Wednesday, July 4, 2018

The Weirdest Small Towns in the United States

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The Weirdest Small Towns in the United States

Noah Henry

105.1k votes 25.8k voters 16 items

List Rules: Vote up the strangest towns in the United States.

A post on Medium in May 2016 attempted to tackle a seemingly unanswerable question: what's the weirdest town in America? To do this, Lyman Stone used twenty different variables, including what percentage of each city's population was foreign-born, married, working, in the armed forces, etc. He then compared that data to national averages. What he found was that San Jose, CA, is the most bizarre town in the US. But though it may be demographically weird, San Jose doesn't hold a candle to these weird small towns in the United States.

Truth be told, there are thousands of weird US towns that didn't make this list, some of which include Hollywood, Portland, and Providence. The following, however, are notorious for their stark oddity. If you've ever wanted to travel America in search of the silliest, saddest, and most psychopathic of all the states, consider this a travel guide to the weirdest small towns in America.

Photo: Vítězslav Válka

1 Centralia, PA - On Fire Since the '60s

Centralia is listed (or ranked) 1 on the list The Weirdest Small Towns in the United States — Photo: JohnDS/Wikimedia Commons

In 1981, there were 1,000 people living in Centralia, PA. By 2010, there were 10. What happened? Well, there's been a coal mine fire burning beneath the town since 1962. Sinkholes, toxic smoke, gas—the highway itself is hot to the touch. Residents apparently couldn't deal. Although it's been on fire for decades, experts believe that it may burn for another 250 years. If, for some bizarre reason, this sounds like a place where you'd like to live, you can't. In 1992, the state of Pennsylvania seized all the property in the town and condemned it. They allowed the then-current residents to stay, but once they die, that'll be the end of Centralia.

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2 Monowi, NE - Population: 1

Monowi is listed (or ranked) 2 on the list The Weirdest Small Towns in the United States — Photo: Bkell/Wikimedia Commons

There is literally one person who lives in Monowi, NE. Her name is Elsie Eiler. She used to live in Monowi with her husband, Rudy, but he passed away in 2004. Elsie is the mayor, the town bartender, and the sole librarian. She pays taxes to herself. Elsie is an octogenarian, meaning the town might soon be abandoned.

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3 Whittier, AK - Everyone Lives in One Building

Whittier is listed (or ranked) 3 on the list The Weirdest Small Towns in the United States — Photo: Jessica Spengler/Wikimedia Commons

There is a small town 58 miles southeast of Anchorage where everyone lives together. In one building.

The 14-story Begich Towers is home to the 214 people of Whittier, AK. It was originally an army barracks, but the tower grew to include a police station, a post office, store, church, video rental shop, playground, and health center. It's a cozy nook if there ever was one.

Is this strange?

4 Miracle Village, FL - The Town of Sex Offenders

Miracle Village, FL - The Town... is listed (or ranked) 4 on the list The Weirdest Small Towns in the United States — Photo: Miracle Village/Fabrica

Miracle Village is a small housing development outside of Pahokee, FL, that's home to more than 100 registered sex offenders. It was founded by a minister named Richard Witherow who worked in prisons for 30 years. He created the development as a place for recently released sex offenders to live while reintegrating into the community. Witherow and his ministry, Matthew 25, oversee the development and have final approval over who lives there.