.' Wish he was still here to tell you himself.'
Bettmann / Bettmann Archive, Will & Deni Mcintyre / Getty Images
—Anonymous
10."Denton, North Carolina — Somehow found myself dating someone from here. I’m half Mexican, and when she took me to her town, it was very weird. She took me to the local BBQ restaurant, and she later told me the person who said 'hi' in the form of, 'I’m sorry y'all lost the Civil War,' was the wife of the local KKK's grand dragon. Everyone in the town stared at me and gave me that, 'I’ll smile because you’re with a local, but don’t come back' vibe. Driving around I saw nooses in people's yards. It was so weird and bizarre!"
—Anonymous
11."Mooseheart, Illinois — They disguise themselves as a town for children, primarily orphans, but there have been terrible, awful stories about the treatment of those kids, including a sexual abuse case in 1994."
12."Citrus County, Florida — I currently live here. I had the unfortunate experience of having to graduate from the local high school after only attending my senior year. Basically, there's a church on every corner. They all appear to operate individually. However, when you don't belong to one of the many cult-like churches cluttering Citrus County you find yourself out in the cold and completely isolated. They have an antagonistic way of giving you lip service without any thoughts of good intentions."
—Anonymous
"There’s a good reason the locals call it Circus County."
13."Rhyolite, Nevada — Pulled into this ghost town in the early '90s with a friend to check it out. Someone who apparently had taken up residence immediately started shooting at us. We left as fast as we could."
—Anonymous
14."Glenrio, New Mexico and Texas — This is a ghost town on the border of the two states along Route 66. I felt like I was being watched the whole time. There are still several houses there that I’m not entirely sure are unoccupied. I normally don’t have 'raised hair on the back of your neck' moments. But I couldn’t even get up the courage to get out of my car to take some photos of the derelict buildings left. It was very creepy."
—Anonymous
15."Noxon, Montana — Father of a 6-year-old and thought we'd try an Easter egg hunt in a place we've never been and do lunch. Pretty big hunt with lots of eggs. Well organized and overall kind of awesome. Afterward, the kids brought the eggs they found to the front and exchanged them for candy. I'm in the line with my excited little guy answering a ton of questions and generally just trying to keep my bundle of squirrels in check. Wasn't paying attention much as we worked up to the table. I look up as the kid hands his eggs up to...a lady in a Daily Stormer hoodie. Daily fucking Stormer."
"She listened as he chatted away with sincere kindness. After the eggs were counted, it was off to the candy exchange. Her husband maybe? Giving the kids high fives and passing out heaps of candy. SS lightening bolts up both sides of his neck. Some runes on his hands, but by that time, it was apparent we were in the wrong neighborhood and it was time to go. Plastered a smile on my face, grabbed hold of a little hand, and we scooted. On the way out, signs were everywhere from conversations to dress to cars in the lot, but I had missed everything. TL;DR We crashed a Neo-Nazi Easter egg hunt in Noxon, Montana."
16."Amboy, California — Was a Route 66 boomtown, with a railroad stop. When I-40 was opened, bypassing Amboy, it withered and died. Only it didn't give up the ghost. Some famous murders occurred in that town (if you can call it a town, it's only three buildings at a crossroad). Legend has it that Charles Manson and the Manson family would frequent the diner in the 1960s as it was the closest part of civilization to their commune. The last time I was there was about 25 years ago, driving through. There's not a lot of traffic that drives through obviously, but there are people that live there, and as God is my witness, every time I've driven through, those people are outside in the scorching Mojave heat of the day staring you down as you drive past."
17."Adams, Tennesse — In 1994 my ex-wife (then-girlfriend) and I were traveling through Adams back to Nashville and stopped at a local restaurant. Like others have mentioned in other towns the place fell dead silent. Everyone stared and said nothing. We were both spooked, so we left and decided to stay at a local motel as we were both tired. The motel was right out of the movie Vacancy and many passing cars slowed down so the locals could stare at us. It was right out of a Stephen King novel or film….we decided to get back on the road and get the hell out of there instead. We didn’t care how tired we were we were out of there!"
18."Northern Minnesota — We were looking at buying 40 acres on I believe Upper Red Lake. We entered a diner at about 6 p.m., it was dark out, and everyone stopped and stared. We were seated, ordered drinks, and noticed how silent it was. No chatter, and everyone was staring at us. Dad left a 20 on the table, and we left before ordering food. Suuuuuper bizarre."
