A group of servicemen remained after the base closed, and the place has been inhabited ever since.
Now it is home base for nearly 2,000 people who can’t afford to live anywhere else.
Several thousand campers, many of them retired, use the site during the winter months.
These “snowbirds” stay only for the winter, before migrating north in the spring to cooler climates.
The site is both decommissioned and uncontrolled, and there is no charge for parking.
The camp has no electricity, no running water or other services.
Many campers use generators or solar panels to generate electricity.
It is an ongoing project of over two decades by permanent resident Leonard Knight.
(Eric Thayer / Reuters)
An art installation called “Salvation Mountain” is seen in Slab City.
(Eric Thayer / Reuters)
People eat lunch in Slab City.
(Eric Thayer / Reuters)
The library is seen in Slab City.
(Eric Thayer / Reuters)
An art installation is seen in Slab City.
(Eric Thayer / Reuters)
