Relocating to Cairo?

[BLS2753]

The issue with Cairo, is that there's other communities in the multi-state region around it, that are more progressive and have more economic vitality. There are 3 centers of growth in this region. Paducah KY, Cape Girardeau MO, and the corridor along IL Route 13 from Carbondale to Marion. Communities not within a 15 minute drive of these commerce centers are dead. Cairo is just one of dozens like sized towns that have all suffered the same fate. Anyone not familiar with the region, can't name any of these towns except Cairo. Cairo's only worthy of discussion because of the racial element. Take away race and it's no different than any other isolated town in the region of <5,000 population.

[FalstaffBlues]

Cape and Pad is an easy drive. Both have good access to healthcare for rural area. For serious stiff you’re 3 hrs from WashU and SLU

[blandbeverly]

I grew up in Cairo, and moved away around 1977.While it was once a lovely quaint little village, it has always been marred by tremendous racial divide that ultimately destroyed everything good about it, pretty much. As a native, I always pray it can one day recover, as I used to dream of returning there to retire. The reality is I could never return, and I do not suggest you make it your choice. It hurts me to admit it about my little home town, I have so many fond memories of growing up there. The winters are brutal. Electricity costs are tremendous. For an elderly person who may eventually not be able to drive, there is no public transportation, no senior services such as a bus to take you places, no local grocery stores, pharmacies, clothing stores, nothing virtually that we would need to survive. There is pretty much nothing to do there. And the rivers almost flood the place every year. When I completely retire, I want peace and few challenges in my day-to-day living, and that would not be the case in Cairo.I moved my mom from there, sold her house, and got her out of there once we had all grown up and left home, after she became a widow. It was in no way conducive to her to remain there as a retiree.Nearby Paducah Ky, and Cape Girardeau are lovely,and have much more to offer, but they have limitations as well that make them not the best for retiring, either. They have the same weather issues, and I do not think they offer the type of services us seniors would need to remain independent and vibrant.I now live in Texas, there are MANY great, beautiful suburbs here that offer a small town feeling, and all the warm-and-fuzzies you would want when you retire! Best of luck!!!

[Jacobo1]

Originally Posted by Count David

We were in Cairo in May, and there was absolutely nothing going on there. There's a bunch of decrepit buildings, and several people hanging out in one particular front yard. Industry and seemed dead or non-existent, and I felt lucky when we found a convenience store open. The people we met there/around there were great though.

Yes, it is at a interesting point on the map geographically, but to think there is any potential for anything there is a bit of a stretch IMO. It's a wonder that anybody chooses to live in Cairo at all, aside from familial/historical reasons/etc., as Wickliffe, KY is a much nicer town and more or less just over the Ohio.

there is a reason people prefer to live on the IL side....the welfare benefits are better

[GraniteStater]

Originally Posted by Jacobo1

there is a reason people prefer to live on the IL side....the welfare benefits are better

Statistics don't support that at all, given Alexander County population decline of over 20% since 2010 alone- people are completely abandoning and leaving the area at a record rate.

[MikeQBF]

Shun-piking, we passed through Cairo a few months ago. Echoing comments above, it was a ghost town. St. Louis-area press has the occasional piece on Cairo and the surrounding area, none of it good. The next time the Mississippi and Ohio flood big, I'd expect most of Cairo to be underwater, anyway. Here's a relevant article: https://www.revealnews.org/article/t...did-hesitance/

Suggested above, the southernmost viable area in Illinois for retirement is Carbondale. I commented in another thread that even its neighbor, Marion, is losing its luster for easy living due to extensive development around the I-57/IL13 interchange that has made getting around a chore, when not a white-knuckle experience.

[Jacobo1]

Originally Posted by GraniteStater

Statistics don't support that at all, given Alexander County population decline of over 20% since 2010 alone- people are completely abandoning and leaving the area at a record rate.

yes people will move but the people that stay prefer to live on the IL side for the reasons i stated