There used to be a stretch of abandoned/closed road because of the heat underneath degrading the earth beneath it. It became a party spot for locals and travellers alike, in the wilderness of an evacuated town. Graffitti Highway is unfortunately covered by loose gravel and sand now to discourage people from making such an incredicle mess in the woods.

While Centralia may be mostly empty today, the surrounding areas still have quite a few people still living there, who care what their backyards look like.

When I was there I parked to see the sights. I got out near the cemetary because the view over the town below is exceptional. While walking down the street I was stopped by an older couple, closer to retirement age than me, in their car which they rolled down the window and asked me:

“Do you know where the church that was saved from the fire is?”

I love that the top photo of the wiki page is an uneventful picture of their graveyard, as if that's the most interesting thing in that town

AKA the portal to hell

That’s some shit!

There's a Centralia here in WA, too, and it might become uninhabitable soon because of climate change causing annual flooding. That town name has some really bad luck.

Isn’t this the place that inspired the coal fires you see in the Dan Akroyd movie “Nothing But Trouble?”

I think I read somewhere the fire has gotten under the town cemetery. Flaming zombies anyone?