Cairo, Illinois // Is it a ghost town?

[@metalram69]

I live in Southeast Missouri but I just recently started working in Cairo. I am helping clean up and restore the old funeral home. It is full of so much history that makes it a joy to show up at work everyday, because I never know what I'll find. I had never been to Cairo before last month, despite only living 15 mins away, but you are absolutely correct about the feeling of the town, its so sad. I wouldve loved to have seen the town in it's full glory. I get sad every day when I look around the town because it was obviously so beautiful once. There is an eerie feeling of beauty in the abandon houses as well. I know there are people in town that are trying to resurrect what they can and clean up what they can't, but they are small in numbers and without a real economy or population to provide a solid tax base to rebuild from it's going to take a whole lot more than just them. Thank you for your video and such an accurate description. Despite the other videos I've seen as well, the town has never felt unsafe or "crime ridden", I'm sure there are stats to back it up, but I am female that walks alone through town regularly and I have never had any problems. Everyone that I know that lives there are just good as gold as well. So I would hope that people aren't scared to visit because this place needs it. The bbq place is amazing to if anyone makes it this far.

[@TravelwithaWiseguy]

Thank you so much for the terrific comment! Great to hear from someone who is on the ground. I really appreciate it!

[@muddinnajeep]

oh how i wish that city would make a come back, love the location and all the history that goes with it, thanks for posting

[@gorrdd]

What's interesting, John, is that the old photos from the twenties shows the historic main street full of buildings. It looks like only about 20% exist as abandoned. The rest were torn down previously. Because the old affluent section of town still has some really beautiful old buildings and architecture, there is definitely potential for rebuilding. The history also is a big draw. With the right planning, this could be a fantastic retirement, vacation, and dining location with it's location along the two rivers. There are so many things you could do with both money and agreement to completely revive this into a completely different attraction. It's a bit like a Key West phenomena that exists mainly based upon tourism. That's what Cairo could become. It has the waterways, the history, and availability to be completely revitalized into something else. Yes, it would take a magnet of sorts to draw people to it. And I know exactly what kind of magnet would work.😊 Gord

[@TravelwithaWiseguy]

So much potential but seems like a colossal undertaking with the huge amount of abandoned buildings. I enjoyed my time there but it was a uniquely odd experience.

[@gorrdd]

@@TravelwithaWiseguy Yes, John, it would be a huge undertaking. First, the levi's must be upgraded. Then develop a plan with extensive magnificent garden pathways throughout the old and new sections. After that, develop the riverside with historic Victorian style architecture typical of the early period that would house both museums and upscale riverside restaurants. It would cost billions but you could surpass the likes of Branson and others and really make it a family attraction with several paddlewheel riverboat cruises. Essentially revive the whole Mark Twain theme and history. The extensive gardens being the main theme together with the period architecture. Can you see the vision of the magnet? Remove the eyesore and replace it with sheer beauty. The setting and the history are perfect for this. Everyone would want to come and see this spectacle. Being a light in the failed world. This would then be replicated by developers everywhere looking to create their own attraction for development. But it would require reviving the whole economy with a massive infusion of asset backed liquidity. Something that is already in the works for people with eyes to see and ears to hear. Gord

[@waynechaddock6081]

WhT do you exspect?? LOOK AT THE STATE YOUR IN

[@bell4289]

Just recently spent an entire day in Cairo! As a history buff, there are so many historical sites - Fort Defiance, Lewis & Clark, US Grant, old business district remains, as well as the brutal murder of William James. The original Cairo firehouse (late 1800’s) remains standing! Do your research prior to visiting - was overwhelmed with history!

[@ronatwell5379]

Wow and sad at the same time! I grew up in Missouri not far from Cairo. I could write a whole dissertation on it's demise. The short version is loss of jobs due to loss of industry due to less demand due to cheaper stuff coming from overseas. As you watch the footage of main street, you need to realize that all those empty lots next to abandoned buildings once had buildings on them also. At one time, cities like this had manufacturers that produced the stuff required for families living here as well as for export to the larger cities like St Louis, Chicago, etc. An interesting thing, for example, is how many towns and cities across the United States had shoe factories. Shoes made from leather that came from local tanneries and livestock slaughter houses. Now, we ship boat loads of hides to foreign countries where they are made into shoes and shipped back to us. So, if you are wearing a pair of leather shoes, chances are they have been to China or somewhere and back to your place of purchase. The same can be said of so many things in your home. Towns like Cairo used to produce many of their own goods and sent the excess to the big cities fo be sold there. My grandfather used to work at a wood handle factory the made hickory handles for all sorts of tools from hammers to shovels. Not many folks use wood handle tools anymore. How many households in this country even own a shovel, and if they do, it may have a fiberglass handle. Oh, by the way, I would love to go back to the good ole days if I could keep my air conditioning and running water. More people working because they had to in order to feed and clothe their family. Oh, and that's a idea we've lost, too.

[@TravelwithaWiseguy]

Great comment! Thank you for the interesting insights!

[@brendacejda7069]

I appreciate your contribution to the video! My great grandfather was the local blacksmith in our community, and among the many contributions he provided was to shoe the horses used to take the loads of produce/materials to and from the farms, so that families had the goods they needed just to survive.... which according my family, they did survive, quite well. We used to value self-sufficiency, but that no longer is of value to us. I'd so appreciate going back to those days as well. As a side note, my great grandfather's blacksmith shop - a small brick building, stood in our community as one of the oldest landmarks, until the city decided to tear it down and put in a parking lot. For what reason, I have no idea, as there is next to no business downtown, and I've never seen that parking lot full....ever. I didn't realize the owner of the old blacksmiths business was considering selling it to the city for destruction, and I was away from town the week the building was demolished. Imagine my surprise when I arrived in town and the building was gone. I guess this is one of the reasons I value Mr. Wise's videos and his interest in exploring. Thank you for another very heartfelt look at a city with an interesting past.

[@lesviolin]

Excellent points! Plus we got this idea that we need way too much of everything, so much waste and no appreciation

[@andrearobbins9450]

My husband and I accidentally went through Cairo trying to find a new route home from visiting our daughter. It was a scary place. Didn't see a soul, a lot of abandoned buildings.

