Cairo pins hopes on river port development

Alexander County, in deep southern Illinois, saw 36.4% population decline since 2010


CAIRO – Anyone who has driven America's interstate highway system is familiar with those standard blue signs near major exits indicating the services available ahead – fuel, food and lodging. Driving south on Interstate 57 in Illinois, approaching the city of Cairo at the state's southernmost tip, most of the images on those blue signs have been erased. Only the "lodging" sign carries the logo of a single economy-class motel chain.

Get off on Exit 1, just before the highway crosses the river into Missouri, and it's just a short drive into town. A railroad overpass emblazoned with the name "Cairo" lets drivers know they've arrived. Just beyond, it becomes apparent why those highway signs are mostly blank.

The main street leading into town is dotted with one empty building after another – buildings that used to be gas stations, convenience stores, local eateries, even a grocery store. There is no place left in town to buy gasoline or groceries. A single barbeque restaurant – said by locals to be excellent – is the only place for dining.

This city at the confluence of two of the mightiest rivers in the United States, the Ohio and the Mississippi, is the county seat of Alexander County, which once boasted a population of more than 25,000. It is now down to just 5,240, according to the 2020 U.S Census, after a drop of 36.4 percent just in the past 10 years, the biggest population decline of any county in the nation.

Read more: https://www.illinoistimes.com/springfield/cairo-pins-hopes-on-river-port-development/Content?oid=14141379