Driving Around Abandoned City Cairo, IL in 4k Video
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 1 ต.ค. 2024
- Filmed on Sunday, April 30, 2023, I drive around the abandoned city of Cairo, Illinois to see what's going on.
If you'd rather control the camera and take a look around, check out the 360° tour of Cairo: • Driving Around Abandon...
Developed as a river port, Cairo was later bypassed by transportation changes away from the large expanse of low-lying land and water, which surrounds Cairo, and due to industrial restructuring, the population peaked at 15,203 in 1920, while in the 2020 census it was 1,733.
Cairo has the lowest elevation of any location in Illinois and is the only Illinois city to be surrounded by levees. The entire city was evacuated during the 2011 Mississippi River Floods. The United States Army Corps of Engineers breached levees in the Mississippi flood zone near Cairo in Missouri to prevent flooding in Cairo and other more populous areas further downstream along both the Ohio and Mississippi rivers.
The first municipal charter for Cairo and for the Bank of Cairo were issued in 1818, but without any settlement and without any depositors. A second and successful effort to establish a town was made by the Cairo City and Canal Company in 1836-37, with a large levee built to encircle the site. However, this effort collapsed in 1840, with few settlers remaining.
Charles Dickens visited Cairo in 1842, and was unimpressed. The city would serve as his prototype for the nightmare City of Eden in his novel Martin Chuzzlewit.
A new city charter was written in 1857, and Cairo flourished as trade with Chicago to the north spurred development. By 1860, the population exceeded 2,000.
In January 1862, during the Civil war, General Ulysses S. Grant occupied the city, and had Fort Defiance constructed to protect the confluence. Cairo became an important Union supply base and training center for the remainder of the war.
The strategic importance of Cairo's geographic location during the Civil War sparked prosperity in the town. Several banks were founded during the war years, and the growth in banking and steamboat traffic continued after the war.
Wealthy merchants and shippers built numerous fine mansions in the 19th and early 20th century, including the Italianate Magnolia Manor, completed in 1872, and the Second Empire Riverlore Mansion, built by Capt. William P. Halliday in 1865.
The slow economic decline of Cairo can be traced to local and regional changes back to the early 20th century. In 1889 the Illinois Central Railroad bridge was completed over the Ohio River, which brought about a decline in ferry business. The immediate economic impact was not severe, as the railroad traffic still was directed through Cairo, and automobile and truck traffic increased in the early 20th century.
In 1905 a second bridge was constructed across the Mississippi River at Thebes, Illinois. The effects of the second bridge were more severe, as rail traffic through Cairo was now reduced and railroad ferry operations were no longer necessary. As the steamboat industry was replaced with barges, river traffic had less reason to stop in Cairo.
In 1929, the Cairo Mississippi River Bridge was completed, linking Missouri with Illinois to the south of Cairo. In 1937 the Cairo Ohio River Bridge was completed. Completion of the two bridges ended the ferry industry in Cairo, putting many people out of work. As the town was bypassed by two bridges to the south, it also lost the benefit of motorist travel and trade between the states. Motorists cross the southern tip of Illinois between Missouri and Kentucky, completely bypassing the city of Cairo.
With the decline in river trade, as has been the case in many other cities on the Mississippi, Cairo has suffered a marked decline in its economy and population. Its highest population was 15,203 in 1920; in 2020 it had 1,733 residents, about an 89% loss of population from its peak a century earlier.
The city faces many significant socio-economic challenges for the remaining population, including poverty, crime, issues in education, and unemployment.
As of the 2020 census there were 1,733 people, 828 households, and 377 families residing in the city.
The racial makeup of the city was 25.33% White, 68.96% African American, 0.40% Native American, 0.63% from other races, and 4.67% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.15% of the population.
The per capita income for the city was $19,661. About 32.9% of families and 36.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 72.1% of those under age 18 and 14.2% of those age 65 or over.
Based on census estimates, the Cairo school district has the highest percentage in Illinois of children in poverty, 60.6%. This is the fifteenth highest percentage of any city in the United States. #driving #travel #drivingtour
First video I've seen where they didn't just drive round and round the dilapidated and overgrown areas of town with nothing but abandoned buildings. There are some very well kept nice houses. This was also the first time I actually saw a person outside working on his lawn! Most videos NEVER show any people who actually live there.
Most of that city seems to be reclaimed by nature. It's really spooky to know that it was once a thriving town.
I enjoyed this video. It is awesome. I was born in that now abandoned hospital in 1957. My family moved to Chicago in 1966. Haven’t been to Cairo since the 70s. I want to go there and see it again someday. Thanks for the great video. I appreciate it very much.
Thank you for the comment, and you're welcome for the video! Was your memory of Cairo in the 70s much different from what you see in the video of today? I have a feeling that not much has changed in those 50 years...
That is the creepiest town in Illinois.....hands down. Long story I won't talk about now. Thanks for the ride.
Creepy is a great word for it. I was stunned by what I saw! I'd love to hear your Cairo, Illinois story some day. Maybe I'll come back to Cairo next year and see if anything new has collapsed.
This is the first video on Cairo ive seen where there seems to be areas with homes in pretty good shape,all the others show the abandoned/run down parts of the city. There is hope for Cairo's comeback with the new riverport being built there.
Cairo was one of the rare cities where I basically showed everything that there is to see, I didn't go down every street but I did go in every neighborhood.