[@cindyhale]

Come attend the Magnolia Celebration in Cairo on May 6th - see what it's all about! : )

[@Dave-bj3pq]

Creepy, sounds like a children of the corn situation 👹

[@FixIt1975]

​@@Dave-bj3pqEh, not really. There's more than one reason behind it's demise. I'm middle aged now, and I try to not be judgmental towards anyone or any place. Over 25 years ago, my brother in law and I walked into a neighborhood bar in Chester, Pennsylvania. He and I were the only 2 white faces in there. We spent probably an hour and a half there, had a good time, met the locals. I realize this is an older video, as is your post, but, Happy Holidays to you and yours

[@diannabrown7754]

Cairo was the first town town I realized how much poverty there was in our country. If those old buildings could talk think of the stories they could tell.

[@TravelwithaWiseguy]

Sad 😞

[@33Donner77]

Might be safe on a cold, weekday afternoon, as nobody is around. Large vacant cleared-out areas in Cairo, East St. Louis. north St. Louis City, etc. There is a pattern. Area will not be redeveloped with today's laws. What would happen if this was made into an exclusive Chinese trade zone? Or made into a town like Dearborn, Michigan, that is now Islamic? There has to be a self-supporting culture for towns and cities.

[@TravelwithaWiseguy]

Thanks for the comment! Yeah I tried to be honest in my thoughts about the safety - kind of on both sides of it. I saw very few people that day - about 40-50 degrees out.

[@HisShadowX]

As someone who literally stayed in a white flight here in Chicago, I completely agree. I think because of where he at was away from the Section 8 housing. Unless someone was going to come up there, I doubt he would have had much of a problem. Yeah, all someone had to do was ride their bike or drive up there and yeah, he would have had a problem. If anything, these yuppies who end up filming do more of a service for the hoodlums of the town. Because again, most of them, because they don't want to get banned off of KZbin, won't talk about the real issues of Cairo and what caused the problem. So they'll give the one-sided history lesson about the imagined black success from fighting the racists and winning and now this is winning. A ghost town. Ha.

[@davidphillips6803]

Very true. They tiptoe around the truth. Racist black militants with their violence and crime caused many people to leave. It's a welfare town.

[@stevedennis8735]

I was just in Cairo the other day driving around and all I see is POTENTIAL!! Not scary at all and did not feel threatened in the least. I was driving down Washington St and five young men (high school age?) was mowing one of the yards. Stopped and spoke with one of the guys and he was EXTREMELY POLITE and even asked if I had been to the park yet. Yes I had. THIS IS WHAT THE CITY NEEDS, young men making a difference in their community. Just wondering ~what if these homes were torn apart, good antique wood salvaged, lots cleaned up, etc that there may be some INSPIRATION to rebuild. I was in awe at how beautiful this city actually is. PLEASE look past and “ugly” and look at its “future”. Wish I knew who these young guys were. They were awesome 🤩

[@mikeborrelli193]

Awesome, you should move there and be an example for others. However I do hope your aware Cairo is 75% Black.. Anyhoo good luck.

[@MrSTOUT73]

Cairo is a perfect example of a self inflicted wound.

[@HisShadowX]

Exactly. They rioted. They wanted black power. Now that's what they got. And we see this all over. But this is a very good example of, as these people would say, they fucked around and they found out. But they still go around giving their one-sided history lesson that, oh, we rioted. We won. Yeah, look at what you won. You won a ghost town that no one wants to invest in. And the people who do invest in it, they end up leaving real quick. It's one of those funny things about white girls. You see they go into the hood and start teaching. They quickly end up leaving after one or two years and literally waste a degree because now most of them don't even want to teach anymore.

[@sueelliott3206]

What a sad situation. It could be a very beautiful city if someone could bring in more businesses. A lot of those old buildings could be made into apartments that could house students of a community college or something. TFS

[@martitasez]

That area would really be a good area too! Because of having the three states coming together!

[@ronfullerton3162]

Just wondered it's elevation. Is it high enough to stay safe during the floods? If it is, I would think it would be a nice area to try and rebuild. Loved the views of the river traffic. I lived in southeast Iowa for my first fourty years. And enjoyed running down by the river and watching those big tows moving the barges up and down the river. Nice area I am glad that you took us along in your journey to see!

[@TravelwithaWiseguy]

It has potential, but like I said in the video I’m not sure where to start. Massive project for the community.

[@TravelwithaWiseguy]

Their levies have been good and kept it from flooding in the modern era. One of the positives of the city.

[@TravelwithaWiseguy]

So much potential!

[@HisShadowX]

If you all ever heard of a country called Zimbabwe, basically what they did was they literally ran out the white people, killed their white farmers, that still stayed, and basically the country almost starved to death. The difference was, at a certain point, they decided to go against their government, and beg the white people to come back. And right now, they're begging for the South African white farmers to please come over there and grow and have land, and they're giving away land so people could come back. Cairo is a different story. Of course, you hear the propaganda that basically one day, one person was lynched. Basically, someone who did something to a woman, yes indeed, they were lynched, but also a white guy that same night, who did something to his wife, was also strung up and lynched. The same thing happened. So, Cairo, what happened was what you see in a lot of cities or towns. Basically, it's what we're seeing in Detroit, sort of on a smaller scale. Everyone left. Everyone. All the businesses, no one wanted to come in and invest. It's almost pointless to go down to Cairo at this point. Usually, in areas of the south or the west side of Chicago, before Target and Walmart came in, which now they have left, just to kind of give you a heads up, you would see Arabic stores. In fact, my best friend worked in one of those stores for years and years, starting when he was six years old. But, yeah, they would work in these areas because everyone was on government assistance. Basically, the government was footing the bill, so they could go ahead and upcharge. Because, of course, just like student loans, they're going to keep paying for it, so you could keep raising the tuition rates, kind of what they're doing with food. They could keep raising the food rates. But at this point, Cairo, there's no tax base there. There's no real police. There's nothing, so everyone left. There's no means of profit. The hospital there is closed because, again, you have no tax base. Yeah, you have everyone, most likely 100% of people there, are on government assistance. But how can a community support itself when everyone is on government assistance? At this point, the only way to revitalize this area is to literally take all those people on government assistance, tear down their government apartments, and move them somewhere else. But, of course, that is not going to happen. Hell, if you remember, over 10 years ago, there was a flood around Cairo. The federal government had an option of either saving the farmlands that actually made money in food or save the welfare cases in Cairo. And, of course, the federal government chose to save the welfare cases in Cairo. And all those farms lost thousands and, in some cases, millions. And those farmlands were flooded out. So nothing is going to be done with Cairo at this point. Sadly, you hear from the community in these areas, or people who have moved on who blame it all, of course, on white people, well, yeah, they left. They packed up and left. You wanted a riot. You wanted to say we was kings. Everyone left, and you guys got to support your own community, and this is what happened.

