The Caribbean island of Montserrat once had its government and most of the island's services centered in the small town of Plymouth. The community was evacuated in 1995 due to volcanic activity. In 1997, an eruption buried Plymouth under several feet of ash, rock, and lava. It has been an exclusion zone ever since, and no residents have returned. See a collection of 40 pictures of what's left. Link

(Image credit: Flickr user Nick Brooks)