Coal Region Ghost Towns (news story)

While my book will concentrate on the history of Carpatho-Rusyn communities during the immigrant era, to tell the whole story the post-immigrant years cannot be overlooked. For many Pennsylvania towns with major Carpatho-Rusyn populations, economic and demographic changes have drastically changed the face of what were once dynamic environments. Every one of the most-vacant towns listed here had a major Rusyn community, except Ashland.

(original article here at WNEP-16)


August 10, 2011, by Dave Bohman

An Action 16 investigation finds some communities in our region are fast becoming virtual ghost towns.

The proof comes from the 2010 U.S. Census which found in three area communities more than 25 percent of the homes and businesses sit vacant.

The three communities are in the heart of the coal region. All experienced population and employment losses in recent years that left hundreds of vacant houses and storefronts.

In Mahanoy City, Schuykill County, according to the U.S. Census, 26.3 percent of its homes sit vacant.

Just a block from the main street a home is selling for less than a price of a used car.

Shamokin, Northumberland County also has a vacancy rate of 26.3 percent. Afternoon traffic rarely stops on downtown blocks that increasingly see buildings for rent or for sale.

Shenandoah has the region’s highest vacancy rate at 28.9 percent.
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For this report, Newswatch 16 looked at area communities with more than 2,000 people. The top 10 are:
Shenandoah 28.9%
Shamokin 26.3 %
Mahanoy City 26.3 %
Mount Carmel 22.7 %
Ashland 22.4%
Lansford 20.8 %
Plymouth 18%
McAdoo 17.2%
Coaldale 16.7%
Frackville 16.2%

As for Shenandoah, Mahanoy City and Shamokin, the communities had vacancy rates of less than 20 percent in 2000. The situation is now so tough, that many homes for sale in these communities costing less than $15,000.