[@bglrj]

Looks like a lot of Detroit looks.

[@TravelwithaWiseguy]

I haven’t been to Detroit since I was younger, but I’ve heard the same thing on a much larger scale.

[@bglrj]

Same dynamic.

[@barryhoward7284]

Not very difficult to undersand the downfall of Cairo.

[@chriscosby2459]

Cairo, Illinois is one of the strangest towns I have ever been to. My wife and I crossed the bridge that spans the Mississippi River late at night in a heavy fog. That bridge is narrow and scary -- especially in the fog.

[@TravelwithaWiseguy]

Yeah those bridges are very interesting to cross. I bet at night and foggy would be creepy!

[@brianwilliams8766]

It’s pronounced “care-o” . Myself and parents were born there, we left in the late 60s but still have family in the area and go back occasionally.

[@brianwilliams8766]

The documentary “between two rivers” tells the story of “care-o” pretty well, I recommend.

[@renayvance-moser9434]

Excellent vlog. You.present an interesting perspective. Glad we found your channel. My husband has visited Cairo and agrees with your view of this interesting town. It's a dying town.

[@TravelwithaWiseguy]

Thank you! It’s hard to put into words what it’s like. Visiting definitely was eye opening.

[@michaelshain3889]

The correct pronunciation of Cairo is “Care-o”. The first syllable rhymes with hair. I grew up in Southern Illinois and have seen the town slowly die throughout my lifetime.

[@TravelwithaWiseguy]

Thank you!

[@AnneBerbling]

Yep! Like "Karo Syrup" my husband always said. I live across the river in Southeast Missouri, but he grew up in Cairo, on 8th Street. I had to stop halfway and look at your comments! To be fair, I've heard plenty of folks say "Kay-ro", too - even Cairoites - depends on who you ask, I think. 😉 It sure was a pretty place, at one time. St. Patrick's church and the Safford Library are still glorious inside. And you missed out if you didn't stop at Shemwell's Barbecue - they sell their "Cairo Barbeque Sauce" all over!

[@aegisofhonor]

I thought the population was around 4000 not too many years ago but I see it was already down to less then 3000 even 10 years ago. More recently the state condemned and moved out a large number of mostly black families living in run down housing around the city and moved them up here to Carbondale or other towns and cities north. The town is now so vacant, there's almost nothing left of it now.

[@KHKH-os6kt]

The whites left and the blacks couldn't, but moved to Chicago, and that didn't work out.

[@j.tellor5003]

I'm a 45 yr old man and have been fishing at the point right behind you at the start of the video. ( At Fort Defiance). I have also walked through the town at night before years ago and it's not dangerous at all. I worked at Cairo Waterfront barge service in 1997 and it was safe back then as well. Cairo is one of the small towns down here in southern Illinois that the rest of the state has forgotten about.

[@TravelwithaWiseguy]

Thanks for the comment/info!

[@Lisa-eo9gd]

Is there no profit in reclaiming old lumber, bricks, etc.?

[@HisShadowX]

No, because driving down there and dealing with the crime, it's not worth it. Now, every so often, you know, we'll get white women like yourself who will come down there and they'll open up a little spot, but quickly they'll get driven away by the crime and other issues. I mean, right now, the grocery store that is operated is operated by the University of Illinois students who drive miles away just to buy and deliver food that is given away at a fake store for the residents. I mean, there's tons of value here, but this town can't recover until you get rid of the rot, which is the 2,000 people who are all on welfare, produce nothing except crime. I mean, what are you going to do? And to be honest with you, as someone who grew up in a white flight because their parents did not want to move because we're going to be tolerant, it's probably better that these 2,000 people stay right where they're at because as soon as they take down that Section 8 housing there and move them somewhere else, I can guarantee you the communities they're moved to, they'll ruin the lives of the people they move to that area. Just imagine the children who are innocent, who will have to endure years of abuse and being terrorized and having their childhood ruined by these hoodlums. And I'm not talking about the adults, the children, because they're conditioned to be exactly how they are. Again, I speak as someone who has lived in some of the worst areas in Chicago. And not only that, but I grew up in one of the best areas of Chicago. And my parents sacrificed their children, their safety, their future, so they could be tolerant. And every one of my family members who stayed had a worse-off life. And I pray that these white women continue supporting and feeling sorry for these people and keep this town on life support so they can contain the rot that is in this town.

[@johndavidson2365]

For a place to survive, it needs a reason to survive. There is no need for Cairo to be a large city anymore.

[@birgitelisabeth9661]

This reminds me of Gary, IN. When you drive through Gary it looks like that.

[@TravelwithaWiseguy]

I’ve heard the same 😔

[@alangray9117]

Cairo was also hit by the 1925 tri state tornado which did a lot of damage back then.

[@paddykeller5474]

It's pronounced "care-o" to be exact.

[@virginiawilliams9998]

I wanted to see the confluence of the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers and there it was! The truth is, Cairo once served a purpose in the development of our country because of its location - and that purpose no longer exists. As another example, I'm sure that the once prosperous towns along the Erie Canal in New York are just as emptied out. Either you reinvent yourself or you wither away. Thanks for the thorough tour and thoughtful commentary!

