Wow, Centralia is about the last thing I expected to see discussed on HN! I am from the area as well - I remember in the early 90's, smoke would come out of the

Wow, Centralia is about the last thing I expected to see discussed on HN! I am from the area as well - I remember in the early 90's, smoke would come out of the ground like some version of hell along Rt 61. I was in high school when that kid fell into a hole that just opened up under him. It's a beautiful area, but this part of the Coal Region hasn't seen anything approaching prosperity for at least half a century. Not even fracking helped - the Marcellus Shale is all to the north and west.