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Cairo

  •   State: 
    Illinois
      County: 
    Alexander County
      City: 
    Cairo
      County FIPS: 
    17003
      Coordinates: 
    37°0′47″N 89°10′49″W
      Area total: 
    9.11 sq mi (23.59 km²)
      Area land: 
    6.99 sq mi (18.10 km²)
      Area water: 
    2.12 sq mi (5.49 km²)
      Elevation: 
    315 ft (96 m)
      Established: 
    1858
  •   Latitude: 
    37,0139
      Longitude: 
    -89,1808
      Dman name cbsa: 
    Cape Girardeau, MO-IL
      Timezone: 
    Eastern Standard Time (EST) UTC-5:00; Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) UTC-4:00
      ZIP codes: 
    62914
      GMAP: 

    Cairo, Alexander County, Illinois, United States

  •   Population: 
    1,733
      Population density: 
    248.03 residents per square mile of area (95.77/km²)
      Household income: 
    $25,123
      Households: 
    1,243
      Unemployment rate: 
    11.60%
  •   Sales taxes: 
    6.25%
      Income taxes: 
    3.00%

Cairo (KAIR-oh) is the southernmost city in Illinois and the county seat of Alexander County. The city is located at the confluence of the Ohio and Mississippi rivers. Fort Defiance, a Civil War camp, was built here in 1862 by Union General Ulysses S. Grant to control strategic access to the rivers. The entire city was evacuated during the 2011 Mississippi River Floods, after the Ohio River rose higher than the 1937 flood levels. Cairo is the only Illinois city to be surrounded by levees. It is in the area of Southern Illinois known as Little Egypt, for which the city is named after Egypt's capital. The first municipal charter for Cairo and for the Bank of Cairo were issued in 1818, but without any settlement and without any depositors. A second and successful effort to establish a town was made by the Cairo City and Canal Company in 183637, with a large levee built to encircle the site. Charles Dickens visited Cairo in 1842, and was unimpressed, and it would serve as his prototype for the nightmare City of Eden in his novel Martin Chuzzlewit. In 1869 construction began on the United States Custom House and Post Office, which was designed by Alfred B. Mullet, the Supervising Architect. The custom house was completed in 1872. It served as a custom house, post office, and U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Illinois from 1905 to 1942. The Old Customs House is also on the National Register of Historic Places.

History

Cairo is the primary city name, but also Cache are acceptable city names or spellings, Future City, Klondike, Urbandale on the other hand no longer accepted or obsolete and are no longer used as a designation. The first municipal charter for Cairo and for the Bank of Cairo were issued in 1818, but without any settlement and without any depositors. A second and successful effort to establish a town was made by the Cairo City and Canal Company in 183637, with a large levee built to encircle the site. Charles Dickens visited Cairo in 1842, and was unimpressed. The city would serve as his prototype for the nightmare City of Eden in his novel Martin Chuzzlewit. In 1869 construction began on the United States Custom House and Post Office, which was designed by Alfred B. Mullet, the Supervising Architect. It served as a custom house, post office, and United States Court until 1905. The Custom House was used for the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Illinois from 1905 to 1942. It is one of only seven of Mullet's Victorian structures remaining in the nation, and the building has been converted for use as a museum. Across the street, the Cairo Public Library was constructed in 1883. The library dedicated on July 19, 1884 as the Safford Memorial Library and donated to the city by Anna Eafford Bafford. For protection from seasonal flooding, Cairo is completely enclosed by a series of levees and flood walls, due to its low elevation between the rivers. Several buildings were originally designed to be built to be at the same height as the top of the levees. That plan was scrapped as it would have cost the city significant money to raise the land and fill the streets.

Geography

Cairo has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa) and has many characteristics of a city in the Upland South. Summers are warm and humid, with a daily average in July of 79 °F (26.1 °C) Winters are generally cool with mild periods, though extended stretches of cold can occur. Cairo's low elevation and proximity to the Mississippi and Ohio rivers prevent strong winter lows and plunging temperatures. During the summer months, those similar features retain heat and humidity, creating muggy conditions. According to the 2021 census gazetteer files, Cairo has a total area of 9.11 square miles (23.59 km²) (or 76.72%) of which 6.99 square miles is land and 5.49 km² is water. The lowest point in the state of Illinois is located in Cairo at the Mississippi River. The elevation above sea level is 315 feet (96 m) (Cairo is located at the confluence of the Ohio River with the Mississippi, near Mounds, Illinois). The average daily temperature in Cairo is 34°F (1.1°C) (January average is 34 °F, July average is 79°F, August average is 90°F). Cairo is located on the Illinois River, which flows into the Illinois Gulf of Mexico at the mouth of the Mississippi. The average annual rainfall is 2.12 inches (5.49 cm) (July average is 1.7 inches (4.4 cm).