[@TravelwithaWiseguy]

Thank you! Fascinating place to visit!

[@mikekf0eap16]

It would be interesting to see an independent demographic study. I would love to have the time to study the decline taking into consideration political, economic, transportation etc. I doubt there is any solution to be found that would bring this or other failing areas back, however an honest assessment of the cause of the success or failure of communities always interest me. Thanks for another good video. I've been to many, many of the places you visit and appreciate your honest assessments, no drama or looking down on how people choose to live. Than you.

[@TravelwithaWiseguy]

Thank you very much for the nice comment. I try never to be too critical, because I’m not sure I could’ve done any better myself if I live there. Always easy to critique what we don’t fully live through. I appreciate you watching!

[@jamesbednar8625]

Awesome video!!! Area looks quite similar to where I grew up at in NE Ohio. Reminds me of how Akron/Canton/Warren/Youngstown/Ashtabula/parts of Cleveland look like today combined. Liked watching the riverboats chugging along the rivers - used to do the same back home spending the day watching the ore freighters chugging along Lake Erie.

[@TravelwithaWiseguy]

Thank you! Such a fascinating area to explore. So much good and bad in one place!

[@campingman2156]

I went through there in 2015 to take some photos and amazes me how much it’s declined since then! Like you I felt totally safe and seemed to to me most were very friendly folk. I do love taking photos and video of abandoned structures however I hate seeing history being erased from existence. Excellent video as always man!

[@TravelwithaWiseguy]

Thank you! It’s hard to describe to someone who has never been there in person so you know what I’m saying!

[@luv2eatpuss79]

@@TravelwithaWiseguy was there any stores or resteraunts open? Did you talk to anyone?

[@TravelwithaWiseguy]

@@luv2eatpuss79 There were very few businesses open. And I didn't chat with anyone while I was there.

[@jameshill2082]

I remember going through there around 2000 and it seems like there were more buildings around and allot more people. It was at night in the summer and there were people hanging out on the main drag. It was so long ago I can't remember much but it was so unique

[@nadinamedlin3432]

we stayed in the car while exploring

[@DavidsExecutiveTouch17]

Beautiful town, such a sad story. Maybe one day folks who care will undertake a project or two there & get the locals motivated + give them some Morale & Dignity back by beautifying this community before it's lost.

[@daniellilienkamp5202]

When I was a little kid (late 1950s early 1960s), my family would stop for supper at a restaurant in Cairo on the first evening of our annual trip to Florida. As time moved on and the interstate highways slowly came into existence, we changed our route and didn’t go through there anymore. In retrospect, it seems likely my parents also changed the route to avoid being somehow caught up in the racial unrest. I was shocked seeing the place in the early 2000s when I next went through there. I googled to see what happened and came across a great article online “Cairo, Illinois-Death by Racism.” I’m saddened to see the decline, but it would have taken incredibly visionary local leadership in the late 1960s and early 1970s to prevent it. Sadly m that type of leadership is in short supply everywhere.

[@1940limited]

Now the town is practically empty and [o[ulated by mostly blacks so I guess they won their racial issues. They now own the town.

[@HistoricallyMarked]

I've been to Cairo many times and each time it's just sad. A couple pieces of trivia: 4 presidents have spoken there, the most recent, Bill Clinton. Trump almost went to Cairo but instead it was Ben Carson. Also, if you're a highway nerd: the brief stretch of u.s. highways 60 and 62 are the shortest length in any state.

[@TravelwithaWiseguy]

Interesting stuff! Fascinating area to explore.

[@AnneBerbling]

We went to see Bill Clinton, there!

[@karlpiepenburg127]

Thanks for the insight. I drove through there once (northbound from Kentucky) and the town amazed me

[@TravelwithaWiseguy]

It would be a strange town to just come upon and drive through!

[@HoosierRooster]

My family drove through there in 1968 around the time of the riots closest thing to visual hell you will ever see

[@carlhunt6891]

Thank you as always. I've always thought about going there, just because of the rivers joining up. Again, thank you and be safe.

[@TravelwithaWiseguy]

It’s definitely an interesting place for a variety of reasons, but the rivers joining us one of the highlights! Pretty cool!

[@galechicago325]

I drove through Cairo when I was in college, 1973. All the vacant lots that you currently see downtown: all were buildings. Stores, restaurants, taverns, theater, barber shops, Elks club, all the usual town stuff. This was right after the race riots, Jesse Jackson, etc. By the time I visited, most of the white business owners had closed and vacated their stores, rather than allow black people into their stores. After the businesses left, the buildings were all painted with whitewash paint. The whole downtown was painted white. Building after building, both sides of the street. Even the doors, windows and signs above the stores, just painted over. I drove through in the winter sunshine, it was vivid, glaring white. I’ll never forget how visually strange and eerie Cairo was.

[@tinman7130]

Interesting video. A long one appreciated with a town this large that has such a diminished population. Technology and progress leaves in its wake a visage you did justice too. Thanks for the effort, much appreciated.

[@TravelwithaWiseguy]

Thank you! I wanted to take my time and try to explain what I was seeing so it made for a longer video. Glad I went!

[@onrycodger]

That's sad. And it seems to be this way of small towns all across the country.😦

[@martitasez]

My thoughts exactly

[@IAMBENNYBLANCO.]

