32 Abandoned Cities That Are Slowly Being Reclaimed by Nature

Lisette Marie

May 21, 2025

28. Centralia, Pennsylvania, USA: The Town Above an Eternal Fire

A drone photo of the Graffiti Highway in Centralia, Pennsylvania which was taken January 4th, 2019. Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons @Codyrt

Beneath Centralia, Pennsylvania, a coal mine fire has been smoldering since 1962, rendering the town above uninhabitable. Most residents relocated, leaving behind a grid of empty streets, cracked highways emitting steam, and an eerie, quiet landscape. Nature is slowly advancing, with forests encroaching on former yards and the infamous "Graffiti Highway" (now mostly covered) becoming a symbol of its unique desolation. Centralia offers a chilling example of an environmental catastrophe forcing abandonment, creating a strangely beautiful, post-apocalyptic terrain.

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32 Abandoned Cities That Are Slowly Being Reclaimed by Nature

28. Centralia, Pennsylvania, USA: The Town Above an Eternal Fire

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