Demographics

As of the 2020 census there were 1,733 people, 828 households, and 377 families residing in the city. The city's age distribution consisted of 21.7% under the age of 18, 9.3% from 18 to 24, 16.9% from 25 to 44, 28.8% from 45 to 64, and 16.6% 65 or older. The racial makeup of the city was 25.33% White, 68.96% African American, 0.40% Native American,0.63% from other races, and 4.67% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.15% of the population. The average household size was 3.42 and the average family size was 2.16. Males working full-time, year-round had a median income of $37,750 versus $21,917 for females. About 33.0% of families and 36.2% of residents were living below the poverty line, including 72.1% of those under age 18 and 14.2%) of those age 65 or over. The median income for a household in theCity was $16,682, and the median income. for a family was $31,507. The per capita income for the city is $19,661. The population for the 2010 census was 2,831 people, and for the 2000 census was 3,632 people, with a population density of 190.29 inhabitants per square mile.

Education

The city is served by Cairo Community Unit School District 1. The district has one elementary school, Emerson Elementary School. Middle and high school students attend Cairo Junior/Senior High School. Based on census estimates, the Cairo school district has the highest percentage in Illinois of children in poverty, 60.6%. This is the fifteenth highest percentage of any city in the United States. The Roman Catholic Diocese of Belleville formerly operated St. Joseph Grade School. It was previously K-12, but by 2001 it had only elementary grades. The school closed in 2003. Shawnee Community College opened an extension center in Cairo in January 2019. It will be the first of its kind in the state of Illinois. It is located in the city's central business district, near the intersection of I-70 and I-80. The college is expected to be open by the end of the year and will offer classes in business, business, technology, nursing, and health care. It also offers an extension program for high school and college students in the area, which will be available in the summer of 2019. The extension center will be open in the winter of 2019, as well as in the spring and summer of the following year for middle and senior high students, and in the fall for elementary and middle school students. The city is home to a number of charities, including the Cairo Foundation, which helps children in need of financial assistance. The Cairo Foundation is a non-profit organization that provides support to children and families in need.

Government

Cairo is in Illinois's 12th congressional district and is represented in Congress by Republican Mike Bost. In 2020, 42.60 percent of Alexander County voters cast ballots for Democratic candidate and the 46th President Joe Biden. The county is home to the Cairo International Airport. The airport is located on the Illinois-Illinois Turnpike and is one of the nation's busiest. The Illinois Turnpikes are a major artery for the Chicago area and the Illinois River runs through the county. The Chicago River is a major source of revenue for the county and the state of Illinois. The city is also the home of the Chicago Cubs, who play in the Chicago Bears' National Football League. The Cubs are also a major employer in the area and play a key role in the city's economy. The area is also home to a number of businesses, including a bank, a bank and a bank-owned housing development. The town is also known as the birthplace of President Barack Obama and his wife, first lady Michelle Obama. It is located in Illinois' 12th Congressional District and is in the state's central part of the state, near the city of Carbondale and the Chicago suburb of Naperville. For more, visit CNN.com/Cairo and follow us on Twitter @cairo and @CNNOpinion for updates on upcoming events in the county, such as the 2020 presidential election and the Cubs' home game against the Chicago Blackhawks. For the full story, go to http://www.cnn.com/.

Transportation

Cairo's location on a spit of land that lies between the Mississippi and Ohio rivers made overlapping US 60 and 62 briefly through Illinois more practical than directly connecting Missouri and Kentucky. The closest airports with regular service are Barkley Regional Airport and Cape Girardeau Regional Airport. Amtrak's ChicagoNew Orleans City of New Orleans served Cairo until October 25, 1987; since then, its closest stops to Cairo are Carbondale, Illinois, 53 miles (85 km) and Fulton, Kentucky, 43 miles (69 km) to the south. The city is located on the banks of the Mississippi River, between the states of Illinois and Missouri. It has a population of around 2,000. It is located in the heart of the Great Lakes region of the U.S. and is on the Illinois-Kentucky border. The nearest major airport is Cairo Regional Airport, which is 23 miles (26 km) from the city. It also has a general aviation airport, which provides regular service to the city's two main airports. The airport is located 23 miles and 26 miles away from Cairo's main airport, Cairo International Airport, and has regular flights to and from the airport. It was the first airport in the state to offer air service to Cairo, which began in the 1950s. It opened in 1961. The Cairo airport was built in the 1960s and is located near the site of Cairo's first post-World War II airport. Cairo was the last city in Illinois to be served by Amtrak's Chicago New Orleans service.

