Bay Curious listener Julia Thollaug is a teacher in the coastal town of Montera. She stumbled on the remnants of a little town called Purissima, just south of Half Moon Bay, and wondered what happened to its residents. It's a ghost town now, but what went on there when it was thriving, and why did it die out?

Additional Reading:

• Purissima: The Ghost Town Hidden Near Half Moon Bay
• Read the transcript here
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This story was reported by Rachael Myrow. Bay Curious is made by Olivia Allen-Price, Katrina Schwartz, Amanda Font and Brendan Willard. Our Social Video Intern is Darren Tu. Additional support from Kyana Moghadam, Jen Chien, Jasmine Garnett, Carly Severn, Joe Fitzgerald Rodriguez, Jenny Pritchett and Holly Kernan.