Bombay Beach was once a popular getaway for beachgoers until the 1980s, when the draining of the Salton Sea and rising salinity destroyed the lake’s ecosystem and drove businesses and private landowners out of the area, rendering Bombay Beach a ghost town. Despite this, by 2018 it was experiencing a kind of rebirth, with an influx of artists, intellectuals, and hipsters who transformed it into a bohemian playground.