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Location: New Albany, Indiana (Greater Louisville)
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There are lots of ghost towns in the West, places that flourished for a few years (usually from mining) and then were totally abandoned just a few years latter.
Which places in the East are losing population so fast that they could become Ghost Towns?
I post a couple of candidates (please add more)
1. Cairo Illinois. Population peaked at 20,000 in 1907. It's 2008 estimate is only 3,100; down from 3,600 in 2000. It is on pace to be totally abandoned by 2050.
Main Street in Cairo
2. Lynch Kentucky. A former company owned coal town whose population peaked at 10,000 in 1940. It's population has declined from 900 in 2000 to 820 in 2008. It is on pace for abandonment by 2100.
There are lots of ghost towns in the West, places that flourished for a few years (usually from mining) and then were totally abandoned just a few years latter.
Which places in the East are losing population so fast that they could become Ghost Towns?
I post a couple of candidates (please add more)
1. Cairo Illinois. Population peaked at 20,000 in 1907. It's 2008 estimate is only 3,100; down from 3,600 in 2000. It is on pace to be totally abandoned by 2050.
Main Street in Cairo
2. Lynch Kentucky. A former company owned coal town whose population peaked at 10,000 in 1940. It's population has declined from 900 in 2000 to 820 in 2008. It is on pace for abandonment by 2100.
Former company-towns or one-industry towns also see steep declines.
Gary, West Virginia was apparently once a significant "company town." However once the company left things apparently went downhill. The population has apparently declined 18% since 2000.
East St. Louis is another good candidate to become a ghost town. Its population peaked back in the late 50s or early 60s at more than 80,000. It is now down to about 25,000. The city is broke, the politics is corrupt, and the streets are not safe.This past year, ESL had the highest per capita violent crime rate in the country. Many if not most structures are abandoned and there are very few cars or people on the streets - obviously for a reason. The only thing that might save it from total abandonment is its proximity to downtown St. Louis. That at least gives it one advantage over Cairo, which is truly in the middle of nowhere.
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