A new 2026 ranking of America’s spookiest cities is out, and Illinois is on the map. The list, compiled by home-security company Vivint using reported ghost sightings, haunted places, spooky businesses and search interest, puts Virginia City, Nevada at number one — the preserved mining boomtown where ghost stories outnumber residents. Tombstone, Arizona took second, Eureka Springs, Arkansas third — and Galena, Illinois landed at number four, ahead of nearly every famous haunted town in the country.
Austin, Texas recorded the most reported ghost sightings of any city studied with 115, while Los Angeles holds the most reportedly haunted places at 61.
Rankings like this measure where the stories live, not proof of the paranormal — but they say something real about where Americans go looking for the unexplained. And with our own Haunted Heartland event coming up October 24, we’re proud to see Illinois holding its own against the giants. Galena road trip, anyone?
Source: Khemetic Nation News Network