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Centralia

Ghost town · Columbia County, Pennsylvania

Catawissa quadrangle, USGS topographic map (1889, 1:62,500)
Catawissa quadrangle, USGS topographic map (1889, 1:62,500) · U.S. Geological Survey, Historical Topographic Map Collection · Public domain

Centralia is a ghost town in Columbia County, Pennsylvania. It is the only former community in Columbia County recorded on the federal names register, out of 102 across Pennsylvania.

Centralia was established in 1841, in the first half of the 19th century; at its height the population reached about 1,435.

The U.S. Geological Survey lists Centralia as a historical populated place: the name is no longer in official use for a community, whether the settlement was abandoned, absorbed into a neighbouring town or renamed. The recorded location is 40.8033° N, 76.3417° W.

Key facts

Founded1841
Peak population1,435
Last recorded population5
Elevation1,482 ft
Nearest living townAristes, PA
Distance to it0.8 miles
Coordinates40.80333, -76.34167

Open the location on a map

What's there now

Centralia is no longer a community in its own right. The nearest living town is Aristes, PA (population 208), about 0.8 miles away in a straight line, and the site sits at roughly 1,482 feet above sea level. Much of the land around former townsites is private; check access before you visit.

Images

Centralia as seen from the west end of South Street.
Centralia as seen from the west end of South Street. · Tom Vazquez / Wikimedia Commons · public-domain

Nearby places

Sources and licences

Facts marked "approximately" carry an uncertain date in the source. Text on this page is generated from the sources above; no encyclopedia prose is copied. Last updated 2026-11-05.