Centralia, PA ?C On Fire Since The '60s
[ranking: 1]
In 1981, there were 1,000 people living in Centralia, PA. By 2010, there were less than a dozen. What happened? Well, there's been a coal mine fire burning beneath the town since 1962. Sinkholes, toxic smoke, gas??the highway itself is hot to the touch. Residents apparently couldn't deal. Although it's been on fire for decades, experts believe that it may burn for another 250 years.
If, for some bizarre reason, this sounds like a place where you'd like to live, you can't. In 1992, the state of Pennsylvania seized all the property in the town and condemned it. They allowed the then-current residents to stay, but once they're gone, that'll be the end of Centralia.
More Centralia
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Monowi, NE ?C Population: 1
[ranking: 2]
There is literally one person who lives in Monowi, NE. Her name is Elsie Eiler. She used to live in Monowi with her husband, Rudy, but he passed away in 2004. Elsie is the mayor, the town bartender, and the sole librarian. She pays taxes to herself.
As of 2011, Elsie was an octogenarian, meaning the town might soon be abandoned.
Whittier, AK ?C Everyone Lives In One Building
[ranking: 3]
There is a small town 58 miles southeast of Anchorage where everyone lives together. In one building.
The 14-story Begich Towers is home to the 214 people of Whittier, AK. It was originally an army barracks, but the tower grew to include a police station, a post office, store, church, video rental shop, playground, bed and breakfast, and health center. It's a cozy nook if there ever was one.
More Whittier
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Colma, CA ?C Where Two Million People Have Been Laid To Rest
[ranking: 4]
In Colma's two square miles, there are 17 cemeteries. The San Mateo County necropolis has been dubbed the "City of Souls" because it hosts an estimated two million dead people and only 1,200 live ones. Back in the days of William Randolph Hearst and Wyatt Earp??who are actually buried there??they transported bodies from San Francisco to Colma to make room.
Miracle Village, FL ?C The Town Of Sex Offenders
[ranking: 5]
Miracle Village is a small housing development outside of Pahokee, FL, that's home to more than 100 registered sex offenders. It was founded by a minister named Richard Witherow who worked in prisons for 30 years. He created the development as a place for recently released sex offenders to live while reintegrating into the community.
Witherow and his ministry, Matthew 25, oversee the development and have final approval over who lives there.
The Villages, FL ?C The Land Of Active Elderly Residents
[ranking: 6]
In 2015, reports began to materialize about a retirement community in Florida hosting epic levels of STDs. The reports were true. In "Florida's Friendliest Retirement Hometown," you wouldn't be hard-pressed to find two elderly lovebirds doing it on a golf cart. Seriously, that actually happened.
The Villages is home to 70,000 residents. There are 34 golf courses and whole heaps of fun things to do. According to the New York Post, the STD rates in this small town are some of the highest in Florida. Resident Roselyn Shelley said, "Whatever you know about 20-year-olds, it's the same with seniors."
Slab City, CA ?C A Place Totally Off The Grid
[ranking: 7]
In the words of Vice, "This bizarre, lawless land in the California desert is inhabited by drug addicts, eccentrics, army vets, hippies and just plain old weirdos. Slab City is referred to by its residents as 'the last free place in America.'"
Remember that scene in Into the Wild when Christopher McCandless (played by Emile Hirsch) meets Tracy Tatro (played by Kristen Stewart)? That was in Slab City. It's a place where hobos can live in peace, off the grid, free to smoke crack and be hippies. There are 150 people who permanently live there, but squatters and RV owners sometimes visit to pass the time. Decommissioned and uncontrolled, Slab City is a bastion for the free spirited anti-socialite.
Gibsonton, FL ?C Where Carnies Go To Chill
[ranking: 8]
Of the 14,234 residents of Gibsonton, FL, a sizable portion of them are carnival workers and sideshow human attractions looking to spend the off-season in a warm, welcoming climate. Residents affectionately call their home "Gibtown." There was even once a local police chief who was a dwarf and a fire chief who was an eight-foot-tall giant.
Hell, MI ?C A Town That Really Embraces Its Name
[ranking: 9]
Hell, MI, is a small town located in the southeastern part of the state close to Ann Arbor. Originally a milling town?C?Cand later a town full of bootleggers?C?Cthe town with the name Hell has really embraced it. As the story goes, Hell got its name after one of the city's founders was asked what he wanted to name it in the 1840s; he responded "You can name it Hell for all I care," and it stuck.
