(via delya)

Interesting stories about lonely places

mothernaturenetwork:

At its peak, Centralia, Penn., was home to almost 3,000 people. Today, the coal-mining town has a population of 10. What happened? In 1962, workers set trash on fire in an abandoned mine, but an exposed vein of anthracite coal also caught fire. The fire spread throughout mines beneath the town, and for the next 20 years, numerous attempts were made to extinguish it. Then in 1981, the ground crumbled beneath 12-year-old resident Todd Domboski, and Pennsylvania basically condemned the town and spent $42 million to relocate residents.
 
The fire continues to burn today — in fact, experts say there’s enough coal to feed the fire for 250 years. Although a handful of people remain in Centralia, all properties in the town were reclaimed by the state under eminent domain, and the borough’s ZIP code was revoked in 1992.

12 U.S. places where your visit could double the population

(via cavaalier)

johanna:

http://www.wtfnoway.com/

Makes US debt crisis more plastic!