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Centralia
Sign in to saveAlso known as Centralia, Pennsylvania, Centralia, PA
borough and near-ghost town in Columbia County, Pennsylvania, United States
Key facts
- Country
- United States
- State
- Pennsylvania
- County
- Columbia
- Settled
- 1841 (as Bull's Head)
- Incorporated
- 1866 ( 1866 ) (Borough of Centralia)
- Founded by
- Jonathan Faust
- Mayor
- Collapsed Authority
- Total
- 0.24 sq mi (0.62 km )
- Land
- 0.24 sq mi (0.62 km )
- Water
- 0 sq mi (0.00 km ) 0%
- Elevation
- 1,467 ft (447 m)
- Density
- 20.9/sq mi (8.08/km )
- Time zone
- UTC-5 ( Eastern (EST) )
- Summer dst
- UTC-4 (EDT)
- Zip code
- 17927 (discontinued 2002 ) 17921 ( Ashland 2002–present)
- Fips code
- 42-12312
via Wikipedia infobox
Wikidata facts
- Official name
- Centralia
- Population
- 5
- Area
- 0.620391
- Elevation
- 447
- Official website
- centraliapa.com
- Image
- Centralia Skyline.jpg
- Households
- 0
- Dialing code
- 570
Show 6 more facts
- Commons category
- Centralia, Pennsylvania
- inception
- 1841-00-00
- postal code
- 17927
- native label
- Centralia
- water area
- 0.001531
- water as percent of area
- 0.2468
via Wikidata · CC0
~23 min read
Article
Centralia (/sɛnˈtreɪliə/ sen-TRAY-li-ə) is a borough and near-ghost town in Columbia County, Pennsylvania, United States, part of Northeastern Pennsylvania. Its population declined from 1,000 in 1980 to five residents in 2020 because of a coal mine fire burning beneath the borough since 1962. Centralia, part of the Bloomsburg–Berwick metropolitan area, is the least-populated municipality in Pennsylvania. It is completely surrounded by Conyngham Township.
All real estate in the borough was claimed under eminent domain in 1992 and condemned by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Centralia's ZIP Code was discontinued by the Postal Service in 2002. State and local officials reached an agreement with the then seven remaining residents on October 29, 2013, allowing them to remain in Centralia until their deaths, after which the rights to their houses will be taken through eminent domain. As of 2020, only five residents remain.