mining boomtown

A mining boomtown is a settlement that grows rapidly around a newly discovered mineral deposit—gold, silver, coal, or other valuable ore.

These towns often spring up almost overnight, attracting prospectors, merchants, and laborers, then decline just as quickly when the resource is exhausted: Virginia City was a classic mining boomtown that swelled to 25,000 people during the Comstock Lode silver rush.

The term evokes images of the American West, with hastily built saloons and lawless streets.