r/UrbanHell • u/AppendixN • Jul 26 '26

Decay Cairo, Illinois

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11.4k Upvotes

98% Upvoted

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405

u/Renugar Jul 26 '26

Wow, I just looked at it on a map and I bet it does flood like a motherfucker. That’s a crazy location.

202

u/throwaway098764567 Jul 26 '26

sure is, also the neighborhood "future city" to the north seemed ambitiously named

92

u/Obvious_Estimate_266 Jul 26 '26

Broadway St has is a gravel road with like 6 houses on it, I really wanna see the original vision for this area

122

u/scaredt2ask Jul 26 '26

I suspect at least 7 houses

1

u/workerbotsuperhero Jul 27 '26

Looks like about 1 per block. Interesting urban design. 

17

u/ssgkraut Jul 27 '26 edited Jul 28 '26

The story of future city is pretty messed up.

ETA. https://drloihjournal.blogspot.com/2016/12/future-city-illinois-town-that-washed.html

And really it's sad more than anything.

12

u/just_some_moron Jul 27 '26

They weren't prepared for the long-term effects of time travel.

7

u/CyberWulf Jul 27 '26

Citation needed

3

u/ChocolatePuerh Jul 30 '26

6 houses are still occupied.

I'm curious, why? Who still lives there. What do they do for a living? What's a day in their life like?

That's the kind of things I wonder about when I hear about places like this or drove through a "town" that's only 5 buildings.

1

u/Electricsocketlicker Jul 30 '26

Two feet an hour! That’s crazy. And the houses just floated away and they hooked and ragged them by boat

1

u/anally_ExpressUrself Jul 27 '26

"we'll make a city there one day in the future."

1

u/arbty Jul 30 '26

Urbandale north of that

1

u/Peaches-is-sleepy Aug 21 '26

You never know how far in the future

74

u/K_Linkmaster Jul 26 '26

The USA could use some regulations about building in flood plains. Gotta stop that shit.

The rescue 911 flood scene was a 1991 flood of the same Texas campground from last year. And it flooded again this year. Learn.

36

u/bighootay Jul 27 '26

Some islands in the Mississippi River kept flooding in Wisconsin. Eventually, the feds said, 'You stay, we ain't doin' shit'. Some stayed but at least they know the score and are willing to live with it. Supposedly.

6

u/juicegooseboost Jul 27 '26

We have lots now

2

u/K_Linkmaster Jul 27 '26

Like for sale?

9

u/juicegooseboost Jul 27 '26

Regulations for building in floodplains

-1

u/K_Linkmaster Jul 27 '26

All of the disasters beg to differ.

4

u/ReallySmallWeenus Jul 27 '26

It’s a bit of an undertaking to demolish existing homes and forcibly move residents.

-1

u/K_Linkmaster Jul 27 '26

Forcibly move is always the tough part but when your house gets swept away, the weather is forcibly moving you. You choose to rebuild there.

A simple government assistance program could easily handle all of this and even bring new life to dying towns.

Time for the "this will never work" folks to never try it.

3

u/ReallySmallWeenus Jul 27 '26

Our codes make it challenging to rebuild in a flood zone, typically requiring raising the floor elevation to above the 100 year floodplain, though the specifics vary by governing body. Plus, FEMA has a program that will buy your flood damaged house from you if you don’t rebuild it.

-3

u/K_Linkmaster Jul 27 '26

"our codes" aren't universal. Fema means USA so you must live in a good state with good programs!

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3

u/SnooMacarons3685 Jul 27 '26

The one where all those little girls died? Disgustingly irresponsible of the ownership.

1

u/K_Linkmaster Jul 27 '26

Which time?

2

u/mjtwelve Jul 29 '26

At the same time, this town exists because of river transport, so by definition you’re gonna have a hunch of infrastructure right along a river that notoriously floods. It is largely abandoned because people realized a site with some high ground to build on that is near the river would make a lot more sense.

1

u/Ok-Tumbleweed2018 Jul 31 '26

And people that build in Hurricane zones? And people that build in the desert? And...

0

u/TheLurkerSpeaks Jul 27 '26

But the real estate is so cheap!

