Cairo Doc (Chicago, Carbondale, Marion: real estate, for sale, jobs)

[skocyn]

I saw this documentary on Cairo, Illinois. Little wierd thought I'd show the crowd.

http://video.google.com/videoplay?do...37156232&hl=en

[sunshine girl]

what's the video about?

[ChampWSox05]

Yeah, this just goes to show that everything I've heard and read about this town is true. Pretty soon Cairo might be a ghost town. It's already 3/4 of the way there. I feel for those who were born into this town. Seems as though there is no way out. Atleast for the poverty stricken in Chicago or any decent sized city, there is still school and/or job opportunites right next door, but I'm sad to say that Cairo is in the middle of nowhere and there is no industry or businesses for the locals to fall back on.

[lynnew]

I recently went to Cairo to look at some real estate for sale. The town is a devastation. It already looks like a ghost town. The cars and trucks driving down the Main drag are surely just driving through there to get to somehwere else. Half the town looks like shanties and the other half consists of what used to be absolutely gorgeous houses. I was interested in fixing up some of those old beauties, but changed my mind because there is no chance to recoup your money after they are rehabbed. I did some research by talking to the locals I could find. They say the schools are horrid and that you better carry a box cutter with you every day. I had a hard time finding somewhere to eat that day. I heard that a bar by the river had the best burgers but his grill was down so no food for the hungry. There was a car dealership, bars and churches, one sad looking grocery store and not much more. Not even a real estate office.

[jvw]

We just bought two of those old beauties in Cairo (not as an investment) and are really excited. New people are coming to Cairo. I wouldn't write it off just yet!

I think in talking to the locals, you need to seek out a cross section of the community. I did and it was an interesting experience listening to the two factions in town. If I had just talked with the ones at the cafes, I would not have made the decision to buy there. But, I went to the library and met some other locals and I saw a lot of potential.

[prairiestate]

Originally Posted by jvw

We just bought two of those old beauties in Cairo (not as an investment) and are really excited. New people are coming to Cairo. I wouldn't write it off just yet!

I think in talking to the locals, you need to seek out a cross section of the community. I did and it was an interesting experience listening to the two factions in town. If I had just talked with the ones at the cafes, I would not have made the decision to buy there. But, I went to the library and met some other locals and I saw a lot of potential.

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?

[Drover]

Well if nothing else it's gotta be a cheap place to retire. It looks like you couldn't give away real estate in that place...

[mdz]

Really depressing about that area, hopefully it can turn around. It's sad to see such an important historical location go down the toilet.

Just for fun, I checked out the realtor.com site to see what homes they had for sale. There were 9 homes with at least 3 bedrooms and two baths, the most expensive one was $59,900.

[sunshine girl]

Cairo once was a rich river town, but you wouldn't know that these days. There are still some restored southern mansion style places, but there are few of them. It is primarily a poor southern town now, with few jobs, racial tension, and no large scale revival in the future. Every few years, someone takes a notion to try to refurbish this or that, but nothing gets very far. And yes, you can find cheap, cheap places to buy, but I would certainly recommend checking out your neighborhood in person before buying. Especially at night. Ya also might try checking out the school statistics also. Some students came to Cairo from Chicago to be raised by grandparents here because they were getting into too much trouble up there with gangs and violence. Check out the crime statistics for any area you might want to live in. There are much nicer, also cheap areas just north of Cairo that you might consider for retirement. Many of the towns south of a line say, from Anna-Jonesboro to Goreville, have a high percentage of folks not having employment outside the home (which includes Cairo) and I'm not talking about retirement communities here. You would do better to look a bit north of Cairo for retirement. That's not to say there aren't scattered pockets in the extreme south that have very nice, pleasant people living there, but it is an extremely rural area, very widespread between houses/trailers. Few industrial areas=few jobs. Maybe jvw that posted is moving there soon, can help turn things around. Good luck, and I mean that, I am not meaning to sound sarcastic. There are folks in Cairo that do want to turn it around, but don't have the financial resources to do so. I have always thought that southern Illinois as a whole is overlooked by people as a retirement destination. There are towns there that are remarkable cheap, good places, but lack jobs. With the exception of retirement communites springing up at Lake of Egypt outside Marion/Goreville, no one has invested big in the area yet. There are excellent health care facilities in both Carbondale and Marion. And excellent school systems too. Prices are reasonable, and no I'm not a realtor. I no longer live in the area due to a job change, but lived there most of my life, raising my children there. It was a safe, virtually crime free place to raise a family. Check out the where the biggest area employers are, and you will find soon enough someplace suitable to live and/or retire. That's where the economies are more stable. It is also a beautiful part of the state. Lots of lakes and recreational activities.

[SoIl]

It's funny how sometimes people just ramble on about something they know absolutely nothing about. Cairo is just minutes away from Paducah, KY which offers job opportunities, as well as 45 minutes to Marion/Carbondale area. Sure it's a depressed area, but has such an interesting history. Like most small towns, if the city officials would actually stop being corrupt (oh wait, that goes for the rest of the U.S.) they might actually revive the town. Maybe someday I will share my photographic documentary - if y'all behave.