4. Hope, Alaska

HOPE.   Before the 1897 Klondike Gold Rush, there was the little boomtown of Hope. Founded after a gold strike in 1894, the town quickly grew as word of its riches spread. Today, the town's year-round population is a modest 137, but it remains the best-preserved Gold Rush town in south-central Alaska. Many of the original mining buildings are still standing, despite the devastating 1964 earthquake that leveled much of the town.   (© 10Best)

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