The Forgotten Abandoned Arizona Town That Never Existed

Travel around Arizona enough, and you'll stumble upon abandoned towns throughout the desert. Most of these deserted towns had their heyday during the state's rich mining history.

While most abandoned towns date back before the turn of the century, some towns became vacated as the country's highways were rerouted and rebuilt avoiding those small towns.

Read More: Arizona Cities with the Fastest Growing Population

One would-be community, Silverado, Arizona, never had the chance to bloom into what it could have been.

Where is Silverado, Arizona Located?

Situated just southwest of Kingman, a dream of a luxury community started to come to fruition.

Resting just off I-93, the remnants of Silverado still stand isolated beneath the shadow of Hualapai Peak. An overhead shot from Google Maps still shows the neglected streets arranged in somewhat perfect squares.

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A Luxury Arizona Town That Failed

Among the desolate streets of Silverado, six forsaken "mansions" still stand where they were left over a decade ago.

Silverado was supposed to be a large luxury community in Arizona's Mojave County.

A sprawling 5,000-acre sight was going to house 12,000 homes, parks, schools, a firehouse, and other communal amenities. An 18-hole golf course, designed by Forrest Richardson, was also in the plans.

So What Happened to Silverado, Arizona?

In short, the economy. During the 2008 housing crisis, the plans for the extravagant town faded away. The developers of the project petitioned to have the area rezoned and turned into a solar farm. Initially, they were approved, but they failed to meet the criteria and any further development was scrapped.

Now, the remaining structures are beginning to deteriorate into the desert with help from vandals, and people stealing bits and pieces from the uninhabited abodes.