This is a sad state of affairs for a once proud city. I can only imagine how the residents feel about being there. It is too bad that any sort of development to turn this around will not likely be forthcoming.
Don't know why, but Union naval architects named one of their earliest ironclad gunboats The Cairo after this town. Maybe she was spec'ed out for war there. The ship was utilized in the capture of Fort Pillow, then sunk in MS swampland during the Vicksburg siege. Much of its superstructure and armaments have been recovered and been reconstructed as a museum in Vicksburg Battlefield Park. Very interesting if you get the chance.
TH-cam is a strange thing. This is the third or fourth video that's popped up about Cairo, specifically, and just today. I'm from Sikeston, over in Missouri, grew up there. I've heard of Cairo my whole life, not all of it good. Besides the rivers flooding it every freakin spring, it got the reputation (earned or not) of being a mob gathering place. We all knew that Illinois in general was mob-run, Chicago being the largest and most notorius, but towns in the south of the state were not immune to this.And that's not the only strangeness. Just north of Cairo to just about even with East St. Louis, there have been strange animal stories as well. The Shawnee National Forest takes up a huge section of the southern part of the state, and every few weeks the news would have a story of a body found, or someone missing, and even strange animals being seen. Having been stranded ONCE and ONLY ONCE there, I can tell you that area is spooky as hell. Picking up hitchhikers, or being a hitchhiker in that area, well, you might never be seen or heard from again. I heard one story that a couple of guys who broke down on a backroad there, flagged down a driver who turned out to be John Wayne Gacy. They got away, some didn't. Cairo, specifically was where the young guys would go to buy booze underage, or something stronger, if they asked, or even buy the company of a lady for the evening. The local cops would look away, unless you caused a stink, then you were banned. There was always a cop at the Illinois side of the Mississippi bridge to check out who was coming over, and if you were a troublemaker (or had a big mouth) you were turned back, sent home. Check it out with the locals, some will tell you, some won''t.
I'm from not far from Cairo and left many years ago. I bet legalized marijuana in Cairo is being looked at hard by entrepreneurs. I know it's illegal in surrounding states, but take a look at the map at how many border states there are with Cairo. Illinois is recreational legal in 2020. Cheap real estate, border states...…. Trinidad Colorado is a perfect example. The town fills up on the weekends with plates from New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, etc. Once again I'm not justifying, just thinking like I know many are right now.
With the availability of high speed cable internet, small towns could be an ideal place for remote workers (IT and programming, in particular) seeking cheaper rent and to move away from the hustle and bustle of big cities. The income inflow could revitalize the local economy of small towns and at the same time, remove some infrastructure demands from big cities. This requires federal and state infrastructure investments, which is currently on the drawing board and some work from the town mayors/council to do marketing/advertising and make it a conducive place for remote workers.
I think you're right. But, I'm not up to speed on the state of Illinois and how state taxes are distributed to areas like this. I know that my family all lived in upstate NY but have slowly moved to the south as they got older, not only for the weather but for low property tax. Some were paying 4-5 times what you might pay for property in Tennessee or South Carolina for example. It could be done, but it would take a big effort by the state to encourage people to come.
@Mike M States in US as well business only concern themselves with quick / short term profit. That's why developing countries including China + India are growing at exponentially higher profit rates!
Lived across the river in Wickliffe Ky early 60’s. Cairo was a dangerous place even in the daytime. Kentuckians rarely if ever went there. Our class went to Magnolia Manor on a field trip. 5:24 Glad to see it is still kept up.
It's so sad to see all those abandoned, collapsing houses and commercial buildings where people once lived, worked and shopped. It was once a thriving town. I just wonder what caused it's decline.
When Missouri and Kentucky are right there, why would you do business in high tax Illinois? Along with Cairo being a disaster and dirt poor, there is no reason to try to have a business there. The tax revenue generated by local businesses if they were even successful would just go to Chicagoland.
I used to live in Cairo Illinois between age 4 - 7 it did not used to look like this in the early 80s there was lots of traffic ppls and even had a tall Christmas tree ever year there will also corner stores plenty of grocery stores as well whoever was the mayor over here should be ashamed of theirself I also think that it is sad that all those people had to move out of those projects apartments
Can't believe you didn't show the old federal building, once collected tariff's on everything entering the US via the Mississippi & once federal court house as well.