19."Dodgeville, Wisconsin — Some friends and I experienced the same kind of thing in a bar/bowling alley in Wisconsin on our road trip to House on the Rock. We decided to go out bowling, and when we walked into the bar in the front, it was like it went from bustling to very hushed, and everyone was watching us. The bowling alley in the back was totally deserted and eerie. It was super awkward to be the only people playing, and I swear anytime we glanced behind us toward the bar, we'd catch everyone staring. We all agreed it was one of the creepiest experiences we've ever had."
20."Kemmerer, Wyoming — I played bluegrass and country music in the '70s and ’80s. Did a gig in Kemmerer. It exists because there is an open pit mine there. You haven’t experienced ugly until you’ve seen an open pit mine. We went into the local 'music store' to get some guitar strings (four white guys with a Black drummer) and when we walked in the lady behind the counter moved her kids behind her and said, 'I’m married.'"
—Anonymous
21."Vernonia, Oregon — I was 19 and had to pay a speeding ticket up there...this was 1994. I had long hippie hair, walked into the local diner, and everyone stopped and looked at me and my friend...it was damn eerie. Before we walked in, you could hear the conversations from outside, but that stopped once we got in. We were going to get breakfast, but after that, I just got coffee and left and waited at the courthouse in my buddy's car till they opened. Never been back."
22."Bullhead City, Arizona — It's across the Colorado River from Laughlin, Nevada, a desperately poor man's version of Las Vegas. We couldn't find a restaurant on our phones that was open after dark and ended up buying salad bar food at the only grocery store in town. I think this place was an early impact zone of fentanyl because there were unconscious people slumped over in many dark corners and the sound of EMS sirens everywhere. We got up at dawn to wash our rental car, and there was an unconscious woman on the AstroTurf island between the deserted lanes. Just as I got out to check on her, a guy in a pickup pulled up, threw her IN THE BACK, and screeched away. Utter desolation."
—Anonymous
23."Skidmore, Missouri — Hands down the most DEPRESSING town I have ever driven through. There’s this feeling you just can’t shake while you’re there."
"An incredible number of shockingly brutal or very mysterious crimes for such a tiny hamlet. Most famous was the vigilante murder of Ken Rex McElroy (pictured above), but there's also Branson Perry and Bobbi Jo Stinnett just for starters."
24."Gold Hill, Colorado — A leftover hippie town in the mountains from the 1960s. Stopped for gas in the early 1990s. Went into a gas station, Quickie-Mart. Practically ran back to the car and hightailed it out of there."
25."Centralia, Pennsylvania — It's a ghost town that is still on fire today (from a coal mine fire that started in the '60s). Though, they ruined the graffiti highway. I don't know if anybody still lives there today; when I went last, there were a handful of hangers-on."
"One of the last guys left had a doc made about him. His job is to mow the cemetery on top of the hill, and the park across the road from the old row house he lives in, which sits all by itself now because everything else on the street was torn down. I also watched an urban exploration vid of a guy going through the final mayor's house, and it was like everything left in that guy's house stopped existing after 1970."
26."Collinsville, Oklahoma — It has a diner where the local chapter [of the KKK] meets or, at least, used to meet every week. Used to have racist signs on the edge of town. It is one of the most racist places I've ever had the misfortune of finding myself."
27."Cairo, Illinois — It is creepy AF. At one time it was a very important commercial center because of its river location. Now it’s practically deserted and has really creepy energy. You can still see glimpses of how it might have been bustling and charming back in the day."
"My history seminar class focused on writing a report on Iowa volunteer infantry regiments during the Civil War. The regiment I was assigned to research participated in the major campaigns of the Western theater, with some of its companies occasionally assigned as police garrisons in Cairo, among other locations. From their records, it seems that Cairo has a long history of racist violence and Confederate sympathies."
28."Crestone, Colorado — It's easily the most bizarre place I've been to in the US. Lots of shoeless hippies, 'spiritualists,' cult members/followers, and the like. Just a weird vibe all over. Some of the people are nice, and there are some good artists there, but there's also a main square/park where you'll almost always see these desperate, strung-out people with an overloaded car just sitting in the park like, Well I'm here, what next? There's also an alien landing site nearby, or at least that's what it claims to be."
"Love Has Won. Docuseries on Max (pictured above) about this shit. Super weird. I can’t unsee some of it, so I’m not sure I’d recommend it. But it's wild how gullible humans can be for the most random things."
