A bit about Cairo.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cairo,_Illinois



North of Cairo is a little town (I guess it's a town) called "Future City." I can't seem to find much about it. But it doesn't appear to be very populated.



Cairo overall seems to be a sad little town.



There is Street View also:

http://tinyurl.com/o66v6r

http://tinyurl.com/pxqs3z



I'm not trying to be down on Cairo, but I guess I never really paid attention to it before.

It is a sad place indeed. So many just stunningly beautiful buildings crumbling. So many people stuck in the cycle of poverty.



http://thecairoproject.org/



A magical season seemed to assure Cairo’s basketball team entry to the glittering world beyond. But then the downtrodden town that shaped them pulled them back.

Cairo is an amazing place. Like eee says, it's full of big, beautiful buildings. But they're mostly empty. Block after block of 4 and 5 story buildings lining what once must have been an incredibly vibrant downtown area. Completely abandoned.



We should send The Chariot down there to do a field report.

I've driven through Cairo once. We took the scenic route back from Kentucky Lakes. To me it looked like an inner city hood in the middle of absolutely nowhere.



The sad thing about Cairo is there is really nothing I could see bringing it back. Sure, it's at the confluence of the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers, but these days what role would that in and of itself play in revitalizing the town?



Not to get off topic, but Clarksdale, Mississippi is another town has seen better days. In some ways it reminds me of Cairo with lots of abandoned buildings and just a feel that the town used to "be something".



Of course, Clarksdale has the advantage of being the home of a lot of old blues artists and juke joints where folks like Muddy Waters, Son House, etc. all got their start. That has revitalized the town somewhat, though it is still plagued with the poverty that much of the MS Delta has. Morgan Freeman is a native of the area, owns two establishments in town and has been part of the rebirth there.



Who knows. Maybe 30 yrs. ago no one in the Delta thought being the home of the blues would be a draw. Maybe there is something in Cairo that could at least partially revive the town.



At this point, though, it doesn't look like it.

Hate will rot your soul, your family, and your town.



Cairo may be the only town in the nation that committed intentional suicide or self destruction because of hate. It's all due to race (think of the movie, "War of the Roses," and how it would apply to a community).



I've searched for psycho/sociological studies on the internet but only a couple attempts come up. The stories I've heard about what occurs in that town are incredible. Maybe a documentary film will be made someday.



The downtown is now nearly all collasped. One or two other remaining historic institutional buildings are now going.



www.staceengland.com/id14.html

It looks like most of Cairo's Downtown has been demolished in the last 2 years. About 2/3 of 1 block of downtown Cairo still remains (the north side of 8th Street between Washington & Commercial). Most of it was razed following an agreement between the Illinois Department of Commerce, Illinois Department of Historic Preservation, and the City of Cairo.

Here's a map of the properties that were destroyed:


And here are streetview shots of the buildings (note that every single building in the photos has been destroyed, not just those that are centered in the photo).










This is really unfortunate. Cairo used to hold a certain derelict curiosity for me. The reason I stumbled upon its destruction is because I was thinking of going and checking it out. At this point anyone interested in seeing an old charming somewhat dilapidated Mason-Dixon Line river town would be much better off visiting Paducah or Cape Girardeau. It seems that in Cairo there's almost nothing left.

Some will remember that in 2011 the Army Corps had to choose between Cairo flooding and blowing the Birds Point Levee and flooding 200 square miles of Mississippi County, MO. With only 2,800 people left in Cairo (and shrinking fast) it might not be long before the Corps chooses the 200 square miles of soybeans and corn over the almost entirely abandoned city.

Relevant/Irrelevant:

Pokey LaFarge's "Cairo, Illinois." Damn good song.

Here's an interesting synopsis of Cairo's history, with pictures:

http://www.legendsofamerica.com/il-cairo.html

As far as Cape Girardeau, it's a lot better off than Cairo, especially along the riverfront. It's neat to walk the Cape riverfront and the blocks there. A few buildings are empty, and one theater is in bad shape, but overall it looks a lot better than Cairo.

If any of you do ever visit Cape Girardeau, I recommend eating at Port Cape Girardeau. They have good food, but it's also a great historic building.

I can't believe they're tearing it all down. Cairo's downtown area was amazing. Have they never heard of historic renovation and adaptive re-use? This could have been really special.

^Agreed. It really could have been a special destination to step back in time. It's amazing that considering all of its history, at its current rate of decline (both population and structural) it will soon be as if it was never there.

Paducah, just up the Ohio, has done a good job of holding onto some of its old river city charm.

Has anyone seen this documentary?

http://www.betweentworivers.net/about.htm