That Brownstone at 2:56-looks like someone tried restoring it-and gave up. Face it, when people leave , there is very little incentive to maintain a house, who would you sell it to?
@@kainsj1 Yes, spent about 4 hours here in early October, I was out in NC and made a detour on the trip back to northern IL to see Cairo. Interesting place, lots of history, they've knocked a lot down over the years but still a lot to see. I talked to one woman who said she has lived here 50 years and was originally from the UK.
We got help and save this town and we can fix everything there if they all put there head together and work together and get more job down there and more that the only way it work.
This is easily fixed. Stop trying to save the area. Do nothing. No flood programs. No evaluations. Just have the locals do as they so please, stay or leave. Take down the 2 bridges. Build a single bridge connecting Wickliffe, KY with Missouri Rte 62. No more problems.
My grandparents met in this town and got married in that church. It’s sad what happened there. Race riots and hate crimes completely destroyed the town.
Race riots and hatred are mere symptoms of what happens when riverboat boom town meets modernization in the middle of nowhere. Poverty sets in, town rots. Sad to see in this once proud town. Victim of changes. Progress isn't always good for the human spirit.
It lost everything due to internal (City) corruption over many years. There was extremely high crime rates too. It was a dangerous place to drive through, visit and live. Had nothing to do with losing a large employer. The corruption went on for a long time. It is both abandoned and impoverished. And it will never recover.
@@bradleymcwilliams6348 You are right as of right now. Never say never. The river could be a draw for the right investment group. Anything could happen. It just takes a single successful investment to turn things around.
Because the most interesting part of Cairo is the history behind much of its abandoned buildings and homes. What would have been the point of driving around the inhabited parts of the city?
@@ciriusaerial1320 Because you're showing the town unfairly. Talk to the people still there, get THEIR side of the story. These "drive around Cairo and show abandoned buildings"with no talking or dialog" are a dime a dozen.
![BOWKYLION - วิงวอน (ex-change) [Official MV]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/cLdnZWDaO-w/mqdefault.jpg)
![ร้อยพ่อพันแม่ - WanMai [Official MV]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/XY2pNYASEbg/mqdefault.jpg)
This is a sad state of affairs for a once proud city. I can only imagine how the residents feel about being there. It is too bad that any sort of development to turn this around will not likely be forthcoming.
Plenty of Federal $ + efforts for Ukraine 🇺🇦
What a creepy town
Don't know why, but Union naval architects named one of their earliest ironclad gunboats The Cairo after this town. Maybe she was spec'ed out for war there. The ship was utilized in the capture of Fort Pillow, then sunk in MS swampland during the Vicksburg siege. Much of its superstructure and armaments have been recovered and been reconstructed as a museum in Vicksburg Battlefield Park. Very interesting if you get the chance.
Prophetic. Looks like she’s seen some war.
@@rubyait looks like the town has too.
@@michaeldavidfigures9842 That’s the “she’s” of my comment.
@@rubyait 👍
TH-cam is a strange thing. This is the third or fourth video that's popped up about Cairo, specifically, and just today. I'm from Sikeston, over in Missouri, grew up there. I've heard of Cairo my whole life, not all of it good. Besides the rivers flooding it every freakin spring, it got the reputation (earned or not) of being a mob gathering place. We all knew that Illinois in general was mob-run, Chicago being the largest and most notorius, but towns in the south of the state were not immune to this.And that's not the only strangeness. Just north of Cairo to just about even with East St. Louis, there have been strange animal stories as well. The Shawnee National Forest takes up a huge section of the southern part of the state, and every few weeks the news would have a story of a body found, or someone missing, and even strange animals being seen. Having been stranded ONCE and ONLY ONCE there, I can tell you that area is spooky as hell. Picking up hitchhikers, or being a hitchhiker in that area, well, you might never be seen or heard from again. I heard one story that a couple of guys who broke down on a backroad there, flagged down a driver who turned out to be John Wayne Gacy. They got away, some didn't. Cairo, specifically was where the young guys would go to buy booze underage, or something stronger, if they asked, or even buy the company of a lady for the evening. The local cops would look away, unless you caused a stink, then you were banned. There was always a cop at the Illinois side of the Mississippi bridge to check out who was coming over, and if you were a troublemaker (or had a big mouth) you were turned back, sent home. Check it out with the locals, some will tell you, some won''t.