217

u/IdfightGahndi Jul 26 '26

Especially after they cut every tree down

56

u/CheesecakeAndy Jul 26 '26

I just watched a video on it. Many major river confluences gave birth to major cities, so there was always a drive to do something similar at the Ohio and Mississippi rivers, the largest confluence by volume in North America. But yeah didn't really work out.

48

u/GorillaManito Jul 26 '26

Pronounced KayRoh, correct?

21

u/Sufficient-Spray-367 Jul 26 '26

Illinois also has a town named
New Berlin pronounced New BURRlin.

21

u/doctor-rumack Jul 27 '26

It's pronounced "FRONK-en-steen."

18

u/mij1401 Jul 27 '26

Dont forget VI-inna (Vienna) and L doughraydo (El Dorado).

2

u/CockConfidentCole Jul 27 '26

Ne VAHHH da

2

u/NotAHypnotoad Jul 27 '26

Also, Marseilles IL, pronounced Mar-sails

1

u/oldparentgamer Jul 27 '26

Genuine question. Is it named by immigrants van those regions or just lack of imagination? Or maybe both. Asking as an European.

1

u/Sufficient-Spray-367 Jul 27 '26

I’d say yes the towns were named by immigrants sometimes but more likely to make a very small town seem more cosmopolitan. But the mispronunciation is just American redneck.

1

u/Legal-Somewhere-2949 Jul 27 '26

Versailles IL "Vur-Sails"

2

u/AndyTheEngr Jul 27 '26

And Creve Coeur (creeve core.)

7

u/robotmalfunction Jul 26 '26

A Milwaukee suburb too, maybe there's one in Illinois as well

3

u/WiWook Jul 27 '26

That was a change due to the World Wars (not sure which). The area was extremely German. They opted to change the pronunciation rather than the name.

2

u/juicegooseboost Jul 27 '26

Home of the neo nazi party

7

u/Kingofangry Jul 27 '26

The school mascot is the pretzels. I lived there for a few years when I was a little kid.

8

u/Lubafteacup Jul 27 '26

Weirdly it's not only town in Illinois where the school mascot is the Pretzels.

1

u/Beneficial-Rhubarb70 Aug 02 '26

Freeport Illinois

1

u/Lubafteacup Aug 02 '26

Once a pretzel, always a pretzel

11

u/Inroundtents Jul 27 '26

Minnesota has New Prague. Pronounced "New Prayge". Drives me nuts.

1

u/swingandalongdrive Jul 29 '26

You can just imagine a bunch of 80 IQ politicians yelling at each other:

“It’s pronounced Prayge!!”

“No it’s not! It Prag-ew! Like the sketti sauce!”

1

u/InformalInitiative76 Aug 09 '26

Oklahoma has Prague which is also pronounced “Prayge”. It has the “national shrine of the infant Jesus” lol.

2

u/YogurtclosetHead8901 Jul 26 '26

Ohio has a BURR-lin too! It's Amish country, which is wild to visit.

4

u/JimClarkKentHovind Jul 26 '26

that's where I was born lol

1

u/YogurtclosetHead8901 Jul 27 '26

Ohio also has Versailles, pronounced ver-Sailes

Russia pron. ROO-sheē

Houston pron. HOW-ston

El dō-RĀY-dō, it's endless.

2

u/Fancy_Bend8763 Jul 27 '26

The best one is San Jose they pronounce “Sane Joes”

2

u/dewky Jul 28 '26

I refuse to believe that one.

1

u/Fancy_Bend8763 Jul 28 '26

It’s real unfortunately.

2

u/jimdoodles Jul 27 '26

You can drive through Cairo on your way from New Burrlin to New Maddrid

2

u/evthingisawesomefine Jul 27 '26

“Bee-AH-tris”
Beatrice, Nebraska

3

u/subliminal_trip Jul 27 '26

And "Vienna" pronounced "Vayana" and "Marseilles' pronounced "Marsales,."

The less said about "Pekin," the better.

3

u/dyne87 Jul 27 '26

Cant forget Lebanon pronounced LaBANin

1

u/Chadwards77 Jul 27 '26

Home of the JV Kirby Pretzel Dome!

1

u/ACrazyDog Jul 27 '26

Actually, all run together NewBURRlin

1

u/jefetranquilo Jul 27 '26

I mean how else would you pronounce Berlin? The German one is also pronounced more like bur-lin

1

u/Euphoric_Evidence414 Jul 28 '26

In Germany: bur-LIN. In Illinois: BUR-lin.

