Why has Cairo, IL lost so many people? (Chicago, Nashville: high crime, live)

[CCrest182]

It's a tiny, rural, secluded, former industrial town that is far away from any major cities of note.

Camden, East St. L and Gary are all cities right next to a major city that is relatively well off, which keeps the population loss at least somewhat in check. Cairo has no major city nearby to fuel it or support it, and also has little name recognition. It is also significantly smaller than those other cities were in their heyday.

[TheTimidBlueBars]

Smaller and more remote towns are generally more vulnerable to decline when their leading industries dry up. Some of the mining towns out west, starting out even smaller and more remote than Cairo, declined so much that no one is left.

[BLS2753]

In this part of the state, the only thing unique about Cairo, is it's racial make-up. Every town here is following a similar fate. The pandemic has accelerated it. What population that survives, is from those migrating from nearby red states, seeking Illinois' better welfare programs. And retirees like me, who have an emotional attachment to the area, and don't have to rely on the local economy.

[cansv]

Just a minor correction to what someone wrote earlier. The last projects, the former Pyramid Courts, was demolished not because of corrupt management (though that might be a secondary factor, but because HUD judged it wasn't economically feasible to rehab the property, which was old and crumbling.

[SciFiNerd1]

Originally Posted by cansv

Just a minor correction to what someone wrote earlier. The last projects, the former Pyramid Courts, was demolished not because of corrupt management (though that might be a secondary factor, but because HUD judged it wasn't economically feasible to rehab the property, which was old and crumbling.

I have visited Cairo frequently. I have family members who own the Riverlore Mansion.

With the last housing project gone, this leaves mostly homeowners who are of slightly higher socioeconomic status to remain in Cairo. This is probably why Cairo is not a fully ghost town yet.

Once the homeowners leave or are dying off, Cairo will be a ghost town eventually. It is a morbid and sad truth.

[Bitey]

I thought the state or local government owned Riverlore.

From what I can tell, about a 2 or 3 square block area around Riverlore and similar mansions is about the only vital part left in Cairo. Probably not sufficient to act as the epicenter of a resurgence of the rest of the town around it.

[Suesbal]

Cairo may be in Illinois, but it is closer to Memphis than Chicago. It is also culturally a Southern town.

[treemoni]

Are we ignoring the obvious here? Cairo is one of many examples of what can happen when residents resist change.

[dcisive]

Threads on Cairo seem to get resurrected from time to time. Ironically the area has been pretty much dead since the early 70's after it endured some significant racial upheavals. The whites pretty much took off closing stores and homes. The area in general is one of significant blight overall. There is nearly NO industry whatsoever as there once was. No way to support anyone and mostly welfare folks hanging on. I've watched many a documentary on the area which has quite a history and indeed was once a tremendously active area and town. But so much has changed since it's heyday of the late 1800's through the 1930's. Kind of reminds me a bit of Gary Indiana's history. I would imagine in the next 50 years we'll end up seeing the place as nothing but a large weed patch at the rate it's going.

[treemoni]

Originally Posted by dcisive

I would imagine in the next 50 years we'll end up seeing the place as nothing but a large weed patch at the rate it's going.

There's a place down there called Future City. Maybe the urban planners know something we don't.