The 9 weirdest small towns on Earth

Anyone who's found themselves in Punxsutawney, PA on Groundhog Day knows that small towns can be pret-ty weird. But if you think a place that venerates a prognosticating woodchuck is as out-there as it gets, prepare to have your illusions shattered: from an underground town in Australia to an "Austrian" town in China, these little localities give new meaning to the term "Weirdoville." Or at least they would, if that was an actual term people used.

SEE ALSO: The 22 best small towns to visit in your lifetime

Nagoro

Japan
Population: 35 humans, 350 human-sized dolls
Why it's weird: See above
Upon returning to her hometown and discovering that the population of hundreds had dwindled to a meager 37, 64-year-old artist Ayano Tsukimi had the brilliant/depressing idea of creating life-sized doll replacements for each of the people who once lived there. The dolls are propped up and arranged throughout the town, doing whatever their living counterparts used to do, which presumably was creeping out everyone who passed through town. Tsukimi's up to about 350 dolls these days, and continues to make a new one each time someone dies or leaves town. It's just a matter of time before there's nobody left here but lifeless, freaky dolls. Doesn't it just warm your heart?

Tangier, Virginia

USA
Population: 720
Why it's weird: Everyone speaks in a unique, semi-English accent
This island town's main claim to weird fame is the fascinating brogue its approx. 700 residents speak. Between extreme isolation and the fact that its founding by Cornish settlers in the 1600s, Tangier's a petri dish for the development of a dialect that sounds more like an English accent than an American accent, but not quite like either one. On top of the funky accent, though, Tangier's isolation has also resulted in many of its residents having a unique genetic disorder known as Tangier disease -- which has nothing to do with fallout from Malcolm Forbes' 70th birthday party.

Coober Pedy

Australia
Population: Approx. 3,500
Why it's weird: Pretty much everyone lives underground
This tiny Aussie town is the world's primary source of high-quality opal gemstones, earning it the nickname "The Opal Capital of the World." Sounds tame enough. But decades ago, when miners first started pulling shimmering gems out of the ground here, they decided to beat the oppressive Outback by building their living quarters underground. These days, the methods for extracting opal may have improved, but the majority of Coober Pedy's roughly 1,600 residents still live like mole people, since the insulation provided by the rock walls save on AC bills in the summer and heating bills in the winter. Is this the next wave of design in New York City? Only time will tell.