Is it a ghost town?? is water 💦 wet?? 🤣..... on the serious side, how does anyone bring children into the world and subject them to live in poverty and in a place where there's absolutely NO future??? The people that remain there do so because they want to.... not because anyone is holding them back. I drove through there once last year.... I was 🤯😵

[@HisShadowX]

I'll explain it to you, but at least you see the problem. But because of the neighborhood you live in, you can't see how and why these people continue to do what they do. So, since you're honest, I'm going to help you out. So, I'll give you an example. My best friend is Arabic. His entire family has Arabic stores in various ghettos. And they make a large profit. Well, how can they do that in these poor areas? Because, you know, you can't understand. How do they keep bringing people into the world if they live in this type of poverty? Well, all these Arabic stores... If you ever go into these neighborhoods, you'll notice the prices for everything are very high. I mean, extremely high. How can people in these poor areas afford it? Think about it. Now, imagine you're a female. You've got no job. But you've got a sugar daddy. And he's giving you a credit card with a $2,000 or $3,000 debt limit where you could go ahead and buy all the food you want up until you hit a $2,000 or $3,000 limit, depending on how many children you have. That's exactly what's happening here. Uncle Sam is footing the bill. These people are living large in Section 8 apartments. The difference here in this town is not even Arabic stores want to invest because it's not worth it. They drove everyone out. Crime has made it to where no one could function in this town. The only store in this town are basically University of Illinois students who are basically rich, hipster white women who bring in groceries and stock a fake store so residents can have food. If you ask me, this town is actually doing a service to the rest of the state of Illinois and surrounding areas. You're probably wondering, how is that possible? I'm someone who actually grew up in a nice area in Chicago until the projects came down. And my area is one of those areas where they moved everyone in the projects to. Now, very quickly, within six months, 90% of people in my neighborhood moved out. My parents refused to. They wanted to be tolerant. They wanted to be diverse. They wanted to show that they are not racist. So everyone like me, as a child who stayed in this area, in some way or another, suffered and now had a worse life because of what happened in these areas. Because the parents who choose to keep their children in these areas like me, we did not get the same opportunities as everyone else because when you go to a ghetto school, they really don't educate. If anything, they babysit. I remember being in fourth grade, being told to stand out in the hall because I refused to participate in the lesson of the day, which was to learn how to write in graffiti and tag the board. I know this might sound like a joke or made up, but believe me, it's very real.

[@Userius1]

@HisShadowX For real. Cairo is keeping them from moving out to the northwest suburbs. However, I've been seeing more and more lately and it's the same old song and dance with them. Can't take the hood out of them.

[@nicholasdean3467]

Fun fact, Cairo is one of the few Illinois cities that is broken up between Kentucky and Illinois.

[@stevehilliard1495]

Any idea why it didn’t flourish when usually at the confluence of two great rivers commerce thrives? I have driven through there many times but never got off the highway. The bridges there are awesome 😎

[@TravelwithaWiseguy]

It flourished a bit, but a combo of the reduced use of steamboats as well as racial tensions have givens it problems I think.

[@bigjimslade6250]

I think there was some major flooding from the rivers that didn’t help things.

[@HisShadowX]

People use excuses why Cairo died. The main reason, of course, is racial tensions. Basically, black people all over in the 60s decided the riot, and all over people started leaving those cities or areas. Detroit is a good example. Cairo is an even better example because the local population got what they wanted. White people picked up and left. Black people took over. And this is the result. Basically, 100% of the population can't be on welfare. There is no tax base to fund a hospital, fund a school, fund anything. Think about it. That school is barely funding itself and most likely will be shut down or if it isn't already shut down. And also, there is no newspaper. They literally have a newspaper that's been moved into another newspaper, I believe 20 or 30 miles away. The reason why I know this is because I was on a project here and had to find the local paper for a social justice warrior. Also, it didn't help that the federal government less than 10 years ago, well, actually over 10 years ago, chose to save Cairo. The people of Cairo, again, they produce nothing. Instead, they are strictly welfare cases in which they take rather than produce. They flooded out the farmland in the surrounding areas to save less than 2,000 people from staying in their government homes. They could have moved them into another area. The only good thing about these government homes is these people are left right where they are at. They are causing no one else problems. But I guarantee you, once they move those people out or once those people port their Section 8 to somewhere else, they ruin the lives of the people. They move nearby. I'm someone from the south side of Chicago whose family stayed during a white flight because we have to be tolerant. When they tore down the projects, we got a dose of all that diversity.

[@suziburton4373]

Just drove through Cairo yesterday after being rerouted. Very sad. So many abandoned buildings. Maybe counted 3 places actually in business anymore. 😔

[@themanwithnoname8451]

Really is a shame what is left of the place, considering the city's location and rich history.

[@HisShadowX]

Young people and young adults have a term now, get woke, go broke. This is actually what happened in the city. There's also another term that the residents who still live there most likely say a lot, fuck around and find out. And that's exactly what the residents did. They wanted a riot and the people here simply got up and left. And they gave them a town of black power and this is black power or the results of a city that is now 100% on welfare and needs someone to come in and support the rest of the population.

[@geneballay9590]

very interesting. we pass through the exact place you are at as we travel from SW Missouri to visit our Marine son in North Carolina, and although I have always heard of Fort Defiance, I had no idea that is where it was located. Thank you for all the work and then sharing.

[@TravelwithaWiseguy]

Fascinating area with a lot of history - good and bad!

[@rongreen8485]

I live in Tacoma and this area is booming and it's effect on quality of life isn't good. I look at places like this and wonder what it would take to convert those old buildings into living spaces. Not sure I care for Illinois politics, taxes, or bureaucracy. People that have lived here for awhile are moving out. I've enjoyed your videos and thought it would be nice to have land, an old farm house and peace and quiet. Thanks for sharing.

[@TravelwithaWiseguy]

Thank you for watching and for the comment! Such a fascinating place to explore.

[@chilipeppersalsa7596]

Some of those houses looked like The Upside Down.

[@BulletSpoung]

Towns and city's are no better than it's residents. If the people don't care everything looks like this. If the people don't start and run business's the town looks like this. If the residents only take and never give, the town or city dies, just like Cairo.

[@bigjimslade6250]

We go through Cairo on our trips to Kansas from KY frequently. In addition to Lewis & Clark & the Trail of Tears, Cairo & nearby areas have major historical significance & perhaps you will cover some it in later episodes. Across the bridge in Wickliffe KY, Marquette & Joliet landed in 1673 during their exploration of the Mississippi Valley. In 1780 George Rogers Clark used it as a base of operations during his campaigns of the Northwest in the Revolution. Ft Jefferson was established there for that purpose as well as to protect Virginia’s trade with the Spanish New Orleans from the British. And yes this area was part of Virginia before independence. The area South at Columbus KY was the site of the large chain stretched across the Mississippi to block Union gunboats in the Civil War. Lastly there is a large series of Native American burial mounds in Wickliffe at state park.