29."Gold Bar, Washington — Beautiful view of the Cascade Mountains. Meth and white supremacists everywhere."
30."Mora, New Mexico — It's pretty damn scary to outsiders. Lots of rural mountain towns that are isolated from tourists can be strange. I've spent a lot of time in West Virginia and Arkansas, but rural NM is probably the most hostile place to outsiders I have been."
31."Opp, Alabama — This town is well-known for closing all local federal buildings (besides schools, this includes libraries, banks, courts, etc.) and local businesses on Wednesday. This town was popular during the US slavery era as it has a train that runs through it. Each Wednesday, the city square would be packed with visitors and locals who were there to buy slaves. To give 'honor' to the tradition, the city still closes and shuts everything down on Wednesdays. I should mention that I haven’t lived there since 2014."
32."Cushing, Oklahoma — I was visiting a distant relative a few years ago, and we drove through at night. The streets were lined with MAGA and Confederate flags. We stopped for gas, and a white man came outside and stared at us. My friend was not white, I was. I made him sit in the car with the door locked while I pumped gas. We tried to leave quickly. As we drove down the main road, we saw a Nazi flag on a window storefront. As we passed, I realized it was a shrine to Donald and Melania Trump complete with mannequins, makeup, wigs, American flags, and a sign that said 'Make America Great Again.' As we almost got out of town, there was a rundown house spray painted with the words 'lock her up.' It was fucking surreal and terrifying."
33."Lynden, Washington — A HIGHLY Christian town comprised of mostly Dutch families. No liquor stores. No weed stores. Illegal to mow your yard on Sundays. I've lived maybe 10 minutes away from it for about 20 years now and only go out there for the fair."
34."Island Pond, Vermont — It's home to one of the Twelve Tribes communities. Twelve Tribes is a fundamentalist Christian cult known for its misogyny, racism, child abuse, and workplace exploitation. They operate the Yellow Deli restaurants."
"As a Vermonter, I was scanning the thread just waiting for this one to come up."
35."Elko, Nevada — Stopped at a bar there on a roadtrip. Seemed like a fun place from the outside. Some woman walks up to us and says, 'Hi! I'm so and so... What are you doing here? You're not from around here...' Got lots of stares. Went to a casino across the street to escape. The casino was completely empty but lit up. Felt almost post-apocalyptic except for one janitor. We noped the hell out of there fast. Felt like something really bad was going to happen. We decided not to find a local hotel and bounced. This was in 2010."
36."Gallup, New Mexico — Drove through on Route 66 from Los Angeles to Chicago and stopped for gas for five minutes and almost got robbed. I would recommend you ~gallup~ on through if going that route and get gas before or after. Creepy vibes pulling in. Later found out it has one of the highest per capita crime rates in the country."
"I stopped here as a young solo female traveler. One of those experiences I look back on and am grateful nothing bad happened. There was a dark, very sketchy vibe."
37."Ennis, Texas — It has the creepiest vibe I’ve ever encountered. I stopped there to get gas and snacks with my team while we were on the way to a competition in Houston when I was in high school, and we all thought we were going to die. I was the only group member outside of my teacher who wasn’t a guy, and the boys noticed how we were being looked at and how sketchy everything was. She all started going with me and in groups because they got a bad vibe, too. I hope they all have had fantastic lives since because they were freaked out too and immediately realized that if anyone was going to get attacked, it would be us, and jumped into action to prevent it."
38."Yermo, California — Half the town looks okay. The other half looks like it blew up in a meth lab explosion. My buddy and I were driving to Vegas and wanted to see the Calico ghost town. We took a wrong turn and were in Yermo for a good ten minutes before we realized it wasn't the ghost town."
39."Poteau, Oklahoma — In my hometown of Poteau, we had two bars. One of which was bought by a racist MAGA asshat. Wall-to-wall Trump/Anti-Biden flags…literally floor to ceiling. Every night at midnight, they stop the music mid-song and play the Star Spangled Banner while everyone is expected to stand with their hand on their heart. The first time I was there, I was drunk and having a conversation at midnight. Got yelled at to stand at attention by multiple people. Went there again a few weeks later. Midnight rolled around. I stood up and said, 'This is such bullshit,' to a friend. Two bouncers and the owner immediately showed up at the table, and I was banned for life. I am so glad I no longer live in that backward town."
