I always find it odd how outsiders often have negative things to say about Trona. To me Trona looks a lot like parts of Ridgecrest, Barstow, Tonopah, Yucca Valley, Pahrump, Keeler, and Morongo Valley. All of them have their rundown sections and their more nicely maintained sections and so I don't see anything unusual about Trona compared to your typical desert town. But in any case Trona made it onto some guy's list which he calls the Encyclopedia of Forlorn Places.
Trona is a strange and uniquely desolate place. The Trona Pinnacles are 12 miles south of Trona. Ballarat, Ruth Mine, Randsburg, Death Valley and Owens Lake/Keeler are all near by putting Trona in the heart of the strangest and bleakest part of the Mojave.
LINK: http://eofp.net/trona.html