Cairo

Cairo
City
The massive gate that closes the town's protective levee is visible behind the railroad bridge
Name origin: Cairo, Egypt
Country	United States
State	Illinois
County	Alexander
Elevation	315 ft (96 m)
Coordinates	37°0′47″N 89°10′49″W / 37.01306°N 89.18028°W / 37.01306; -89.18028
Area	9.1 sq mi (24 km²)
Population	3,632 (2000)
Density	198.9 /km² (515 /sq mi)
Founded	1858
Mayor	Judson Childs
Timezone	CST (UTC-6)
- summer (DST)	CDT (UTC-5)
Postal code	62914
Area code	618
Location of Cairo within Illinois
Wikimedia Commons: Cairo, Illinois

Cairo is a city in Alexander County, Illinois in the United States. The population was 3,632 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Alexander County. The city's name is pronounced "CARE-oh", different from Cairo ("KEYE-ro"), the capital city of Egypt .

Cairo is located at the confluence of the Mississippi and the Ohio Rivers, and is the southernmost town in the state of Illinois. Cairo is one of the few towns in Illinois protected by a levee. The rivers converge at what is the southernmost point in Illinois at Fort Defiance State Park, an American Civil War fort that was commanded by General Ulysses S. Grant.

It is part of the Cape Girardeau–Jackson, MO-IL Metropolitan Statistical Area. Several blocks in the town comprise the Cairo Historic District, listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP). The Old Customhouse is also on the NRHP.

History

Embarkation of Union troops from Cairo on January 10, 1862

Cairo was founded by the Cairo City & Canal Company in 1837, and incorporated as a city in 1858. For 15 years the town grew slowly, but the sale of lots (commencing in 1853) and the completion of the Illinois Central Railroad attracted settlers. By 1860, the population exceeded 2,000.

It was an important steamboat port in the 19th century, with so much river traffic that the government located customs officials there. The United States Customs House (called the Old Customhouse) was designed by Alfred B. Mullet, the Supervising Architect during Reconstruction. One of only seven of his Victorian structures remaining in the nation, the building has been converted into a museum. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

During the Civil War, Cairo was a strategically important supply base and training center for the Union army. For several months both General Grant and Admiral Foote had headquarters here. The town has numerous fine examples of prosperous 19th and early 20th architecture, including the Italianate Magnolia Manor and Second Empire Riverlore Mansion. Much of the city, even in some areas of decay, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

With the decline in river trade, like many other river cities, Cairo has experienced a marked decline in its economy and population, from a 1907 high of 20,000 residents ^[1] to 3,632 in 2000. There is a movement to stop abandonment of the city, restore Cairo's architectural landmarks, develop tourism focusing on its history and relation to the river, and bring new opportunities back to the community.

Cairo abandonment

Sharing in the culture of the South, many Cairo residents supported racial segregation. In 1909 a mob of hundreds lynched black resident Will James. Racial discrimination remained part of the society. In 1969, Cairo was the site of an intense civil rights struggle to end segregation and create job opportunities. The threat of violence resulted in the National Guard being called in to restore order. The United Front civil rights organization led a decade-long boycott of white-owned businesses -- which encompassed virtually all the businesses in the town. Its economy crippled by that and the shift of traffic away from the river, Cairo has emerged slowly from the years of conflict. It shares the economic struggles of many cities on the Mississippi.

The city today faces many significant socio-economic challenges for the remaining population, including poverty, issues in education, employment and rebuilding its tax base. A community clinic offers medical and dental care, and also several mental health services.

Cairo at the confluence of the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers

Cairo’s turbulent history is chronicled on a concept music CD called Greetings From Cairo, Illinois, released in 2005 by musician Stace England.

Geography

Cairo is located at 37°01′N 89°11′W / 37.01°N 89.18°W / 37.01; -89.18Coordinates: 37°01′N 89°11′W / 37.01°N 89.18°W / 37.01; -89.18.^[2] The elevation above sea level is 315 feet (96 m). The lowest point in the state of Illinois is located on the Mississippi River in Cairo.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 9.1 square miles (23.6 km²), including 2.1 square miles (5.4 km²) of water (22.78% of the total area). Cairo is located at the confluence of the Mississippi River and Ohio River.

