Over my 10+ years of taking road trips and visiting towns of all sizes in Kansas, I have recently divided these towns into 8 categories: Big City, City, Small Town, Very Small Town, Semi-Ghost, Near-Ghost, True Ghost, and Total Ghost. Each category of town is defined by population and incorporation status, but the line separating these categories is a lot fuzzier than just population. Here's my 8 categories by description.
Big City (BC): Population: 5,000+
As a small town/ghost town hunter, Big Cities serve little purpose other than maybe to find a place to eat, get gas, or stay the night. Visiting one of these towns on a road trip, I might snap a quick picture of downtown & maybe one or two others, but because these towns generally don't have anything that appeals to ghost town hunters, their priority list for me is at the bottom. Examples: Newton, Salina, McPherson
City (C): Population: 1,000 - 5,000
Cities, again, are primarily for finding a place to eat or get gas. However, I might snap a few pictures in downtown & do a little more searching than in a Big City, especially when these towns are county seats in counties that have a lot of ghost towns. Examples: Marion, Belle Plaine, Herington
Small Town (ST): Population: 250 - 1,000
Small Towns are the largest Towns that I will actually spend some time in looking for old historical buildings. Some of these towns can have vacant buildings, but generally these towns are full of occupied structures that have historical value (example, buildings on the National Register of Historic Places). Cool-looking business buildings and churches are targets in these towns. Examples: South Haven, White City, Galva
Very Small Town (VST): Population 100 - 250
Very Small Towns are the smallest towns that don't begin to creep into the Ghosts categories. And some of these towns may look quite ghostly. Unlike Ghosts, these towns still have a sense of infrastructure (for example, a post office, a bank, a restaurant, a few churches). Many of these towns are gems and have a lot of vacant buildings and empty lots, but don't quite yet take on the appearance of a ghost town. Examples: Preston, Viola, Ramona
Semi-Ghost (SG): Population 25 - 100
This is the broadest category of towns with the fuzziest lines separating the categories next to it. Generally, a semi-ghost town is one where there's faint vestiges of an infrastructure left, but the town has basically become a collection of houses. What's in these towns varies widely: Some are expansive, with many empty lots and a scattered collection of houses; some occupied, some not. Some may be all on one or two roads, with little abandoned structures or foundations to be seen anywhere. Some may have a few businesses, some may only have a church. Some have old, dilapidated buildings and sidewalk remnants characteristic of a ghost town, and some may be very tidy and resemble a small village. Examples: Parkerville, Cedar Point, Castleton
Near-Ghost (NG): Population 1 - 25
Perhaps my favorite category of towns, Near-Ghosts can vary widely, from a spectacular ghost town filled with dilapidated structures, foundations, and old sidewalks, to a solitary occupied farmhouse sitting across the street from a vacant building and a foundation. Many of these towns would be considered real ghost towns from common people, but the only requirement is that there be at least one occupied house inside the town area, thereby preventing it from becoming an "actual" ghost town with no people. Most of my favorite ghost towns are near-ghosts.
Some near-ghosts are referred to as "doubles" or "triples" because there are only 2 or 3 buildings in town and nothing else. These are not very noteworthy locations.
Examples: Lerado, Saffordville, Wellsford, Buttermilk (triple)
True Ghost (TG): Population: 0
Surprisingly, True Ghost towns are a little rare to find in Kansas, because there's almost always someone living on the site of the town. True Ghosts differentiate from Total Ghosts in that there are substantial enough remains to warrant this designation, whereas Total Ghosts usually have nothing or very, very little remaining.
Examples: Basil, Adamsville, Wonsevu, Croft
Total Ghost (GT): Population: 0... Remnants: Very little to none
The "GT" stands for "Ghost Town" because that's what these are. Most Total Ghosts have been vacant for so long that there are no remains, in some cases there may be a solitary foundation or a couple trees, but many Total Ghosts have so little left that a good picture isn't even available.
Examples, Alameda (Kingman Co.), Mingona (Barber), Stubbs (Barber), Cameron (Cowley), Bedford (Stafford), Vera (Wabaunsee)
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