Curious about Cairo, Illinois (Chicago, Oak Park: how much, home, schools)

[Duluth07]

So while I was in Chicago over the last weekend I was sitting by two people talking about a town called Cairo. I was intrigued, so I looked it up online later on. Still it didn't say much other than the loss of population over the last decade.

Even though Cairo is technically in Illinois, it is more of a 'southern' city? Is that part of the state different (culturally, socially, etc) than northern Illinois and Chicagoland? It almost looks as if Cairo is closer to Nashville or Jackson, MS than it is to Chicago. I was wondering if that part of the state is more or less cut off from the more progressive cities around the Chicago area. Has anyone been through Cairo? It looks like a ghost town in the photos.

[madpaddy]

It has a sad yet interesting history. It was a Union transportation hub in the Civil war, and had an economic boom afterwords as a commercial transportation hub for river boats and trains. Progress left the town behind starting in the early 20th Century, however, when super-bridges over the Mississippi and Ohio rivers replaced train-ferries and ground transportation in general supplanted much of the commercial river transportation. Economic prospects began to wane.

Culturally and socially, Cairo had a lot more in common with the segregated South in the post-civil-war era. Racial tension was prevalent in the atmosphere, and frequently boiled over into sheer ugliness. Aggravated by decades of discrimination, black activists boycotted and picketed white business owners in the late 1960s and early 1970's. Eventually the white merchant class abandoned the city. Unfortunately, those left behind lacked the resources and abilities to fill the economic vacuum. Cairo today is a shell of its former self. Once home to over 15,000 people, it now has a population under 3000. That population is predominately black, and largely poor. What was once the main business district now looks almost like an old-west ghost-town. The town and its remaining population bear the deep scars of our nations ugly, racist past.

It's obviously more complicated than that, but these are the Cliff's Notes.

[madpaddy]

Originally Posted by Duluth07

Even though Cairo is technically in Illinois, it is more of a 'southern' city?

An interesting factoid that sheds some light on the cultural foundation that shaped the city: Excluding California, which was geographically and culturally isolated, Cairo was the southernmost city in a slave-free state. Cairo is south of Richmond Virginia (the Confederate Capitol) and only 35 miles north of the Virginia/North Carolina border. At the time of the civil war it was, for all intents and purposes, a southern city in a northern state. Now I'd say its more like a small but extreme example of urban decay and depopulation that is somewhat common across the midwest rust belt. In many ways it looks and feels not all that different from the parts of Detroit, St Louis, or Cleveland that have declined to the point where even the poor can't stand to stay.

[Drover]

You can drive from Cairo to Tennessee in about an hour. Add another 30 minutes and you can hit Arkansas. That should tell you how different the area is culturally from Chicago. Illinois is a very long state north-to-south.

[GunnerTHB]

Originally Posted by Duluth07

So while I was in Chicago over the last weekend I was sitting by two people talking about a town called Cairo. I was intrigued, so I looked it up online later on. Still it didn't say much other than the loss of population over the last decade.

Even though Cairo is technically in Illinois, it is more of a 'southern' city? Is that part of the state different (culturally, socially, etc) than northern Illinois and Chicagoland? It almost looks as if Cairo is closer to Nashville or Jackson, MS than it is to Chicago. I was wondering if that part of the state is more or less cut off from the more progressive cities around the Chicago area. Has anyone been through Cairo? It looks like a ghost town in the photos.

It is more of a southern town. The locals (white and black) have a southern accent similar to western KY and the Missouri Bootheel. The demographics of Alexander & Pulaski Counties are MUCH more in line with the deep south than any rural counties in the Midwest. I drive through it quite a bit on my way to Kentucky from SE Missouri. The climate is completely different as well from most of Illinois. Average highs during the winter are well over 10 degrees higher in Cairo than Chicago. While Southern Illinois is noted for being hilly, much of Alexander County (Especially around Cairo) is part of the Mississippi Alluvial Basin, which goes all the way to the Gulf of Mexico and is some of the post productive farmland in the world. Cotton used to be grown in the area and rice is becoming a notable crop in the area.

My mom's best friend grew up in Cairo and her father was the fire chief of Cairo in the 1950's. Also Shemwell's BBQ is excellent if you ever get the chance to eat there and put some money into the economy.

At one time Cairo had stores that couldn't be found in St. Louis or Memphis. It was often called "Little Chicago" for this fact. In the days before the Civil War, Cairo and Chicago were in direct competition for the principal city of Illinois. As Chicago established itself with it's position to the great lakes and then established access to the Mississippi River, it became apparent that Cairo had lost the battle. While river traffic was important, it was the biggest and busiest port between Memphis and St. Louis. As was stated earlier, the movement of commercial traffic away from the river was one of the leading causes of the fall of Cairo, along with racial strife.

As Cairo sits today, it's a poor community that is struggling along with it's county (Alexander County). If Alexander County isn't the poorest county in Illinois, then I'd be surprised. I'd say most of the county is frozen in time from 20-30 years ago.

A very interesting thing to think about would be how much different Illinois would be if Cairo would have ended up being the principal city of Illinois.

[dcisive]

I did happen to see some Youtube video's that chronicled the area's activities just after the turn into the 20th Century. Pretty fascinating that it was at one time nothing too short of a boom town with all the trappings. Top stores, hospitals, schools and more. I guess the 50's and 60's were not kind. I went to SIU Carbondale in the early 70's and it had already begun to fade into obscurity due to the race relations issues. It is by today's standards an unusual location so to speak, being right on the river and all. You'd think it could be of more use for production and transportation but I guess it got passed by for some reason.

[linicx]

Cairo is at the Confluence of the Ohio and old Muddy. The Port of Chicago is a Midwest gateway to the Great Lakes and to the Gulf. I've seen Chicago flood once in 60-years. Cairo cannoot say this.. The race relations in Cairo -or lack thereof - is KKK inspired.

[linicx]

And nine counties in Southern Illinois were flooded last year to save MO and KY.

Please do not be fooled by rhetoric. Segregated towns such as Chicago with the high racial tensions saw their own decline in populatiion and white flight (a polite code word for racist) You can read the threads in Chicago Forum. But, if you look beyond the city of Chicago = even as near as Oak Park you will find a very rich history with the likes of Hemmingway and Wright and magnificent architecture not found anywhere else in the world.

Before you judge Cairo too harshly, you need to do your own research. It is amazing what you will learn

[MUTGR]

Originally Posted by linicx

And nine counties in Southern Illinois were flooded last year to save MO and KY.

Please do not be fooled by rhetoric. Segregated towns such as Chicago with the high racial tensions saw their own decline in populatiion and white flight (a polite code word for racist) You can read the threads in Chicago Forum. But, if you look beyond the city of Chicago = even as near as Oak Park you will find a very rich history with the likes of Hemmingway and Wright and magnificent architecture not found anywhere else in the world.

Before you judge Cairo too harshly, you need to do your own research. It is amazing what you will learn

I believe the census data shows we are seeing "black flight" from cities like St. Louis and even Chicago.

Is that also "racist"?

[GunnerTHB]

seMissourian.com: Local News: ‘Between Two Rivers' tells history of Cairo, Ill. (02/27/12)

This article from the Southeast Missourian newspaper talks about a documentary about Cairo that will be released soon.