Demographics

As of the census^[3] of 2000, there were 3,632 people, 1,561 households, and 900 families residing in the city. The population density was 515.1 people per square mile (198.9/km²). There were 1,885 housing units at an average density of 103.2 per km² (267.3 per sq mi). The racial makeup of the city was 35.93% White, 61.70% Black or African American, 0.08% Native American, 0.72% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.36% from other races, and 1.18% from two or more races; 0.74% of the population were Hispanics or Latinos of any race.

There were 1,561 households out of which 30.4% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 29.3% were married couples living together, 25.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 42.3% were non-families. Of all households, 39.7% are made up of individuals and 17.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.26 and the average family size was 3.08.

The age distribution was 30.4% under the age of 18, 8.1% from 18 to 24, 22.0% from 25 to 44, 21.6% from 45 to 64, and 17.9% 65 years of age or older. The median age is 36 years. For every 100 females there were 79.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 70.2 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $21,607, and the median income for a family was $28,242. Males had a median income of $28,798 versus $18,125 for females. The per capita income for the city was $16,220. Of the population as a whole, 33.5% lives below the poverty line, as compared with 27.1% of families. Out of the total population, 47.0% of those under the age of 18 and 20.9% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line.

Education

The city is served by Cairo Unified School District 1. Based on Census estimates, the Cairo school district has the highest percentage in Illinois of children in poverty, 60.6%. It is 15th highest in the United States.^[4]

The district has two elementary schools, Bennett Elementary School and Emerson Elementary School. Middle and high school students attend Cairo Junior/Senior High School.

Transportation

Cairo's location on a spit of land that lies between the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers made multiplexing US 51, 60 and 62 briefly through Illinois more practical than directly connecting Missouri and Kentucky. The result of Cairo's position as a critical highway junction is that Missouri and Kentucky are the only states to border each other with no direct highway connection between them.

Culture

• In 1916 Billy Murray had a #10 hit record with "When You Drop Off at Cairo, Illinois".
• Other songs that refer to Cairo include "Road To Cairo" by cult American singer-songwriter David Ackles, later covered by Julie Driscoll Brian Auger (Trinity).
• Josh Ritter's "Monster Ballads" also refers to Cairo.

• In literature, Cairo is referenced in the 19th century Mark Twain classic The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and in the 20th c. fantasy American Gods by Neil Gaiman.

• Cairo had its own minor-league baseball team (variously known as the Egyptians, Champions and Giants) in the Kentucky-Illinois-Tennessee League from 1903-06, 1911-14 and 1922-24.

Notable residents

1997 aerial view of Cairo, with Ohio River in foreground, Mississippi River in background

• Gracia Burnham, missionary
• Chet Covington, baseball player
• Charles Hayes, congressman
• John Healy, baseball player
• Rex Ingram, actor
• Ted Joans, musician, poet and painter
• Margaret Karcher, restaurateur
• Ed Morgan, baseball player
• Tyrone Nesby (AKA rapper T-Nes), basketball player
• Mary J. Safford, schoolteacher and nurse
• George "Harmonica" Smith, musician
• Hudson Strode, author and professor
• Napoleon B. Thistlewood, congressman
• Henry Townsend, musician
• Richard W. Townshend, congressman
• Donne Trotter, politician
• Estelle Yancey, blues vocalist
• Delirious, professional wrestler
• Paul Turner, actor

Sites of interest

The Riverlore, built in 1865

• Fort Defiance State Park
• Gem Theatre
• The Hewer, a 1902 public sculpture by George Gray Barnard
• Cairo Custom House & Post Office
• Magnolia Manor
• The Riverlore
• A. B. Safford Memorial Library

See also

• List of cities and towns along the Ohio River
• Little Egypt
• Steamboats of the Mississippi
• Illinois in the Civil War
• USS Cairo
• Cairo, Egypt

References

• History of Cairo, Illinois

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Cairo, Illinois

Wikisource has the text of the 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica article Cairo (Illinois).

• City-Data.com - Cairo, Illinois
• Pilot Light 2000 - site by Cairo high School alumni during 1960s
• OERD Special Project/Fort Defiance Park - Southern Illinois University project about Fort Defiance
• Information about Cairo, Illinois

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