businesses continued throughout 1970. In December, the city enacted a new city ordinance banning picketing within 20 feet of a business. Another large violent clash erupted as a result of the new city ordinance. Following the violence, the United Front called for another large rally and resumed picketing at white-owned businesses despite the new ordinance. The picketing turned violent after police heard shots fired and moved on the crowd. In 1978, the Interstate 57 bridge across the Mississippi River was opened. The interstate largely bypassed Cairo, crippling the remaining hospitality industry in the city. Cairo's hospital closed in December 1986, due to high debt and a dwindling number of patients. Current status With the decline in river trade, as has been the case in many other cities on the Mississippi, Cairo has suffered a marked decline in its economy and population. Its highest population was 15,203 in 1920; in 2020 it had 1,733 residents, about an 89% loss of population from its peak a century earlier. The city has decreased in population for eight consecutive US census reports from 1950 to 2020. The city faces many significant socio-economic challenges for the remaining population, including poverty, crime, issues in education, unemployment and rebuilding its tax base. The closure of the Elmwood and McBride housing projects was announced by the federal government in 2017. Ben Carson, Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, visited the city in August 2017. Some 10 families had found new housing, but an estimated 400 people will be affected by the closure. The community and region are working to stop abandonment of the city. They are restoring some architectural landmarks, and plan to develop heritage tourism focusing on the city's history and relationship to the Mississippi and Ohio rivers. Other cities have used such strategies to attract visitors and build new businesses to their communities. A community clinic offers medical and dental care, and several mental health services. Local media include the Cairo Citizen weekly newspaper. Geography Cairo is located at the confluence of the Ohio River with the Mississippi, near Mounds, Illinois. The elevation above sea level is . The lowest point in the state of Illinois is located in Cairo at the Mississippi River. According to the 2021 census gazetteer files, Cairo has a total area of , of which (or 76.72%) is land and (or 23.28%) is water. Climate The city of Cairo has a