40."Lee's Summit, Missouri — My boyfriend is from Lee's Summit (just outside of Kansas City), and we went to a wedding in Jefferson City last year. As we were driving through the state, I definitely said several times, 'This could be straight out of Sharp Objects.' Super unsettling."
41."Pella, Iowa — Super conservative, religious culty vibes. People here live in a bubble where they think their views are the same everywhere. They are stunned when opposing views are expressed. So much so that those who disagree are afraid to speak out. Plus, there is a small 'members-only' church with guards at the door to prevent non-members from entering."
42."Rainbow, California — It’s on the business loop of I-15 between San Diego and Riverside. Home to some tree nurseries and a vintage ’50s-era truck stop. The diner has a B rating from the health department and a confederate flag on display. Stopped there for lunch once out of curiosity. Found out it’s a mainstay for neo-Nazis and bikers."
43."Laytonville, California — It's in Mendocino County. It’s a weed-growing town with two motels, two restaurants, a store, and a gas station. It was a hippie town for a long time. Now, it is a hostile environment with bikers, cartels, Wiccans, and wannabe drug lords. Creepy feeling going through there. It feels like what I imagine a gold rush boomtown was: price gouging and danger."
44."Cinco Ranch, Texas — There are something like 8,000 homes in this neighborhood and we did not see A SINGLE PERSON outside. No joggers, no dog walkers, no kids…no one. The realtor said they must all be in church, but the 'Mexican people should be back at work mowing lawns soon.' It was just another sign to stay the fuck out of Texas."
45."Mack, Colorado — Once we had to stop here for gas...never do this! Real The Hills Have Eyes vibes. We immediately turned around because of the bad vibes but got stuck by a passing train. When we returned a woman, rail-thin with missing teeth, yelled, 'Fill up, I’ll open up!' So I start getting gas and noticed the 1980s-style pump had a piece of tape tripping the price. I go past the foul garbage can with flies everywhere and open the door to a horror movie. To my right, a boy eating cereal at a table stops and stares desperately at me, directly in front, up in a trailer, is a wolf growling. All the store racks were covered with plastic, and dolls were hanging from the rafters also wrapped in dust-covered plastic."
"As the woman started yelling, 'You didn’t fill up!,' l noticed a paper saying, 'Where are you from?' I dropped a twenty to cover my gas and my son opened the door, saying, 'Come on mom we gotta go.' We drove off only to be stopped by the train again. Just as it cleared the road I saw the woman with other devil's reject types running after the car. Luckily, we got out of there so I can warn you all!"
—Anonymous
46."Scotland, Indiana — Due to snow and an accidental detour, I drove through here on my way to the Indianapolis airport. The first thing we noticed was a giant banner stating that they are home to the annual Christmas festival, but the banner was dated about four years prior and falling apart. As we drove through the little town around 7:00 p.m. there wasn’t a soul in sight or a light in any window. There were, however, statues of people and mannequins in the front of people’s homes. It was quiet and terrifying and we couldn’t get through that town fast enough."
—Anonymous
47."New Square, New York — Only ultra-orthodox Hasidic Jews live there. No one else. They have almost no contact with anyone who is not Hasidic. They have their own schools, stores, doctors, police (unofficially), lawyers, you name it. Most families have a dozen children or more and as a result, they get public assistance. They rarely vaccinate their children and there have been measles and other preventable outbreaks. People are not allowed to watch TV or use the internet. I grew up nearby and as a (non-practicing) Jew myself I would never step foot in that town. It is very much like fundamentalist Mormon towns out west, but this is literally in the middle of a pretty affluent suburban county."
48."The Villages, Florida — What started as a little community of 400 mobile homes has become a massive retirement compound of nearly 80K residents, many retirees but also families with school-aged children. Being so meticulously planned, with manicured landscaping and themed 'town squares,' and residents being predominantly white boomers makes it all very Stepford Wives. All of the big Republican candidates and Fox News pundits make a stop at The Villages during their campaigns and book/speaking tours."
49."Interlachen, Florida — Years ago, I was driving in north-central Florida along Route 20 near Interlachen taking my daughter to Girl Scout camp. Way outside of town where there is absolutely nothing, I see on Google Maps that there are streets laid out like a city of 100,000 people, but there are just trees as far as I can see. So I slowed down to see if any of these streets existed, and they did — but they were dirt roads. I spent an hour just driving around on all these dirt roads, and there is at most one house or trailer per block and everything else is just empty dirt roads. To this day, I have no idea why all those dirt roads are there and why Google knows about them. Maybe a real-estate developer went out of business during a big project? This was a few years after the 2008 real estate crisis, so maybe the market just disappeared. Whatever the reason, driving around a whole town with basically nobody living there was creepy."
