North Carolina, South Carolina Areas Named the Most Haunted Places in America
Fall is always the perfect time to start thinking about all things haunted. But, really, you can get into ghost hunting and scary stuff any time of the year. I have friends who love ghost hunting, but it’s totally not my thing. That said, two spots in our area – North Carolina and South Carolina – are among the most haunted places in America. Does that freak you out?
Travel and Leisure Magazine has put together a list of the “20 Most Haunted Places in America and the Ghosts That Call Them Home.” In it, they highlight 20 American areas that, reportedly, are haunted. Scary stuff. “Paranormal travel is more common than you think and intrepid ghost hunters often flock to the most haunted places, known for spirit sightings at eerie locations not typically found in guidebooks,” they state. “Tragic past events have allegedly caused ghosts to linger in hotels, restaurants, parks, and even airports.”
The Most Haunted Places in America
So, which area cities are among the most haunted cities in America? One is Pawley’s Island in South Carolina, which is south of Myrtle Beach. According to Travel and Leisure, “the town has more than its fair share of ghost stories, the most famous being of the Gray Man.” So, who is this guy? “Said to only appear before devastating storms, he has only been spotted walking the beach and sometimes talks directly to people warning them to flee,” the pub says. The magazine also says that if you find this beach walker, you’ll be “spared from the wrath of the incoming hurricane.” That’s good. So, a friendly ghost, perhaps?
The other is the Biltmore Estate in North Carolina, which is in Asheville. “The enormous Biltmore Estate is one of the city’s main attractions and is still home to the famously-wealthy Vanderbilt Family, who owe their fortune to their 19th-century shipping and railroad empire,” the pub explains. The mansion has been around since 1895. Rumor has it, the family’s ancestors still haunt the halls and rooms. Find the full list of the most haunted places in America here.
North Carolina, South Carolina: This Map Shows Our Earthquake Danger
More on Loss Ratios across the US
While you might think of a handful of cities who are in danger of earthquakes, and those are on the West Coast, there is earthquake activity all around. “Although most economic loss is concentrated along the West Coast, the distribution of relative earthquake risk, as measured by the AELR, is much broader and reinforces the fact that earthquakes are a national problem,” FEMA says. “Relatively high earthquake loss ratios are throughout the western and central United States (states within the NMSZ) and in the Charleston, South Carolina, area.”
California – Interstate roadsign illustration with the map of California
The Big 55
You’ve heard of the Big Four, right? In metal music. Anyway, the Big 55 are the cities that experience the most earthquake activity. “Fifty-five metropolitan areas, led by the Los Angeles (including Los Angeles, Long Beach, and Anaheim) and San Francisco (including San Francisco, Oakland, and Berkeley) Bay areas, account for 85% of the total AEL,” FEMA says.
United States, geographic regions, colored political map. Five regions, according to their geographic position on the continent. Common but unofficial way of referring to regions of the United States.
Extra earthquake threat for Charleston, South Carolina
The FEMA report states, “Within the central and eastern United States, the New Madrid seismic zone (NMSZ) and the Charleston, South Carolina, area pose substantial earthquake threat.” As for safer areas, “The NMSZ covers parts of eight states: Illinois, Indiana, Missouri, Arkansas, Kentucky, Tennessee, Oklahoma, and Mississippi. Together, they amount to approximately 15% of the total national exposure.”
Physical map of Planet Earth, focused on USA, North America. Satellite view, sun shining on the horizon. 3D illustration (Blender software), elements of this image furnished by NASA (https://eoimages.gsfc.nasa.gov/images/imagerecords/147000/147190/eo_base_2020_clean_3600x1800.png)
