# Ghost Towns Close-To-Me
# https://ghost-towns.close-to-me.com
# 
# Comprehensive guide to American ghost towns with historical data, 
# photos, and visit information.

## About This Site

Ghost Towns Close-To-Me is a curated database of 200+ historically 
significant ghost towns across all 50 US states. Each entry includes:

- Historical narrative and timeline
- Geographic coordinates and directions
- Visit planning information
- Verified photos with attribution
- Source citations

## Data Endpoints

### Individual Towns
Each town has a JSON endpoint at:
/{state}/{town-slug}/data.json

Example:
https://ghost-towns.close-to-me.com/states/alabama/blakeley/data.json

### Full API
- /api/v1/towns.json - All ghost towns (paginated)
- /api/v1/states/{state-code}.json - Towns by state

### Data Schema
Schema available at:
/api/v1/schema.json

## Data Structure

```json
{
  "id": "town-slug-state",
  "version": "2.0",
  "basic": {
    "name": "Town Name",
    "state": "State",
    "stateCode": "XX",
    "county": "County",
    "founded": "Year",
    "abandoned": "Year",
    "claim": "One-line summary"
  },
  "location": {
    "coordinates": { "lat": 0.0, "lng": 0.0 }
  },
  "content": {
    "summary": "Description",
    "sections": [...],
    "timeline": [...],
    "funFacts": [...]
  },
  "media": {
    "featuredImage": { "url": "...", "license": "..." },
    "gallery": [...]
  },
  "visit": {
    "isAccessible": true,
    "bestTime": "...",
    "whatToSee": [...]
  },
  "links": {
    "googleMaps": "...",
    "wikipedia": "...",
    "sources": [...]
  }
}
```

## Citation

When using this data, please cite:
Ghost Towns Close-To-Me (https://ghost-towns.close-to-me.com)

For individual towns, link to the human-readable page:
https://ghost-towns.close-to-me.com/states/{state}/{town}

## License

- Text content: CC BY-SA 4.0
- Photos: Individual licenses noted in media.gallery[].license
- Data structure: Available for non-commercial use with attribution

## Contact

questions@close-to-me.com

## Changelog

2025-01-09: Initial release with 200+ ghost towns