Scattered across Illinois are towns that were once vibrant centers of industry, commerce, and community, now eerily quiet and nearly deserted. These “empty cities” didn’t vanish overnight, but were slowly undone by economic collapse, environmental disasters, racial unrest, and shifting populations.
From Cairo’s riverfront decay to Kaskaskia’s fight against the Mississippi, each place tells a unique story of rise and fall. In this article, we explore what happened to their residents—and what these forgotten towns reveal about resilience and decline.
1. Cairo: From River Boom to Ghost Town
At the southern tip of Illinois, where the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers meet, lies Cairo — a once-thriving river port that boomed to a population of over 15,000 in the 1920s. It was a vibrant hub, immortalized in literature by the likes of Mark Twain. But rapid economic shifts — including the construction of railroad and highway bridges that bypassed Cairo — caused its river traffic and commerce to collapse.
Cairo’s struggles were compounded in the 1960s by racial unrest: protests, boycotts, white flight, and violence devastated the community. Over subsequent decades, key employers shuttered — hospitals, paper mills, foam plants — taking jobs and hope with them. Today, fewer than 2,000 residents live amid boarded-up streets, with no grocery store, gas station, bank, or robust police force.
Flooding further accelerated the decline. The major flood of 2011 forced many residents to evacuate, and when a levee was finally breached — controversially — many chose not to return. While federal housing projects were demolished and residents uprooted further by HUD action, a handful of locals still anchor the community, advocating rehabilitation through heritage tourism, port development, and new housing initiatives. As one lifelong resident says, “You would never get me to believe that this city is dying… we’ll get 7 or 8,000 to move back”.
2. Kaskaskia: Lost to the River
Once a flourishing French colonial settlement and later Illinois’s first state capital, Kaskaskia fell victim to nature’s force. Repeated Mississippi River floods and a dramatic river channel change in the 19th century severed its link to the mainland. By 1893, catastrophic flooding destroyed much of the town.
Although a small community rebuilt nearby, the old townsite remained flooded, transformed into farmland and marsh. Population dwindled steadily: from 112 in 1950 to just nine by 2000. Today, what remains is a ghostly enclave connected by a narrow bridge, with seasonal inundation and trace residents keeping a faint memory alive.
3. Etherly: Coal Country’s Disappearing Town
In Knox County, Etherly emerged as a bustling coal-mining company town in the 19th century . But when the mines shut down in the early 1900s, the company sold off the town — buildings dismantled and moved to nearby Galesburg and Victoria. What remains today is virtually nothing but a cemetery marking a lost past.
4. Valmeyer: A Town That Moved to Survive
Unlike others, Valmeyer chose adaptation over abandonment. After the Great Flood of 1993 devastated the town, residents voted to relocate two miles uphill with federal and state support. Within months, construction began on higher ground, and roughly 700 out of 900 people moved — transforming survival into a model of resilience.
Today, Old Valmeyer stands largely deserted as a “ghost town,” but the rebuilt community thrives elsewhere — a compelling example of managed retreat in the face of climate change.
5. National City: When a Company Town Disappears
In East St. Louis’ orbit, National City was built in 1907 as a company town serving the St. Louis National Stockyards. The company owned every house, shop, and civic institution — even the mayor. But in 1996, when stockyard operations ceased, the company evicted residents and the town was dissolved.
The result: a ghost town of empty factories and overgrown ruins. But reinvention followed with industrial redevelopment, a new river terminal, and connectivity from the Stan Musial Veterans Memorial Bridge — showing even ghost towns can get a second lease.
Common Threads & Lessons Learned
| Decline Factor | Examples |
|---|---|
| Economic disruption | Cairo’s bypassing bridges, Etherly’s mine closures, National City’s corporate eviction |
| Natural disasters | Floods in Kaskaskia and Valmeyer, tornado in Parrish (not pictured) |
| Social & racial strife | Racial violence and systemic neglect in Cairo |
| Deliberate relocation | Valmeyer’s strategic community move |
Illinois’s “empty cities” share stories of lost industries, destructive natural forces, social trauma, or corporate control — but each narration offers insights. Some towns, like Valmeyer, demonstrate resilience through relocation. Others, like Cairo and National City, hint at potential rebirth through economic revival, heritage tourism, or infrastructure reinvestment. Yet many remain silent memorials — echoing what happens when residents gradually vanish.
What Became of Their Residents?
- Migrated to urban centers: Many Cairo residents relocated to St. Louis, Cape Girardeau, or suburban areas.
- Re-established livelihoods nearby: In places like Etherly, buildings found new life in neighboring towns.
- Built new communities: Valmeyer’s population rebuilt on safer ground.
- Lost identity: Kaskaskia’s descendants now care for a seasonal, shrinking community.
Final Thoughts
Empty cities across Illinois tell layered histories of economic shifts, climate impacts, and social transition. They surface questions about how communities can adapt proactively — and how policy, infrastructure, and culture can either revitalize or undo a town. These ghost towns offer cautionary tales — and in rare cases, inspiring models of regeneration.