Recently my wife and I went through Cairo, Illinois. The town is a poster child for what happens to a place when black and white Americans decide that they don’t want to get along with one another.
Besides the decay, abandoned and burnt-out buildings, perhaps the most poignant is the Ward Chapel AMC church on 17th street. It was built in 1918. This means that over 100 years ago, the black people of Cairo were able to build and maintain a large brick church. It still stands, but it is clearly derelict. I have no idea if it is still in use.
There are no grocery stores in Cairo, but you can buy liquor in two or three places. That about sums up commercial activity.
The history of Cairo is absolute insanity.