many railroads were planned after the civil war, but not all were actually built. the panic of 1873 made it difficult to fund. land speculators and local boosters identified many potential towns. towns that were reached by the railroad had a chance, while the others became ghost towns. in kansas, nearly 5000 towns were mapped out. however, by 1970 only 617 were actually used. in the mid-20th century, closeness to an interstate exchange determined whether town would survive or struggle.