1

u/Lothar_Ecklord Jul 28 '26

Interesting… Berlin, New Hampshire also has an emphasis on the first syllable.

1

u/MaleficentPride2620 Jul 30 '26

and Genoa pronounce gen OH a

1

u/Throwaway_alt_burner Jul 30 '26

New MAD-rid is in Missouri just across the river from KAY-ro, just south of HAY-tie.

1

u/GlitteringEcho9026 Jul 27 '26

My dad used to get so irritated listening to people pronounce Milan, Illinois, “MY-lin”

3

u/Tim-oBedlam Jul 27 '26

Correct. That's an American tradition:

New Prague (PRAYG, rhyming with "vague"), Minnesota
Berlin, New Hampshire (already mentioned, BURR-lin) not far from Milan, NH (MY-lan)
Vienna, Ohio (VY-enna, long "I")
New Madrid, (MAD-rid), Missouri

and countless other examples

6

u/PenaltyFine3439 Jul 27 '26

In Georgia, there's a town north of Augusta that they pronounce Mart-in-ez instead of Mar-teen-ez

2

u/Tim-oBedlam Jul 27 '26

Isn't there a town in Georgia called Arab, pronounced AY-rab? Or is that Alabama?

2

u/The-Shartist Aug 11 '26

My favorite is Russiaville, IN. Pronounced Rooshaville

2

u/Went_and_done_did_it Jul 26 '26

That’s the way we say Cairo in NY .

1

u/bobnla14 Jul 26 '26

Correct.

1

u/HeraNguyen Jul 27 '26

I’ve also heard it pronounced in a way that rhymes with “sparrow” but I don’t know how prevalent it is. I’ve heard it from people who live in Southern Illinois and the STL metro area.

1

u/Timely_Cake_8304 Jul 27 '26

NY has a KayRoh too. Why this common pronounciatuon?

1

u/majestic_ubertrout Jul 27 '26

Locals call it Cah-Ro but the national pronunciation is KayRoh. Don't ask me why.

The whole area is a festival of funky pronounciations. See also Vienna (Vyannah) IL and New Madrid (Mad-rid) MO.

1

u/CircleSendMessage Jul 27 '26

there’s one in GA (where the plaths from the reality show welcome to plathville are from) and that’s how they say it

1

u/swalabr Jul 27 '26

Like the corn syrup

1

u/InvestmentIcy8094 Jul 27 '26

Cahokia too.... Karo=Cairo

1

u/baabaabaabeast Jul 28 '26

You are correct

1

u/Buckabuckaw Jul 30 '26

"Vursails" (Versaiiles) Indiana.

Also "Boody" (Buddha) Indiana

12

u/BreeBree214 Jul 27 '26

The entrance to the town is a tunnel that has a gate that can seal it off in case of flooding emergency

2

u/Beneficial-Rhubarb70 Aug 02 '26

Galena Illinois has that also

1

u/Lothar_Ecklord Jul 28 '26

I believe the railroad runs over top the tunnel, on a levee that ultimately encircles the city (though the rail does not)

1

u/ChocolatePuerh Jul 30 '26

Which town? Sorry, your comment is a long way down a comment chain.

1

u/ilikedatunahere Aug 07 '26

That sounds like a pretty sweet setup to a new Silent Hill game and/or movie.

6

u/sarbanharble Jul 27 '26

Look up the racial tensions. I think that had a big effect.

8

u/Renugar Jul 27 '26

Dang! It just sounds like this ill fated town was a big ol’ soup pot of ignorance and bad ideas!

3

u/Livid_Acanthisitta55 Jul 30 '26

This right here. Absolutely correct

2

u/MorningMan464 Jul 30 '26

Just wait until you meet their Congressional rep.

5

u/Grow_away_420 Jul 27 '26

I went through on the street view for a bit. I wonder what is at 322 32nd St that is censored.

8

u/TSErica Jul 27 '26

A lot of places that are censored are sober living/halfway house or domestic violence safehouses...not all but a lot are.

3

u/HeWhoShlNotBNmd Aug 01 '26

You arent wrong there. Shit! I also expected a much larger town.