Cairo, IL

united states

Cairo sits where the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers meet at Illinois' southern tip, creating the geographic peninsula known as "Little Egypt." This river town of under 2,000 was once a major Civil War supply depot and steamboat port. Take I-57 south from Chicago (360 miles) or I-64 east from St. Louis to I-57 south (170 miles). The massive concrete floodwall surrounding downtown was built after the catastrophic 1937 flood.