The town has profited off the name, though. They've embraced hell and Satan?C?Cyou can even get married in a devil church. You can buy a plot in Hell (as the website says, "buy a piece of Hell,") get a Gravedigger Sundae at The Creamatory at Screams, and even have a burger at the Hell Hole Diner who's pastries are "to die for." Hell also has a fake university called Damnation University?C?CDam U for short.
PhinDeli Town Buford, WY ?C A Town That Sold For $900,000
[ranking: 10]
What happens when you're the only man living in a tiny town? You sell it. At least, that's what Don Sammons did in 2013. Sammons lived in Buford, WY, with his wife and son?C?Cand they were the only three residents. He bought the town in 1992, but when his wife died three years later, and his son moved in 2007, Sammons decided he didn't want to live there either. He put the town up for sale in 2012, and the highest bid came from a Vietnamese coffee magnate.
For $900,000, Phan Dinh Nguyen bought the town with his business partner, and renamed it after their coffee brand PhinDeli. At the town's one gas station, they now sell the coffee.
Hildale, UT ?C AKA Polygamyville
[ranking: 11]
Hildale, UT, is a polygamist town. It's where the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (FLDS) is headquartered, a sect that still typically supports plural marriage.
Casey, IL - The Town Of Large Objects
[ranking: 12]
Casey, IL, has been around since 1834 and is about 2.16 square miles in size. As of 2013, the population was 2,752 people, marking Casey as a relatively small town. What is special about this town, however, is that it is known for housing "Big things," or objects that far out-proportion their intended size. There is a pencil that stands at 32 feet, 6 inches, for example, and a rocking chair approximately 56 feet tall.
Casey has plenty of big things to visit, but most impressively, there are at least 8 items that have been officially certified by Guinness as the world's largest of their kind.
Tangier, VA ?C It's Got A Unique Sound
[ranking: 13]
Tangier, VA, is located on Tangier Island in the Chesapeake Bay. Not only is it one of the oldest cities in America, but it's also one of the most unique sounding. The people on Tangier have a unique accent that linguists say is unlike any other place in the US. That's because the dialect of the locals in Tangier is a long-forgotten mix of an "American" accent with a mix of old British twang.
Some suspect the Founding Fathers and early settlers of America probably spoke similarly to the way the residents of Tangier speak now.
Burnt Corn, AL ?C Someone Named It Burnt Corn
[ranking: 14]
Welcome to Burnt Corn, AL. Rumors chide the town as a place that smells of a pungent popcorn odor. But those are just rumors. The inception of the name came about from the burning of corn fields during the scorched earth mayhem of the Creek War of 1813. Fun fact: there is no current population data for the town because a census hasn't been conducted there since 1880.
Maharishi Vedic City, IA ?C Where All The Homes Look Alike
[ranking: 15]
A lot of cities have their own set of codes dictating what houses need to look like, but Maharishi Vedic City takes that code just a little bit farther. Originally named Vedic City, the local government there decided it wanted all the houses and city buildings to reflect the Maharishi Sthapatya Veda. It's an ancient system of architecture and design from Hindu yogis meant to protect the residents of said buildings.
Originally thought up in 2001 by a group of Maharishi yogis and real estate developers, the town is about 77 square miles. The city banned all pesticides and only sells organic food. About 250 people lived there as of 2010.
Nameless, TN ?C That's Really Its Name
[ranking: 16]
Of the many unusual names of American cities, including Ugly, TX, Peculiar, MO, and Accident, MD, Nameless, TN, is one of the best. Legend has it that a long time ago when its residents applied for a post office, they left the name on the application blank, so the US Post Office Department issued applications back with "Nameless" stamped on the form. Sounds like somebody at the Post Office was trolling.
Roswell, NM ?C Aliens-R-Us
[ranking: 17]
It's been called the home of "the world's most famous, most exhaustively investigated, and most thoroughly debunked UFO claim." In 1947, residents of Roswell, NM, saw what appeared to be a UFO crash. The military said it was a conventional weather balloon, but many still believe.
The town has since become synonymous with UFOs and extraterrestrial conspiracy theories. The good news? Its tourist industry is thriving.
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