—Anonymous
50."Pulaski, Tennesse — It's a pretty creepy place. The KKK was founded there in 1865 and has always had some control over the town ever since. It’s a tiny, rundown town with not a lot going on. I’ve heard it’s still a sundown town. The only 'outsiders' who live there are members of the Twelve Tribes cult who run a Yellow Deli on the square. Even though I am white, I used to drive through the town sometimes on my way back to visit family and was told by my mother to never under any circumstances stop there for anything, not even gas. My grandpa was an FBI agent stationed out of the closest field office and apparently had heard some stories, too, so it’s a place we don’t go."
—Anonymous
51."Newburg, Missouri — My friend dated a woman from there. Saw her a few times a week. Got pulled over by the local cop and was told to STOP seeing that woman. The cop said his life was in danger, and that he, the cop, couldn’t do anything to prevent violence towards him by other men wanting to date her."
—Anonymous
52."Pecos, Texas — Was traveling solo from Florida to Colorado and went through this west Texas town. It was like being in a Mad Max movie. I drive a Honda CRV, and I’m sure I have the smallest vehicle in town. Lots of huge trucks — it’s a big oil and gas spot. Unfortunately, I’d been on the road awhile and had to pee so bad. I found a gas station and ran in fast. The women’s bathroom had a Word document printed sign that read there was absolutely zero reason a man should need to use the women’s. I wish I’d taken a picture of it but I was so focused on getting out of there that I just left! Weird freaking town."
—Anonymous
53."Las Vegas, New Mexico — My husband and I were 19 years old, traveling with our 6-month-old son. We stopped for gas, and a carload of drunk men followed us and then tried to run us off the road. My husband waved a big knife at them. Also, it was midnight, New Year’s Eve! The cops were firing their guns in the air. The car wasn’t running right. It wouldn’t go over 40 mph. This happened in 1980. I’ll never forget it."
—Anonymous
54."Mount Ida, Arkansas — Publicly claims to be 'The Quartz Crystal Capital of the World,' but also ranks 10th on the '10 Most Historically Racist Places In Arkansas' list curated by roadsnacks.net. There is an active KKK Klavern there. Proud of being a 'sundown town.' Don't be fooled by the crystals! These folks are messed up."
—Anonymous
55."McCarthy, Alaska — My family took a road trip through Alaska when I was 15 and my siblings were 12 and 8. We went to this town in the middle of nowhere that you could only access by pedestrian footbridge and it looked dirt poor, like a ghost town out of a western movie. My parents stopped at the only store that looked half open to see if they could get food and my sisters and I walked around exploring. Two miserable-looking kids followed the three of us around and pelted us with pebbles. They wouldn't talk to us. I felt so bad for them trapped there. According to Wikipedia, in 2010 the population was 28 people and in the 1980s they had 'the worst mass shooting in the history of Alaska,' so I have to say the chills I got from that town as a kid were not wrong. This was a long time ago though, I hope it's doing better now."
—Anonymous
56."West Plains, Missouri — My good friend bought 40 acres there. Went with him to frame his house. Found out it's a town lost in time. There were no people of color in the whole town. I asked a young guy at the lumber yard about it. He said, 'Well, the KKK is still pretty big around here.' A weird vibe for sure."
—Anonymous
57."Elizabethtown, Kentucky — My son, 19, and I were traveling from Ohio to central Kentucky on I-75. We stopped in for gas, coffee, and to stretch our legs. We decided to get the coffee first cause we had just under a quarter gas tank. We pulled into a restaurant. We walk in, and everyone stops and stares. People in the booths are craning their necks to stare at us. Everyone was white, and we are olive-skinned Puerto Ricans. We ordered two coffees to go and just stood waiting — quite uncomfortable. After much longer than it takes to brew a pot of coffee, we finally got served, paid, and walked out. Decided to drive on to the next town to get gas and threw out the untasted coffee. It was a very strange experience. Especially since we thought Elizabethtown was a college town and didn’t expect to have that kind of experience there."
—Anonymous
58."Lynchburg, Virginia — Home of Jerry Falwell and Liberty University. Is it really a cult if they’re so corrupt they fleece 40,000 students a year and convince the religious right to select a thrice-married con man for president?"
