Times Beach is a ghost town in St. Louis County, Missouri. In 1985, the State of Missouri officially dis-incorporated the city of Times Beach. Once home to more than two thousand people, the town was completely evacuated early in 1983 due to dioxin contamination. It was the largest civilian exposure to dioxin in the country's history. Times Beach was founded in 1925 on the flood plain of the Meramec River in a promotion by the now-defunct St. Louis Star-Times newspaper. A purchase of a 20 × 100 ft (6 by 30 m) lot for $67.50 included a six-month newspaper subscription. The site of Times Beach now houses a 419-acre state park commemorating U.S. Route 66.