[@TravelwithaWiseguy]

Thank you for the history lesson! I’ll make the videos and you can fill in all the gaps! 😊

[@melanysmith3023]

My family is from Cairo many many stories over the years

[@ChrisL-ni9tb]

Never heard ot pronounced that way locally. Lots of history there, esp Native American

[@thechiclets56]

Honestly I'm surprised it's still standing. Cairo (pronounced KAY-ROE) has been in decline for the last sixty years, plus the fact that almost every spring the entire area floods, and I mean BAD! Not to mention that Illinois politics and Chicago mobs have basically used up every drop of energy the town ever had, and redirected business (and funding) away from the area. In the late sixties until the late eighties, Chicago had control of the area with gambling, prostitutes and drugs. You watched your back there any time you went, and if you didn't want trouble you didn't go after dark. Cairo has a bad reputation, and the southern third of Illinois has a legend/cryptid/crime problem. Large cats (as in panthers) have been seen, there's a lot of places for other cryptids to hide in the area, and while John Wayne Gacy was still alive and walking free, he used the area to hunt victims. Spent one bad night back in 76 trying to get out of there after our car broke down, the place gives me the shivering creeps. I grew up near Sikeston Missouri, and the news was always reporting crimes in southern Illinois and Cairo in particular.

[@robertodebeers2551]

Imagine buildings where all those vacant lots are now. It's cheaper to burn them down than to pay taxes on a shell.

[@ericmorgan4717]

I love Christmas lights, particularly pole mounts as seen in the video. That brought me to Cairo for the first time in 2014. I knew nothing about the town and remember seeing how heartbreaking the town looked. But even in the hardship, they still decorate with those old school trees and candles.

[@hamamizu46]

The name of the town rhymes with "arrow". Not like the syrup nor the city in Egypt.

[@rosseganjr9402]

great video! sad to see city's and towns die! the way the economy is now I believe more will fall by the wayside!

[@TravelwithaWiseguy]

Thank you for watching!

[@pamelacrowe4971]

I have been through Cairo. Traveled through in the daylight and don't see many people. And at night and seen a few people wandering around. Don't know much about it. I know a friend knows someone who lives there and yeah she says it's not safe. Thanks for the video.

[@TravelwithaWiseguy]

Yeah I imagine it could get dangerous at night time for sure. Thanks for watching and commenting!

[@reinvented853]

Good video! It captures what bit I saw on my recent trip through. I can't say I enjoyed it as I got slapped with a speeding ticket as a welcome. I suppose Cairo's dusty empty streets are safe for another day from rogue dragsters like me (I didn't get down to 30 from 45 fast enough, ok), but I sure didn't want to stick around and explore, i.e., shop, eat, fill up, spend $ after that. It was depressing and this was 9:30 on a weekday.

[@TravelwithaWiseguy]

Thank you! Sorry about the ticket :(

[@FixIt1975]

There are a lot of videos about Cairo, though I still have yet to visit. But I do intend to one day. Very cool

[@krisdreemurr112]

I live near here

[@krisdreemurr112]

it's like a town or two over

[@lesviolin]

Great video thanks so much! We went through about 20 years ago and it seemed sad and given up on then and to be honest scary as someone else mentioned. The drone footage now makes me thing it looks bombed, and yes what a shame with so many beautiful old buildings to work with.

[@TravelwithaWiseguy]

Thank you! It was quite an experience to visit Cairo!

[@stuartbluefield769]

The wife and I went through here a few years ago, and took a picture at the confluence of the two rivers right about where you're standing at the start. Scary place.

[@estelleadamski308]

I loved this video! I never get to see this content near where I live What a beautiful town of "Used to Be" Such a historical place, and, it's sad to see this decline. Love the drone footage. Imagine back in it's heyday. No bluffs here, just flat land.

[@TravelwithaWiseguy]

Thank you! It was a difficult video to try and put together, but I’m glad I visited!

[@chiefamylee]

So, so interesting. What beautiful buildings. I know I'll be coming back to this one, again. Thank you!

[@TravelwithaWiseguy]

Such an interesting history of what happened to this town! Unique experience to see it in person!

[@dr.v.rumpler5230]

i watched some other videos about cairo but urs the best in its way. i like the presentation and different views. drone view is a plus for sure i wonder why the US dont let build up such towns from refugees with special programs, "refurbish ur house with some help and its urs" etc

[@TravelwithaWiseguy]

Thank you very much! I wanted to show an honest profile of the city the best I could and it’s so large the drone was really needed to give perspective.

[@davidgrenis638]

TIME TO GIVE IT BACK TO THE NATIVE AMERICANS

[@travis303]

Did you do any attractions there? I saw on your map a Fort Defiance State Park, maybe the place you started was the state park

[@TravelwithaWiseguy]

Yes the original place I was in was a state park. I probably should’ve mentioned that. And the Magnolia House was closed that day.

[@joannunemaker6332]

How sad. I think Cairo has some potential if there is interest in fixing it up. It's located in such a strategic spot.

[@TravelwithaWiseguy]

Absolutely!

[@ashleyschackart85]

so many beautiful old homes there

[@ronald9279]

I've seen a couple of this place. But man,the drone work,puts it over the top. Have a great weekend.

[@TravelwithaWiseguy]

Thank you very much! I’ve seen some videos too so I tried to give it a unique perspective with the drone footage. Hard to explain without it.

[@davidchappell4759]

Thank You for this film!. I have always wanted to visit and now I am going to.

[@TravelwithaWiseguy]

It’s an interesting experience!

[@melanysmith3023]

Yes a trolly used to go through town

[@melanysmith3023]

It was beautiful in it's day

[@martitasez]

Honestly the buildings that are falling down would be safer torn down. Less likelyhood of someone getting hurt. I hate seeing old building torn down, but better open land than injured people!