59."Redding, California — They tell stories about the aliens who live on Mount Shasta (Lemurians) and it brings a lot of interesting characters out. More recently, a Christian cult has set up camp and will 'attack' people in stores with gold and feathers to save their souls."
—Anonymous
60."St John’s, Arizona — My ex-husband’s family lives there and every time we visited I told my ex that if he ever tried to move us there I would never. It totally reminded me of the town Napoleon Dynamite was filmed in. When my father-in-law died we stayed in the home of a distant family member who had passed away and her son was there, and very intoxicated. He kept offering to let our small children sleep in the living room with him. After a completely sleepless night of keeping watch over our kids, we went to the crappy, only hotel for the rest of the visit. Around that time there was an incident where a child shot and killed his own father and a friend that made national news."
61."Corinth, Mississippi — My sister and I took a road trip through the USA in the early 2000s. Passed through this little town, and saying the vibes were weird is an understatement. We drove around a little to see the place and figure out if we should explore. We both got very quiet and after a few minutes, my sister said, 'This place is a bit…' My response was, 'YUP!' I don’t know how to describe it, on one hand, it looked like picture-perfect southern America but it was definitely an unsettling feeling. It felt like curtains were twitching like we were being watched; there were American and/or Confederate flags on all the residential and commercial buildings, and it was very quiet."
"We stopped at a department store and saw guns for sale, lots and lots of guns, serious weaponry, and as we were leaving, we stopped at a train crossing where the train seemed never-ending. After watching this unending train for a while I started timing it and it took over two minutes for the train to finally get to the end. The train made us feel utterly trapped in this weird unsettling town. The road out was completely blocked and a pickup behind us added to the feeling. We actually got giddy when we got out of there. It took us a while to figure out, but we eventually realized that the town was 100% white, which added to the unsettling feeling. We didn’t see one person of color, which added to the weird vibes and made the whole experience feel like we would end up in a true crime documentary if we hung around. I don’t come from a massively diverse country and I’m white myself so to feel that creeped out by seeing only white faces surrounded by guns and confederate flags definitely gave me a new appreciation of how other ethnicities must feel when they’re outrageously outnumbered in a hostile environment. Creepy Corinth!"
62."Trade, Tennessee — Heading to Boone, North Carolina, a university town in the skiing areas, we passed through unincorporated Trade. It had a large old gas station and market on the roadside, and that's it. Something about that area made it feel like The Shining. I’ve never gone back."
—Anonymous
63."Colfax, Illinois — I had to go there to observe one of the teachers at the high school when I was in college. I pulled into the town and stopped at the gas station. I went in to use the bathroom, and it was such a creepy experience. I asked where their restroom was, and both employees just pointed at it without saying a word. I really had to go, so I just went really fast. Then, the high school turned out to be a K–12 building with a TOTAL of 250 students. The high school was in the basement, and the power went off while I was there. Apparently, that is a normal occurrence."
—Anonymous
64."Belvidere, Illinois — A single highway completely encircles this north-central Illinois city. The Grange, a formerly secret society, runs the city behind the scenes. In 1967, a tornado ripped through their high school at dismissal, killing 24. No one will speak of this event."
—Anonymous
65."Rural Wyoming — Man, this was years ago, but it was around 1998 or 1999, when I was 9 years old. My family drove us to Mount Rushmore from Denver. We stopped off the highway in a random Wyoming town with a population of just over 100. We had a choice between two restaurants and entered one. Straight from a horror movie, the entire restaurant, packed with most of the town, fell silent when we walked in. We ate, and everyone was staring at us. My sister and I believed they were going to murder us. We left, and it turns out our parents also thought we were going to be murdered."
66.Finally, "Riverside, California — The only town I’ve ever been to that has a logo — they call it a raincross, and it is EVERYWHERE. It's on street signs, etched in concrete freeway walls, on people’s houses, literally everywhere. It turns out Riverside is where indigenous children were sent en masse to be 're-educated' in the ways of the white man, and the raincross symbol is a combination of the Christian cross and the cross to which Native Americans prayed for rain. It’s a very conservative county with several huge megachurches (including Harvest, of the Harvest Crusades) and although it has beauty and history, it is a strange place for sure."
—Anonymous
Have you had a similar creepy experience while traveling through the United States? What mysterious, cult-like, or bad-vibes town have you been to? Tell us about it in the comments below or via this totally anonymous form, and maybe there will be a part two.
Note: Some responses have been edited or length and/or clarity.
