When communities are abandoned, nature moves in and takes over. We've seen it happen all over the world, for different reasons, in Montserrat, Pripyat, Gagnon, Centralia, and the many Western mining towns that dried up after the ore played out. Mold moves in and weakens structures. Plants put down roots and tear buildings apart. Insects build nests. Animals soon follow, and before you know it, you've got a wilderness.
This video looks at how nature moves in when people move out. Their main example is Doodletown, New York, which was overtaken by Bear Mountain State Park. Doodletown reached its population peak in the 1920s, with about 350 people. About that time, the push to expand the state park began, and Doodletown homes were bought up by the goverment. Wooden buildings were deliberately dismantled, but stone foundations were left in place. The last building standing was a school made of stone, left in place as a shelter for hikers, but after too many incidents of vandalism left it dangerously damaged, it was demolished in 1980. -via Nag on the Lake