Which is a worry, because much of it is already shrinking

Abandoned buildings in downtown Cairo, Illinois
Photograph: Dreamstime

|CAIRO, ILLINOIS|12 min read

Cairo, a town at the southern tip of Illinois founded in the early 19th century, was given that name because it was expected to grow into a huge metropolis. Located at the confluence of the Mississippi and Ohio rivers, it was the transport hub of a region that became known as “Little Egypt” because of its huge deltaic plains where farmers could grow anything.

This article appeared in the Briefing section of the print edition under the headline “Emptying and fuming”

From the April 20th 2024 edition

Discover stories from this section and more in the list of contents

Explore the edition

A woman painted in the colors of the Venezuelan flag participates in a workers' protest demanding higher wages in Caracas, Venezuela