Dusty buildings stand in the American West. A tumbleweed blows past the deserted sheriff’s office—and there’s not a cowboy in sight. Ghost towns fascinate us when we see them in the movies. We wonder, “What happened here?”

That question always has interesting answers—in the movies and in real life! And that’s because people need and want certain things.

Some towns become ghost towns because their natural resources run out. Gold was found near Bodie, California, in 1875. People raced to Bodie. The Gold Rush turned the tiny town to a boomtown with thousands of residents. But the gold ran out. There was no work. People had to leave. You can still walk through Bodie’s streets. You’ll see the remaining buildings just as they were left—some even stocked with goods people needed to live.

Other towns become ghost towns because people can no longer live in them safely. Centralia, Pennsylvania, is a ghost town with a twist. It’s on fire . . . and probably will be for 250 more years! Once, around 1,500 people lived in Centralia. Many of them worked as coal miners. But around 50 years ago, underground coal caught fire. The smoldering blaze is still going and impossible to put out. Almost everyone has moved away because of poisonous gas released by the fires. If you visit Centralia today, you’ll find mostly roads without houses—and smoke coming up from the ground.

Towns die in other ways too. Roads leading to them close. Newly built dams cause flooding that destroys towns. Nuclear power disasters contaminate towns, making them unsafe. The Bible tells us God’s people are wanderers on the Earth. They are looking for the permanent home God made for them: with Him in heaven until He remakes the Earth. Ghost towns remind us not to get too attached to this world—even our homes.

Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on Earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal. ― Matthew 6:19