Originally posted by gwydionblack
I live near Centralia. The inspiration for the Silent Hill video game franchise. Definitely can see where the creepiness comes from. The place feels like a gateway to Hell itself and the road to it has earned the nickname of "Hell's Highway".

The entire roadway has been gratified to insane proportions. You can, however, still drive to a spot that leads right into the main part of town, and there is even a road that goes right through town. Only one house still stands, a church, an inactive fire station with a working whistle, and a memorial to those lost. The rest are a bunch of cement foundations where homes once stood.

Every couple of feet there are cracks in the ground where smoke is coming out of the ground, and at some portions it is advices to be careful due to cave ins. You can feel the heat against rising up from the earth all around you and then, when the sun is just about to set - the fire whistle goes off. For those who are familiar with the Silent Hill games, you would recognize the terror things brings to people standing in Centralia for the first time after playing those games. It certainly isn't fun, that is for sure.

Most definitely one of the creepiest places I have ever been. There is no wildlife or humanity left there, and the vegetation moves away with every passing day. I'm never one to believe in paranormal, but if ever there was a place where I felt something spiritual as in, from the afterlife, that is the place I feel it. Certainly a unique experience.