15 Michigan Cities That Looked Like Ghost Towns During 2020

There are three words that Michiganders are not too fond of hearing:
Lockdown
Pandemic
Shut down

There is another, much worse word that begins with the letter “C” but I refuse to mention it.

Those four words describe what was happening in the entire world back in 2020. Bustling cities were looking like ghost towns, with formerly busy highways, streets, and sidewalks mostly devoid of people and traffic, save for the few who were needed to work.

Get our free mobile app

Even though that whole time was a pain in the butt, the serenity of getting out and walking those silent, empty streets was a whole other thing...but I hope this never happens again. It's not worth it. Lost jobs, bankrupt businesses, homelessness...and deaths.

The gallery below shows images of a good many of our well-known Michigan cities during this struggling time: Ann Arbor, Brooklyn, Detroit, Ferndale, Flint, Frankenmuth, Grand Blanc, Grand Rapids, Jackson, Kalamazoo, Lansing, Mackinaw City, Muskegon, Saline, and Ypsilanti. All with once-busy streets, with maybe a glimpse of a car or two parked along the road...maybe a masked pedestrian going to who-knows-where, etc.

Some of these photos can give you a chill, as they may remind you of some of those “end of the world” movies where there's not a soul left on earth (except the hero, of course). The photos that gave me a chill were Brooklyn, Flint, Frankenmuth, Grand Rapids, and Saline. You can almost imagine a tumbleweed rolling by, and the sound of the wind whistling thru the streets and buildings.....which really did actually happen.