Most Abandoned Place in America Used to Be an Illinois Boomtown

If you'd like to see what happens when a place goes from being vital to almost complete decay, you don't need to travel far. Arguably the most abandoned place in America is now only a shadow of its former self in Illinois and there are new videos and photos to prove it.

LordExplores on YouTube just completed an exploration of Cairo, Illinois or what's left of it anyway. If you look back at what Cairo used to be more than 100 years ago in 1920, you'll see that Cairo used to have a population approaching 20,000 according to Wikipedia. Now, the official number of residents that still call it home are a mere 1,733.

More than a third of the people that still remain in Cairo, Illinois live below the poverty line according to Wikipedia. It's not a place completely without hope, though, as proven by the tiny Cairo high school basketball team that came within 4 games of winning the state championship in 2017.

It's hard to see optimism with so many buildings in complete disrepair and abandonment. I have yet to see a place in America with more emptiness than Cairo, Illinois and that's a shame considering all of the history that has happened here.

WARNING: Under no circumstances should you enter this property. By doing so you risk bodily harm and/or prosecution for trespassing on private property.