How does a place become haunted?  Most of the usual reasons go back to the theory that ghosts are the returned souls of the living.  This is why the ghosts tend to stick to places they know well, or to which they have a strong emotional connection.  Ghosts haunt the places where they died, especially if they died a violent or traumatic death.  Other times, a ghost may return to a place where it is happiest, or a place where the people it cared for, still live.

Below are some common areas haunted by ghosts:

Burial Grounds:  A lot of lands now days were once a burial ground.  Because old cemeteries are often in prime real estate locations, developers sometimes choose these sites for new homes, shopping malls, business districts, etc.  In such cases, the ghosts attachment isn’t to the new buildings, it’s to the ground where it’s bones still lie.  The headstones and the visible part of the cemetery may be gone, but the bones of the dead are still beneath the ground and the spirits may not be too thrilled about having something built above their resting place (remember the movie Poltergeist?  Those houses were built on top of an old Indian burial ground, hence the poltergeists).

Legends or folklore: You may want to check out legends and folklore in the town or city where you live. A lot of stories that have been passed down may have just be that, a story, but some just might have a few grains of truth to them. You can find a crybaby bridge ghosts, haunted roads, tunnels and other reported haunts in just about any city or town.

Cemeteries: Ghosts are thought to come back to a place that was meaningful to them, like the place of their death or a home they couldn't bear to leave so it doesn't really make a whole lot of sense that a cemetery would be haunted but many are. Ghosts don't usually know they are dead, they may be returning to the cemetery to visit a loved ones grave.

Schools: Many schools that had past tragedies may have ghosts. For instance, in my neighborhood a young girl was struck and killed by a car in front of the school she attended. Now teachers at this school find chairs and desks moved without explanation and music coming from the empty music room. Deaths in schools were caused by fire or smoke inhalation back in the days when the only source of heat in schools were old pot bellied iron stoves that used coal or wood. In 1959 ninety students and three nuns died in a fire at a Catholic school in Chicago. The stories of ghosts appearing after a school tragedy are endless. You can look up histories of schools in or around your town.

Churches: They are also good place to look for ghosts. Many older churches have cemeteries on or near the property. I have read stories about church members that attended the same church from a young age until they died at eighty or ninety years old. They were so attached to the church that their spirits can't bear to leave. Churches can have their share of tragedies too.

Battlefields: Battlefields are almost always haunted. It's no wonder considering the violent deaths that occur on a battlefield. Some are thought to be residual hauntings, pieces of the battle that are played over and over. Many soldiers/warriors ghosts just don't realize they are dead and continue to fight.

Old insane asylums: What kind of treatments went on behind the walls of the early asylums? The first asylums were not to help the patient but to protect the public from them. Many patients were thought to be possessed by demons or evil spirits. Treatments included shock therapy, lobotomies, water submersion and tranquilizing chairs. A restraining device, similar to a baby crib was used in the 19th century to confine patients to the bed. It is a good bet that most old asylums have unmarked graves or graves with just a number on them. Many patients spent their entire lives, or a good portion of it in an asylum so they will come back to the only home they knew. Many just refuse to cross over. An asylum is an excellent place to look for ghosts.

Police stations and fire stations: Ghosts often haunt these places. To be a police officer or a fire fighter is one of the most dangerous jobs there is. They are often killed in the line of duty but some may have loved their jobs so much that they refuse to leave.

Old prisons: Many deaths happen behind prison walls. Some are natural causes, some from executions or violent deaths by the hands of other inmates. There are stories that the wardens were behind many of the deaths that occurred in prisons. It would probably hard to find an older prison that does not have ghosts and spirits. A lot of the old prisons are historic and it is becoming common to sell ghost hunts as a means to restore the buildings.

Scene of an accident: A sudden death such as a fatal car accident could be another place you may find ghosts, especially on the anniversary of their death.

Murder scene: Murder victim's ghosts may return to the place they died. They may haunt the scene regularly because the murderer has not been caught. Sometimes they may only come back on the death anniversary.

Castles:   These have an extensive history.  The buildings are ancient and there is no telling what has happened behind those tall, stone walls.

Taverns:  Bar fights, shoot outs, just about anything and everything happens at bars.   And if it’s a ghost favorite place while they were in the living, no reason they wouldn’t be there in the dead.

Shipwrecks:  Just because it’s under water doesn’t mean that it cant be haunted.  These are also scenes of tragic deaths.

Theaters:  The entire range of emotion is expressed in a theater and this seems to attract spirits who use this energy to manifest.  The theater also stirs a great amount of love from the many people who work in them. So many return after their deaths, that is why theaters are prime locations for all kinds of ghost sightings.

Hotels:  Thousands of people pass through hotels and motels, so to think there might be a ghost or two around isn't to far out of this realm. Investigating into the history of older hotels can often find that a suicide or murder may have taken place there. This is a good place to spend a night doing an investigation.

Colleges:  Many colleges and dorms have had tragic events that attract ghosts, either from the students or staff members. Due to all of the energy given off  by so many people all clustered together. The best way to find out is to pass the word around that you are interested in hearing about any ghost stories. You will almost always hear about them.

Hospitals / Nursing Homes:  Hospitals and nursing homes are places of high emotion and I guarantee you that these places will be very attracted to the ghosts due to the tragedy's and trauma involved. This will also lead towards a residual haunting. just ask the staff and you will get a good story. But most of these places usually forbid the staff or the workers to talk about the strange stories.

Homes:  Many homes or residences, and not just the old ones, have a past that might include murder, suicide or some other tragic event. These type of events can cause a place to become haunted. The location can become haunted by a spirit being drawn there by these events or because one has stayed behind because of them. These spirits can be positive or negative and haunted houses boast all kinds of different phenomena. Doing an investigation in a home is a lot of work, sometimes it will take days to get your evidence to help out the owners. 

There are also many other places to go, like caves, roadways, forests, mines, crime scenes, and B and B's. Any location that has seen life and death over the years can be or is probably haunted.