There Are More Dead Bodies Than Living In This Silent City Near San Francisco
The San Francisco Bay area has always been known to be one-of-a-kind in a variety of ways. However, there is a place near San Francisco that has the infamous reputation of being known as “the City of the Silent”. Where? Colma is a place where the residents have taken the dubious distinction of their town with pride. Let’s learn more about Colma and the Silent City near San Francisco!
Colma is south of San Francisco near Daly City. Colma is less than 2 square miles in size, but full of cemeteries.
Colma has a population of 1,800 yet it is known as the "City of the Silent." Why? Because there are 1.5 million dead people in Colma cemeteries! The proportion of living to dead is quite lopsided.
The nickname of Colma "Necropolis" originates from 1924. Since San Francisco passed an ordinance that banished all dead from within city limits Colma was directly affected in a deathly way.
The bubonic plague in 1900 and then the 1906 earthquake of San Francisco caused destruction, fires, and death in the city. The need for remote plots was severe for a variety of reasons, so after years of negotiation San Francisco's dead were relocated to Colma in one of the largest relocations of the dead in history.
Colma’s residents were mainly gravediggers, flower growers and monument makers until the 1980s The birth of the town and history has been influenced by their morbid past.
Some of America’s most famous personalities like Levi Strauss, newspaper tycoon William Randolph Hearst, and the founder of Bank of America are all buried in Colma. So, take the time to enjoy the ghostly surroundings of Colma if you're not scared.
Have you been to Colma? Let us know about your experience. Share this story too! Read more about other unconventional attractions and check out An Active Volcano Near San Francisco