[@TravelwithaWiseguy]

Agreed - unfortunately it probably takes quite a bit of money to demolish and remove those too!

[@juliawaddell7887]

The new mayor has had many building removed. They are steadily working on clean up. The streets used to be filled with old abandoned building especially down town. It literally looked like a bomb had went off.

[@melanysmith3023]

The second street you went down was called millionairs row

[@TravelwithaWiseguy]

That makes a lot of sense after visiting it!

[@travis303]

Bank entrance was interesting

[@jasonmiller4046]

try east st,louis

[@robertodebeers2551]

Imagine growing up here in the 1950s, then staying on until today.

[@TravelwithaWiseguy]

That would be an interesting perspective!

[@HisShadowX]

And those people who grew up there in the 1950s drove the white people out? They got exactly what they asked for. But as we've seen, most of them ended up moving out, and the people who haven't really amounted much, who are completely on welfare, are still there draining whatever little system is left in that town, which is nothing, which means it's all state funds that are coming down there.

[@glorias8540]

Another Cairo flood video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/infaY4OBhqp2npI

[@TravelwithaWiseguy]

Thank you!

[@jameshill2082]

We just drove through there on our way to Florida and had to explore the town. It was very intriguing. One of the most interesting towns I've ever seen.

[@TravelwithaWiseguy]

Definitely has to be experienced to really understand that. I agree!

[@jameshill2082]

@@TravelwithaWiseguy we've been thinking about it all day. It's very interesting because so many houses and buildings aren't just empty but they're really neat. There were some large houses that were so cool looking just a be abandoned. We saw an old house that had a sign saying bids for auction starting at $850. I would love to talk to some of the people that live in the town to hear their story

[@TravelwithaWiseguy]

Very good observation. There’s been several videos out there about Cairo. I know it’s rough looking, but like you said some fascinating places to check out.

[@terriquotskuyva4594]

What a beautiful but sad story for a town. Thanks for sharing

[@TravelwithaWiseguy]

Thank you! Very sad indeed 😞

[@marywiker392]

Sad

[@theprestriedge4657]

Great video Sir

[@TravelwithaWiseguy]

I appreciate it!

[@theprestriedge4657]

@@TravelwithaWiseguyYes Sir

[@Polothemius]

Did you see the abandoned hospital while you were in cairo?

[@TravelwithaWiseguy]

I didn’t!

[@juliawaddell7887]

My husband was born there! It was one of the more dangerous buildings in the area. It has been demolished and removed.

[@LearnwithJanice]

Hello from rural Kansas🇺🇸

[@TravelwithaWiseguy]

👋🏼

[@jkingsley9385]

Interesting video.

[@TravelwithaWiseguy]

Thank you 😊

[@rorysullivan4913]

I follow a similar channel (DustyBags) here in South Africa showing the little villages and the history that goes with it. Enjoy things of the past

[@TravelwithaWiseguy]

Nice! I’ll definitely check it out!

[@dancicero]

I’ve noticed over the years that the city has been demolishing abandoned buildings as the money has become available. You can see this in the gaps between buildings and the mowed grass. It’s about all they can do as the population dwindles.

[@HisShadowX]

The population can't do anything if they are takers rather than producers. You have to remember, every time you pay your property taxes, your taxes, you actually give back to the community you live in. You don't just give back, you help prop it up. I've lived in a black area almost my entire life, ever since there was a white flight in my neighborhood and my parents were like, we need to be diverse and stay, and my childhood was ruined. And one thing about black neighborhoods that most you people don't understand, when someone mows the lawn or keeps a property up, black homeowners, they don't like that. In fact, they will get upset and threaten the person because what does that do? That drives property values up. And that's actually for the homeowners who basically got a government-assisted loan because they said they made such and such money doing hair and lied on their application, which caused the housing crisis, but that's a whole other issue. But the 2,000 who are there, you can see where they live. They all live in that government-assisted project building right there where you see all the cars. The entire town does not produce one thing. They can't even get a grocery store down there. It's so bad that not even an Arabic store owner wants to invest in an area. My best friend, his entire family invests in grocery stores in these areas because they can upcharge. Just like student loans, it's government-insured, so they can keep up in the tuition. It's the same with food. The government's going to keep on giving them food, so hell, they can go ahead and keep the prices up because technically it's a rich area because Uncle Sam puts the bill. But in this case, it's not even worth it to do that. So UIC, the University of Illinois, has to come in, drive hundreds of miles just so they could stock a free grocery store that's provided mainly by social justice warriors. And they're not doing anything but keep this town on life support. The only way this town is going to be revitalized is you move those 2,000 out, move them somewhere else. Unfortunately, they're going to ruin the lives of whatever community they're put in. Again, I know this as I was one of those children who unfortunately stayed in a district where everyone from the projects was moved into. But that's the only way. I mean, we've seen parts in Chicago. Right off of the Stevenson on Cicero, there's a community. You could actually still see it on Google Maps. The entire neighborhood right there, they had a black flight. But a part of the black community stayed because a lot of the Mexicans ran them off. But there was a nice cordoned area, and it was a crap area for years. The city finally decided to bulldoze the entire neighborhood and move them elsewhere. And now the area is thriving. They're going to have to do the same thing here. Get rid of the Section 8 housing. Move them. And that may bring back in business. But we have to remember, too, this is Illinois. So Illinois is most likely going to build nice Section 8 housing for these people to come right back in. They're going to say, oh, all the apartment buildings here, it's not strictly Section 8. It's mixed income. Which means someone is going to pay $2,000, $3,000 for a one or two bedroom. And believe it or not, this is how much it actually is in these apartment buildings. Nearly $2,000 for a one bedroom. So you could subsidize someone who is going to be misbehaving, committing crimes in this same building, but they live there for free. You pay $2,000 or $3,000 and perhaps become a victim of some sort of crime as well.

[@travis303]

That is sad, that historic downtown area. Took the time to put up a big sign indicating where you are like it's significant, go through it and there's nothing. Old Town in Wichita there are historic buildings and things to do, bars, restaurants, etc. Wish they could do something with that area instead of just let it fall apart 😥

[@TravelwithaWiseguy]

Yeah I was kind of amazed being there. That’s why I had such a sad presentation at the end.

