Centralia, Pennsylvania
Centralia is a borough and near-ghost town in Columbia County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is part of Northeastern Pennsylvania. Its population declined from 1,000 in 1980 to five residents in 2020 because a coal mine fire has been 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.
Centralia, Pennsylvania
Bull's Head | |
|---|---|
Centralia as seen from South Street, July 2010 | |
Location of Centralia in Columbia County, Pennsylvania | |
Centralia Location of Centralia in Pennsylvania Centralia Centralia (the United States) | |
| Coordinates: 40°48′12″N 76°20′30″W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Pennsylvania |
| County | Columbia |
| Settled | 1841 (as Bull's Head) |
| Incorporated | 1866 (Borough of Centralia) |
| Founded by | Jonathan Faust |
| Government | |
| • Mayor a | Carl Womer (d.2014) |
| Area | |
| • Total | 0.24 sq mi (0.62 km2) |
| • Land | 0.24 sq mi (0.62 km2) |
| • Water | 0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2) 0% |
| Elevation | 1,467 ft (447 m) |
| Population (2020) | |
| • Total | 5 |
| • Density | 20.833/sq mi (8.08/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-5 (Eastern (EST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-4 (EDT) |
| ZIP Code | |
| Area code | 570 |
| FIPS code | 42-12312 |
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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.