Atomic City est une ville du comté de Bingham, collée au laboratoire national d’Idaho. Première ville à bénéficier d’une source d’électricité nucléaire, c’est aussi là qu’en 1961 eut lieu la première explosion d’un réacteur, quelques années à peine après la fusion d’un autre. Au recensement de 2010, la ville ne compte plus que 29 habitants.
Atomic City, Idaho, what many consider to be the creepiest abandoned town in Idaho: Sitting forlorn at the edge of the sprawling 890-square mile Idaho National Laboratory complex, this modern-day ghost town has a shocking nuclear history that drove residents away in the ’50s and continues to keep visitors at a distance. Here, in 1961, the country’s first fatal nuclear explosion took place – not even a decade after a dangerous reactor meltdown left the town paralyzed with fear. Today, while not fully abandoned, Atomic City stands desolate and scarred by the radioactive fatalities of the past with only a handful of residents remaining as a living legacy of the tragic events.
But while most people stay far, far away from this nuclear town, the haunting remnants of the community do draw a few brave souls every year – one of whom recently documented these bleak modern ruins in his book Wilderness to Wasteland. The book captures the chilling, dystopian afterlife of America’s most polluted and contaminated places via poignant photography. But perhaps even more humbling than the photos is an in-depth look at the history of this forgotten town itself. It’s easy to see why this is the creepiest abandoned town in Idaho.
Step Inside The Creepy, Abandoned Town Of Atomic City In Idaho