Colma, California is located just south of San Francisco, and is reportedly the world's only modern necropolis. The dead outnumber the living there by around 1,000:1.
While in San Fran I happened to catch a public radio special on the history of Colma and the interesting set of challenges it faces. It was originally founded because SF is stuck on 49 square miles and the founders didn't want to waste any (more) space in the city on cemeteries. Existing cemeteries were moved from SF to Colma right after the latter was founded in the early 1900s, and many burials that would have happened in SF moved outside—often to Colma.
Apparently there were a few screwups along the way and one cemetery was moved without an accompanying endowment. The site is now an abandoned lot right next to a Home Depot. Their mayor also recently resigned after numerous allegations of misconduct.
The city also has, reportedly, the highest per-capita income of any city in the state of California. Residents get free daytime child care and the city purchases allotments of tickets to Giants games for citizens that request them.
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