I'm freaked out to know that people still live there 😧😨😳
Cairo makes East St. Louis look like Beverly Hills.
I'm from not far from Cairo and left many years ago. I bet legalized marijuana in Cairo is being looked at hard by entrepreneurs. I know it's illegal in surrounding states, but take a look at the map at how many border states there are with Cairo. Illinois is recreational legal in 2020. Cheap real estate, border states...….
Trinidad Colorado is a perfect example. The town fills up on the weekends with plates from New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, etc. Once again I'm not justifying, just thinking like I know many are right now.
That’s a great idea, revenue from marijuana sales would bring back a thriving economy
@ADNS MUSIC
or @ least: Cannabis farming.
With the availability of high speed cable internet, small towns could be an ideal place for remote workers (IT and programming, in particular) seeking cheaper rent and to move away from the hustle and bustle of big cities. The income inflow could revitalize the local economy of small towns and at the same time, remove some infrastructure demands from big cities. This requires federal and state infrastructure investments, which is currently on the drawing board and some work from the town mayors/council to do marketing/advertising and make it a conducive place for remote workers.
I think you're right. But, I'm not up to speed on the state of Illinois and how state taxes are distributed to areas like this. I know that my family all lived in upstate NY but have slowly moved to the south as they got older, not only for the weather but for low property tax. Some were paying 4-5 times what you might pay for property in Tennessee or South Carolina for example. It could be done, but it would take a big effort by the state to encourage people to come.
They have to look better than this video to get the kind of people who WFH.
small towns dont want a bunch of work from home poeple jacking up the cost of living.
They'd get raped by Illinois taxes.
@Mike M
States in US as well business only concern themselves with quick / short term profit. That's why developing countries including China + India are growing at exponentially higher profit rates!
Lived across the river in Wickliffe Ky early 60’s.
Cairo was a dangerous place even in the daytime.
Kentuckians rarely if ever went there.
Our class went to Magnolia Manor on a field trip. 5:24
Glad to see it is still kept up.
One of the most depressing videos I have watched, and, yes, I have seen West Virginia.
It's so sad to see all those abandoned, collapsing houses and commercial buildings where people once lived, worked and shopped. It was once a thriving town. I just wonder what caused it's decline.
This so damn freaking sad.
But true. ✔
Lovely and fittng piano music.
What was the building with green painted wondows. What did it use to be. The one you used as thumbnail for this video.
All those structures and not a soul around. Amazing the huge abandoned apartment complex.
Target-rich environment for fixer-uppers. Interesting the number of shotgun (long, skinny) houses, typical of much of the South.
That reminds me of Chernobyl, but instead there's no nuclear explosion in the United States
When Missouri and Kentucky are right there, why would you do business in high tax Illinois? Along with Cairo being a disaster and dirt poor, there is no reason to try to have a business there. The tax revenue generated by local businesses if they were even successful would just go to Chicagoland.
Well Put. Liberals Destroy all Cities and States.
That's why Cairo Illinois is being supported by Chicago
I used to live in Cairo Illinois between age 4 - 7 it did not used to look like this in the early 80s there was lots of traffic ppls and even had a tall Christmas tree ever year there will also corner stores plenty of grocery stores as well whoever was the mayor over here should be ashamed of theirself I also think that it is sad that all those people had to move out of those projects apartments
One step at the time. Settle in the good houses first. That s what i d look for. Food and shelter is needed.
It looks like the town from the movie
big Fish
Can't believe you didn't show the old federal building, once collected tariff's on everything entering the US via the Mississippi & once federal court house as well.
Did you know something about trams in Cairo? I think I saw tracks on Commercial Avenue?
That Brownstone at 2:56-looks like someone tried restoring it-and gave up. Face it, when people leave , there is very little incentive to maintain a house, who would you sell it to?
Always been a speed trap
I wonder,in what year did these buildings look good and useful?
Back in the 60s and all the years before.
Charles Dickens visited Cairo back in the 1840's. Said at was a shite hole. Something like that, anyhow.
