Monowi, Nebraska: The ultimate micro-community
The 2020 U.S. Census confirmed that Monowi enjoys a singular distinction: a population of precisely one person, Elsie Eiler. Ms. Eiler, in her late 80s, operates the only business in town, the Monowi Tavern, while simultaneously serving as Mayor, Librarian, and Treasurer. Taxes are collected; about $500 a year to maintain infrastructure: water, electricity, and presumably roads, according to Grokipedia.
Maintaining the town’s minimal infrastructure, including access to utilities and road upkeep, requires an estimated annual state allocation just to retain official incorporation status and maintain state highway frontage. This yearly expenditure represents a staggering cost per capita, underscoring the significant governmental subsidy required to preserve the very definition of a municipality.
Colam, California: The city of the souls
According to a report by Mental Floss, Colma has about 1,700 living residents to over 1.5 million deceased residents, making it the country’s highest living-to-dead ratio. The city officially incorporates seventeen active cemeteries, collectively utilizing nearly 75% of its total land area.
This highly profitable funeral services industry generates approximately $20 million in local revenue and jobs, thereby strongly stabilizing the town’s specialized municipal tax base through associated fees and permits. Walking down the main street of Colma, you immediately recognize a dense concentration of florists, monument sculptors, and hearse liveries, illustrating an economy entirely dependent on final services. This extreme specialization occurred after San Francisco banned new interments within city limits in 1900, creating a lucrative niche market just south of the city limits.
Gibsonton, Florida: The carnival city
Gibsonton, more commonly known as “Gibtown,” has historically served as winter quarters for traveling sideshows and circuses
Cassadaga, Florida: The metaphysical market
Founded in 1894 and originally incorporated as the Cassadaga Spiritualist Camp, this community serves as a highly specialized religious enclave where nearly every resident is a medium or healer.
The camp as a whole is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, which protects its architectural integrity and provides zoning stability. Tourists often reserve accommodations months in advance, revealing one of the more powerful, demand-driven economic models in existence, driven by conviction and curiosity…