[bumby]

I don't think the fuel type, but rather the labor and regulatory environment, was the driver of those conditions. We can't know for sure, obviously, but had oil been used before coal, I have a feeling those towns would still exist.

[s1artibartfast]

I agree that's probably a big part of it. Another interesting thought is that if we never moved off of coal we would probably have a lot more electrification and mass transit because call makes more sense in terms of centralized power generation. Sounds like the makings of a steampunk novella