Why is northern Eriador (Lake Evendim, Fornost) deserted at the end of the 3rd Age?

[zxcvbn]

I always found it strange that apart from Bree-land and the Rangers there were no remnants of Arnor in the late Third Age. Surely othere Arnorian communities south of Bree-land would have survived the war with Angmar? I remember Tharbad was still occupied until a century or so before the War of the Ring.

[Elmo]

Well the trolls in the hobbit must have got their human food from somewhere!

[Snowdog]

So, anybody have any theories on the abandonment of Annuminas?

I think it was a gradual abandonment, with a final blow coming when the ruling seat was moved to Fornost. They were in need of a fortress as opposed to the picturesque city by the lakeshore. I doubt it would have been in one deciding move to abandon a thriving city.

[Inziladun]

Originally Posted by Snowdog

So, anybody have any theories on the abandonment of Annuminas?

I think it was a gradual abandonment, with a final blow coming when the ruling seat was moved to Fornost. They were in need of a fortress as opposed to the picturesque city by the lakeshore. I doubt it would have been in one deciding move to abandon a thriving city.

I think it was a gradual happening, occurring for the reason you give, and also because many of the Dúnedain of Arthedain had perished in the long-term fighting. With so many gone, perhaps Annumínas was already falling into decay, even as Minas Tirith was later observed to be when Pippin went there with Gandalf.
I see another parallel with the abandonment of Osgiliath, the location of the King's House in Gondor, and the removal thereof to Minas Anor at about the same time.

[CSteefel]

Originally Posted by Inziladun

I think it was a gradual happening, occurring for the reason you give, and also because many of the Dúnedain of Arthedain had perished in the long-term fighting. With so many gone, perhaps Annumínas was already falling into decay, even as Minas Tirith was later observed to be when Pippin went there with Gandalf.
I see another parallel with the abandonment of Osgiliath, the location of the King's House in Gondor, and the removal thereof to Minas Anor at about the same time.

I think the comparison with Osgiliath is pretty good, and reinforces some of the comments above about the idea that Annuminas was probably not as easily defensible as Fornost.

Anyway, repeating myself to some extent, the comments that the "Rangers go there sometimes" suggests that they do NOT live to the north, but probably closer to the Angle as suggested elsewhere. I am not sure that 1,000 or more makes sense for the Rangers, given that they could only muster on the order of 30 or so men for the final battles. The largest contingent of Rangers seems to be somewhere in the vicinity of Sarn Ford, since the Unfinished Tales tells us that there was at least a modest force there who were driven off by the Nazgul.