Nice video, planning on checking Cairo out for the first time next week...
So tell us: did you go? If so, how that went?
@@kainsj1 Yes, spent about 4 hours here in early October, I was out in NC and made a detour on the trip back to northern IL to see Cairo. Interesting place, lots of history, they've knocked a lot down over the years but still a lot to see. I talked to one woman who said she has lived here 50 years and was originally from the UK.
We got help and save this town and we can fix everything there if they all put there head together and work together and get more job down there and more that the only way it work.
Looks scary
This is easily fixed.
Stop trying to save the area. Do nothing. No flood programs. No evaluations. Just have the locals do as they so please, stay or leave.
Take down the 2 bridges.
Build a single bridge connecting Wickliffe, KY with Missouri Rte 62.
No more problems.
Ouch. That was ROUGH to watch.
I used to live there
Eimohn Ellis what happened?
@@Kaiju3301 they had to shut it down
Why did they shut it down?
@@jerry19880615 Corruption. Much in the same way Detroit went down.
My grandparents met in this town and got married in that church. It’s sad what happened there. Race riots and hate crimes completely destroyed the town.
Race riots and hatred are mere symptoms of what happens when riverboat boom town meets modernization in the middle of nowhere. Poverty sets in, town rots. Sad to see in this once proud town. Victim of changes. Progress isn't always good for the human spirit.
70% black, 28% white. Democrat state, Democrat city. Facts.
Yes!!!
Of course....this is the result...P.O.T.A.......
Looks more abandoned than impoverished. I'm assuming it lost its only major employer years ago.
It lost everything due to internal (City) corruption over many years. There was extremely high crime rates too. It was a dangerous place to drive through, visit and live. Had nothing to do with losing a large employer. The corruption went on for a long time. It is both abandoned and impoverished. And it will never recover.
@@charlottecannon8094,It could recover with interested investors. The problem is finding the investors.
@@KWE.ECLECTIC Investors for Cairo? You can't find what doesn't exist...
@@bradleymcwilliams6348 You are right as of right now. Never say never. The river could be a draw for the right investment group. Anything could happen. It just takes a single successful investment to turn things around.
@WORDto BIGbird Damn and I thought Detroit was bad.............
so sad.
The Walking Dead could’ve filmed all its episodes here and there would’ve been no need for any set design.
*¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡""CAIRO, ILLINOIS HAD A SOME-CRAZY REPUTATION BACK YEARS-AGO""!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!*
Damn, looks like Detroit!
Detroit on steroids
Looks worse than East St. Louis in my opinion.
This will be the future of Seattle if the shit does not stop.
Yes it Does.
@@saswatrath609 Just what I was thinking, common sight in the USA now.
This is what happens when riverboat boom town meets modernization in the middle of nowhere. Progress takes no prisoners. Sad.
Pay attention America this Blythe is coming to your town!
WHY DIDN'T YOU TAKE HWY 3 THROUGH DOWN TOWN TOWARD THE BRIDGES TO KY. & MO? WHY DID YOU LEAVE THAT PART OF TOWN OUT?
Where did all the people go that lived in public housing down there ? That's a lot of vacant and abandoned housing.
They were the smart ones. They left
02:43
Needs some TLC!
Cairo given the kiss of death . Go figure !
I was born there
If this represents the whole town, it should just be bulldozed...looks irretrievable...
Yeah just turned it into Farm fields
Chicago says they're going to put money into Cairo Illinois I don't know what for but that's what they're going to do
Eastern Germany before “ die Wende”
This is pretty typical of most small towns around America. The world has moved on.
I don't think this is typical at all. Cairo is definitely a unique case.
Truth. There are many abandoned and dying small towns throughout the country. "Sign of the times" in America.
Where are the people?!? Why is it these videos never go to the areas where the people are???
Because the most interesting part of Cairo is the history behind much of its abandoned buildings and homes. What would have been the point of driving around the inhabited parts of the city?
@@ciriusaerial1320 Because you're showing the town unfairly. Talk to the people still there, get THEIR side of the story. These "drive around Cairo and show abandoned buildings"with no talking or dialog" are a dime a dozen.
Is America in decline or can it bounce back
More like Silent Hill
Zero🐴 town.
how bout sending all the homeless they good campers