Small towns are great friends. Everyone knows you here, the whole community will help you, and they will discuss you too, but that’s just part of the deal, right? However, you shouldn’t get too carried away looking for the smallest town – you might end up alone if you quarrel with your only neighbor!
1Monowi (USA) – 1 person
At its peak, Monowi’s population never exceeded 150 people. But, believe it or not, even then, it would have been among the ten smallest towns in the world, although not in the first place. Now, Monowi is home to just one person, whose name is even listed in Wikipedia – now that’s popularity! (Elsie Eiler, just in case).
2 Cass (New Zealand) – 1 person
Another sparsely populated town is Cass. The town has a hotel, a diner, five residential houses, and just one person. Despite its desolation, the town has a proud history. Once, its population reached 800, and the Cass railway station was even painted by Rita Angus herself!
3 Buford (USA) – 1 person
Buford has a population of one, although the number could increase significantly. The town has its own attraction – a store that was robbed by Butch Cassidy himself. The famous property has been purchased (rumor has it, for nearly 1 million USD), which means this investment will start paying off soon. It’s quite possible that Buford will soon disappear from our top 10 list.
4Rabštejn nad Střelou (Czech Republic) – 15 people
Compared to the smallest towns in the world, Rabštejn nad Střelou might seem quite large, but there’s a catch. If you consider that a town used to be defined as an enclosed place, then number 4 on our list is the first true town on our list. It has a Gothic castle that gave rise to the town and now serves as a tourist attraction.
4Hum (Croatia) – 27 people
Hum is not only one of the smallest towns in the world (some rankings even place it first), but it’s also rarely visited – which is a shame since the town’s history spans almost 1,000 years. The few tourists who come here easily find places to stay and park their cars in these hospitable rural areas.
6Durbuy (Belgium) – 350 people
Belgium, Luxembourg – everything here is tiny, or at least small. It’s no surprise that one of the smallest towns in the world is found here. The city’s more than 1,000-year history is visible in every corner. There are castles, old cobbled streets, parks… everything you would expect in a dream town.
7Melnik (Bulgaria) – 350 people
How amazing that many small towns have such a vast and interesting history! Over the centuries, they have endured, despite small populations and external circumstances. Melnik, which once fell under Ottoman rule, still lives on and thrives!
8Bonanza (USA) – 575 people
Yes, Bonanza (or Bonanza) is indeed a town. A town in the USA with quite an interesting history. Throughout its existence, this town has seen it all – even racial wars. Fortunately, everything is calm now, and the town’s population is gradually increasing, by about 30 people every 5 years.
9Kallaste (Estonia) – 950 people
This Old Believer settlement only gained town status in the last century, but changes have hardly affected it. The local population still relies on fishing, preserves old customs, and tries to speak Old Slavic.
10Chekalin (Russia) – 914 people
The old name of the town is Likhvin. It bore this name for almost 400 years before it was renamed after the partisan Alexander Chekalin. The town has everything you need for life: a hospital, post office, school, kindergarten, and even a cultural center. However, work has to be sought in nearby settlements, which might be why the town’s population is slowly but steadily decreasing.
