Mahanoy City and surrounding coal region towns. Tell me more.

I live in rural New England and take 81 through PA 2 or 3 times a year and know the state pretty well. I remember years ago I started to wonder more and more about the coal region, as there was always a spooky but intriguing vibe on the interstate driving through the Skook/Northumberland area. So last year I finally took the exit and drove around Mahanoy City for 15 minutes. I was so confused and intrigued that I convinced my buddy to drive with me a few months later and spend a day around that area. We went to Mahanoy City, Shenandoah, Mount Carmel and St. Clair. Drove around a bunch, sat at some bars, got fluff burgers. Still I think there’s something charming here and I really think this region is beautiful and has good people but also some pretty obvious sadness. And I’ve been to a lot of isolated tiny towns, but I’m overwhelmed by the fact that these “cities” especially Mahanoy City are surrounded by nothing but are so built up and concentrated. So please, tell me more, what’s the day to day life like here? What’s there to do? What else should I know?