@@exploreusacities From what you showed i believe there's hope for Cairo to bounce back. If that port gets going the construction alone will bring jobs that i hope they give preference to hiring locals. Once revenue starts flowing in to the city hopefully they can start rebuilding infrastructure and attract new buisnesses. I'd love to see them restore what's left of the historic downtown I've heard that they trying to raise funds to restore the old Gem theatre.
Interesting to see perfectly normal houses directly next door to houses mostly taken over by nature.
some pretty nice ones, too. I wonder how much they would sell for, the land can't be worth much
i was there in the 1990's on my way toa friend family home in KY and theres was a ton of old buildings that were torn down awhile ago
Super video, well documented video history. Southern IL is way more like the South than it is IL or midwest.
That's a great point, it's true!
I recently saw a video about a new co-op store that opened in Cairo last June. Shoppers were being interviewed and seemed so happy and hopeful. Would like to see more of that.
I seen much worse asking my son for the name of it.. this town looks like three nuclear bombs over the years when off I just know it’s like 2 hours from Iroquois county Illinois but yeah it’s all messed up The mansions Are falling down Post office is falling down churches are falling down whole town really nothing left
If you think of the name, let me know. I want to film more abandoned cities!
Really cool place. I drive truck and go threw there its got alot of beautiful old buildings.
Sure is! Cairo must have been quite the city back in 1920.
@@exploreusacities I'm from the area and left in 1967. Cairo hasn't been a thriving city, since the late 1800s. My Mom and Dad were born there in 1932 and 1929 respectively and they had stories of Cairo being slowly abandoned decades before their birth years. My Grandparents had difficulty finding work at the turn of the century and sought work on the railroad and river. It's been since the 1880s or 1890s that the State politicians let the area be defunded.
Seems like every time I had to drive across the bridges there I always meet several truckers coming the other way. From Paducah I always hated driving those bridges.
Interesting write up on the 2011 floods. My recollection is that the CoE blew the levees and destroyed 10s of thousands of acres of MO farmland for PC.
Yes they did. We are all so lucky that they saved the magnificent Cairo. Or else we wouldn't get to see what it looks like when nature starts to reclaim a city.
Did this town have a tram system?
Yes, I'm glad you noticed that. You can see where the tracks used to be. One of the many shocking and amazing things about Cairo. You can almost picture what it was like back in 1920 and Cairo was booming. All those empty lots at the start of the video would have been filled with commercial buildings.
Honestly, it's a shame some corporations such as Amazon, Walmart or such doesn't build an airport out there and make Cairo into a central hub for their warehouse operation. It's situated right smack in the intersection of several states, perfect location for distribution across the country. With an airport with a thriving industrial park, then the infrastructure to support them, the town would spring to life again. It's really ashamed has such beautiful potential if only someone would give it a chance.
Just for fun I looked at homes for sale in Cairo. Not many and were they depressing! I can't imagine making a living selling homes in Cairo. Seemed as if many homes had flood damage, maybe from 2011?
Its a shame someone doesn't build senior apartments for about 2,000 of us. If we all moved there, it'd attract the younger folks with families in the medical field, eyc, then the schools would need help, all sorts of services would be needed
Achei engraçado o fato de que alguns abandonaram as casas com os carros ainda, eu não vejo futuro pra Cairo e Gary se não sucumbir para natureza
Illinois, the Land of Lincoln was by all accounts a beautiful state. Unfortunately, due to Democrats running the state, it has devolved into a waste land of places such as this. Go to Chicago and drive around. You will find huge sections of the city abandoned; there are street gangs controlling parts of the city. Multiple killings are a daily event in Chicago. Small southern towns are abandoned because of the advent of the interstate system. Northern towns are abandoned because of crime.
I haven't been to Chicago since the 90s and don't think I'll go there again.Downtown was still pretty nice back then. You didn't even think of crime.
Explain why the south has tons of abandoned towns then if they elect Republicans
There will be a day when the last 4 miles of southern Illinois (the part enclosed by the levees) will be totally abandoned. The State will maintain the road through Cairo, but there will be no residences. It will be another 50 years or more, but it must happen.
I doubt it will take 50 years
@@exploreusacities I left that area 56 years ago. Using that as a guide the only thing worth saving is the public library. The State should declare Eminent Domain, due to the floodplain and declare it a public safety hazard, but Springfield will just take the cheap route and let it rot into the ground.
Does a town of 1700 need a post office that substantial?
There were 15,000 people in 1920.
@@exploreusacities There are less than 1000 people in the Cairo area in September of 2023. When the population is taken, many unincorporated areas are included to boost the count for State funded services. Post Offices, Fire departments, roads, etc. When cities are reclassified as villages, funds diminish.
Hardly a soul abound The streets and ro wide. How do they plo them in the winter? At least there isn't trash thrown all over the place like Detroit. Many great looking historic buildings still kept up as well as many people's houses, too.
Sorry for all the typos in this comment. I must have been half asleep! 🙂 Thanks for the heart.
I doubt they get much snow there, its on the southern tip
This place looks like it has several well maintained , beautiful homes in it. If you had money and didn't mind all the abounded dwellings around you, this wouldn't be a bad place to live. It is right on a river front, you would have the entire town (which looks pretty large as far as land mass) almost all to yourself and the housing has to be very affordable. I don't know how bad the crime is , but this is a cool little town to live in if you can get past the obvious decay all around you
I bet you're right, cheapest mansions in the USA!
It's very crime ridden. Violent crimes, robberies, arsons alot of stuff for a little town. The towns people are very sweet and down to earth. I go there on a trip every couple of years and explore. They also have the best BBQ I've ever ate