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Playas

USA / New Mexico / Lordsburg /
 ghost town, training center

Situated in a remote desert valley 40 miles from the US/Mexico border is a modern ghost town once again in full bloom as a counter-terrorism training facility. Playas, New Mexico is a company town built in 1971 by the Phelps-Dodge Corporation to support its nearby copper smelting operations. The geographic location was ideal due to its isolation from populated areas sensitive to the toxic byproducts of ore smelting. After a brief life of only 28 years, the copper industry plummeted, and the smelter’s location at the dead end of a long road became an unaffordable liability.

The town was quickly abandoned, but in 2004 became a unique counter-terrorism training facility.


www.clui.org/clui_4_1/lotl/v28/i.html
Nearby cities:
Coordinates:   31°54'55"N   108°31'59"W
This article was last modified 14 years ago