Cairo has lost more than half of its population in recent decades. Today, there are just under 3,000 people left.
Stephen Rickerl/Associated Press
Weeds grow through cracks in the sidewalk on Commercial Street in downtown Cairo, Ill., the county seat of Alexander County, which had the highest rate of violent offenses per 100,000 residents in 2015.
Cairo used to be a thriving river port and manufacturing hub. Now it's one of the fastest depopulating towns in rural America. The latest blow: Its two large public housing projects are shutting down.
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