Cairo Doc (Chicago: cost of, military, stores)

[Irishtom29]

Originally Posted by Central Illinois 1

Well the dozers are tempting. But where do the people go and who pays for all of this?

I reckon whoever buys the land to farm it would have to pay to bulldoze it. Or just let it sit abandoned.

It doesn't much matter where the people go; wherever they go they won't be any worse off than they are now.

[Central Illinois 1]

Originally Posted by Irishtom29

I reckon whoever buys the land to farm it would have to pay to bulldoze it. Or just let it sit abandoned.

It doesn't much matter where the people go; wherever they go they won't be any worse off than they are now.

You're probably right. Cairo ranks right up there with East St. Louis. The only difference is that the land in ESL could be worth alot more given where it is located. So bulldozing things makes sense. In Cairo, the land is not going to be worth much for development and the costs of tearing things down will probably be high, especially if alot of those old buildings have asbestos in them. So my guess is the buildings will be there until the fall down.

[Drover]

I dunno, there are some historic homes in Cairo worth saving, even some that have been kept up and decently maintained. And Shemwell's can be relocated. Other than that...

[JoshB]

I'd love to see a movie on Cairo. That'd be cool. Is their something out there already?

[whatever you want]

Originally Posted by Drover

I dunno, there are some historic homes in Cairo worth saving, even some that have been kept up and decently maintained. And Shemwell's can be relocated. Other than that...

I don't know Drover....those well maintained homes are getting fewer and fewer.

I'm not kidding,I was shocked at how much it had changed....I'm hard to spook and I was on the verge of it down there on some of the side streets....the place is actually eerie feeling now.

I have seen several places for sale on Ebay down there in the last few years and they were DIRT cheap...I'm talking $1,500.00 or less....I thought about buying one to use as a place to keep a john boat and fishing gear and maybe stay the weekends for easy access to the rivers,but after driving around down there I am dang sure glad that procrastination is my main MO....I wouldn't have had to worry about licensing the boat or trailer next year had I left it down there overnight tho'

[BLS2753]

The sad thing is that Cairo was once the most significant town in far southern Illinois. If it had retained its vitality, we could perhaps had a decent size metro area combining, Cairo, Cape Girardeau, and Paducah.

[whatever you want]

Originally Posted by BLS2753

The sad thing is that Cairo was once the most significant town in far southern Illinois. If it had retained its vitality, we could perhaps had a decent size metro area combining, Cairo, Cape Girardeau, and Paducah.

Very true....it has hit the skids now tho' unfortunately and I think it's WAY beyond any help.

[Cthulhu7]

Originally Posted by prairiestate

I've always been fascinated by this corner of the state, but I can't imagine what potential they think there is. It's a long way from the state and national parks, it's not on any major transportation routes. What did they say is the hope for the town?

Unless you count the Ohio and Mississippi.

[prairiestate]

Cairo, and Alexander County, are likely to be almost completely abandoned soon. Only the most desperate are likely to remain.

Sheriff's headaches mount as downstate Cairo faces crisis :: The SouthtownStar :: News

[BLS2753]

Originally Posted by Cthulhu7

Unless you count the Ohio and Mississippi.

Cairo was once a booming riverboat and railroad hub. Strategically located between St. Louis and Memphis, Chicago and New Orleans.