[@davidyates551]

Grew up in Sikeston, MO. Cairo has no cafe, motel, grocery store or gas station. The race problem killed the town. Bunge & Cargill are the only businesses. At night do not get out of your car. IT IS EXTREMELY DANGEROUS.

[@HisShadowX]

And that's what a lot of these yuppies and hipsters don't understand and some of the people who just see these videos and of course they get the one-sided history lesson that oh there was evil white people here and they were racist and the black people rebelled and they rioted and they got black power and took over the community so they won yay so what do we get a now a ghost town that's extremely dangerous a lot of these yuppies don't understand until they try to live in these areas or work in these areas how dangerous it is and sometimes it might change them i mean it might red pill them but i've seen it where some of these yuppies will keep their head buried in the sand they'll just move back to their suburbs and they'll pretend like this just never happened

[@glorias8540]

Oh, forgot to ask...did you go across the long, narrow, tall curvy bridge??

[@TravelwithaWiseguy]

I went across the one from Kentucky to Illinois. It was pretty cool!

[@1940limited]

I heard there isn't even a grocery store in Cairo. If you need anything you have to go out of town for it.

[@HisShadowX]

The University of Illinois has a store that they sort of brought down here. It's not really a store. If you're familiar with the WIC program, then it's sort of like that. So you go down there with your EBT, and they stock it. But they literally, these are rich yuppies driving down there, and they just stock the stores. Essentially, they're only prolonging the death of this town.

[@lucken13]

Sadly, the further a town in Illinois is from Chicago, the more it is forgotten!

[@stevestowell-virtue3781]

Usually the further from Chicago the better IMHO, but Cairo had a lot of things working against it over the past 50+ years. The riots took a big toll and it's been downhill since. Crime, poverty, and general decay of what was left after people that could afford to go to hell out of there is what we see today. I go through Cairo five or six times a year on my way to see my son in the Wickliffe, Kentucky area just across the Ohio. That area is very rural but compared to Cairo, relatively prosperous. Why do you think there's such a difference?

[@Userius1]

@@stevestowell-virtue3781 Wickliffe vs. Cairo? Well, you're looking at ethnic opposites.

[@hectorsalazar9824]

I have to admit driving thru this town yesterday I’m very fascinated by it. I wanna go thru it again even tho ain’t shit there 😂

[@TravelwithaWiseguy]

It’s very fascinating!

[@MrSTOUT73]

I had heard there was a grocery store that might open again in town, did you see any evidence of that? I know for a long time Cairo had no grocery store and not even a gas station.

[@TravelwithaWiseguy]

I only saw what looked like abandoned grocery store buildings, unfortunately.

[@ps9292]

It's open now

[@Roadtripmik]

come to chester, pennsylvania!

[@TravelwithaWiseguy]

Is it a good town to visit?!?!

[@coxqt]

Where have I seen you before?

[@TravelwithaWiseguy]

🤷🏼‍♂️ I’m a track coach at Wichita State

[@CAROLDDISCOVER-1983]

Why save this town? Obviously the port that you mention is not needed. They work just fine without it. How many people want to drop in and say hi to Cairo Illinois? They were going to save some good Missouri farmland and let that place, about decade ago. That would have started out with a clean slate. Look at the low-level of the land. New Orleans had a place like this. They did not rebuild in the bowl 🥣. Why do anything with this place? That is a serious question ⁉️. Nothing to do with race. It is predominantly black and they run the place and the state of Illinois overall. This could be viewed as a failure and the social experiment 🥼. I'm not convinced that black people or any other specific race has an inability to govern a municipality. But give me a couple of examples where blacks have been successful. Then we can apply those successes as a ruler to increase the success rate of other similar places. Lights seem to have a hard time now day with corruption. Maybe that is what plagues our society corruption. The color of a person's skin has nothing to do with who or what they can become. That is true unless Heather groups hold them under their thumb. So why should you say kol annoy? The only viable reason I can see is to keep criminal elements from having a base of operation. Question is do they already use this area of the base of operation? East Saint Louis Detroit Chicago and many others are basis of operation for the criminal elements. We could point out somewhere there white folks are the criminal elements as well. some people say are you familiar with the Muslim community in Detroit? They take care of their own so you never hear anything about their people being in trouble. They had their own drug syndicate decades ago. So do we want to have a bunch of little kingdoms with feudal systems where the surf's serve a master? I don't know maybe an educational professionals such as a teacher has answers. The answer has to be out there somewhere but nobody seems to have it. As far as corruption that ties right into drugs. War on drugs did not go far enough. Where are the answers? Where do we start? I doubt that we start in Cairo Illinois. Safe travel sir.

[@HisShadowX]

I'll tell you why, and I'll give you an example. I am someone who grew up in a nice middle class area that had a white flight. Literally within three months, 90% of the area had moved out. In fact, in this part of the city, the city voted to make it illegal to put up a for sale sign. It was that bad. Basically, the projects came down, and the children who stayed in these areas had a worse off life. Basically, my parents were tolerant. They wanted to be diverse. They wanted to prove they're not racist. So they kept me in the same area, going to the same school. So believe it or not, what this town is doing, even though it's an utter failure, and we could all agree on that, but what it's doing is it's containing a rot. Think of it as a box that keeps the monster in from escaping. As soon as these people leave, like for example, you've probably seen the drone footage in this video, and of course, where everyone lives is that project building where you see all the cars. As soon as they decide to tear down those project buildings and move those people into another community, they're going to ruin the lives of the people who stay in those areas. Some people don't have the choice to leave. For example, the children. I know it's a running joke saying think about the children, but as someone who was a child growing up in an area where we stayed in a white flight, I didn't have a choice. The parents who either can't move because maybe they don't have the funds or they want to be like my parents, they just want to show that they're not racist, that they're tolerant. Those are the people who could move. It's not the children, and the children are going to suffer. So this town, believe it or not, it's a good thing. Keep them all in that one place as long as we can.