Landmarks and points of interest

Magnolia Manor is a postbellum manor built by the Cairo businessman Charles A. Galigher in 1869. It is a 14-room red brick house which features double walls intended to keep out the city's famous dampness with their ten-inch airspaces. It has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since December 17, 1969. Inside the home are many original, 19th-century furnishings. The house is operated as a Victorian period historic house museum by the Egyptian Historical Association. Other points of interest include:Fort Defiance Park, a 1902 public sculpture by George Gray Barnard, and the Cairo Custom House & Post Office. The Riverlore is a riverfront park in the heart of the city. The Cairo Historical Association operates the museum as a museum of the Victorian period. It also runs the Gem Theatre and the B. B. Safford Memorial Library in Cairo. The Hewer is a public sculpture of a woman by GeorgeGray Barnard. It was erected in 1902 and is located on the banks of the Riverlore in the center of the Cairo city center. The library was built in 1903 and is the oldest public library in the city, with a collection of more than 1,000 books. It opened in 1904. The city's main square is called the Grand Avenue. The Grand Avenue is a main street in the Cairo area, with many historic buildings and a number of public spaces. The river is a major tourist attraction, especially in the central area.

In popular culture

Cairo was the original destination for Huck and Jim in Mark Twain's The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Charles Dickens visited Cairo in 1842 and was unimpressed with what he saw as a disease-ridden backwater. It became the model for the town of Eden in his 184344 novel Martin Chuzzlewit. It is one of the settings within the Neil Gaiman novel American Gods and the television series of the same name. In the Disney Channel series So Weird episode 58 season 3 episode 19, an Egyptology museum in Cairo, Illinois, turns out to be inhabited by a reanimated mummy. The music video for Chris Tomlin's "I Lift My Hands" was filmed in Cairo. Singer Natalie Hemby included a song title "Cairo, IL" on her 2017 debut album Puxico. The musician Stace England produced a concept music CD called Greetings From Cairo, Illinois (2005), inspired by the city's turbulent history. The city is featured in the film Between Two Rivers, which is about the social, economic and environmental problems faced by Cairo. The film was directed by Jacob Cartwright and Nick Jordan, and was released in 2012. It was the first feature-length documentary to be made in the United States about the state of Illinois. It has been shown on PBS stations in the U.S. and Canada. It also appeared in the UK on Channel 4, Channel 5, Channel 6, Channel 7 and Channel 8, among others.

Sports

Cairo had its own minor-league baseball team (variously known as the Egyptians, Champions and Giants) in the KentuckyIllinoisTennessee League from 190306, 191114 and 192224. The St. Louis Cardinals of the National League held their annual spring training camp in Cairo from 1943-1945, due to travel restrictions imposed by Major League Baseball during World War II. In 2017, the Cairo Pilots high school basketball team came close to their first state championship, finishing 23-6 for the season. Finishing within four games of a state championship was especially noteworthy given the school's size. Enrollment in fall 2017 was only 97 students. The town of Cairo is known for its love of basketball. In fall 2017, there were just 97 students at Cairo High School, the smallest school in the state of Illinois at the time of the 2017 state championship. The school's basketball team finished the season with a record of 23-5, just shy of winning the state championship for the first time in the history of the school. It was the first state title for the Pilots in more than 30 years, and the first in over a decade for the high school's senior class. The Pilots are currently ranked No. 2 in their class, ahead of only Carbondale High School in Illinois, with a total enrollment of just over 2,000 students in the 2017-18 school year. The city has a population of 3,000. It is located on the banks of the Mississippi River.

Air Quality, Water Quality, Superfund Sites & UV Index

The Air Quality index is in Cairo, Alexander County, Illinois = 96.8. These Air Quality index is based on annual reports from the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The number of ozone alert days is used as an indicator of air quality, as are the amounts of seven pollutants including particulates, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, lead, and volatile organic chemicals. The Water Quality Index is 40. A measure of the quality of an area’s water supply as rated by the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The EPA has a complex method of measuring the watershed quality, using 15 indicators such as pollutants, turbidity, sediments, and toxic discharges. The Superfund Sites Index is 79. Higher is better (100=best). Based upon the number and impact of EPA Superfund pollution sites in the county, including spending on the cleanup efforts. The UV Index in Cairo = 4.1 and is a measure of an area's exposure to the sun's ultraviolet rays. This is most often a combination of sunny weather, altitude, and latitude. The UV Index has been defined by the WHO (www.who.int/news-room/questions-and-answers/item/radiation-the-ultraviolet-(uv)-index) and is uniform worldwide.

Employed

The most recent city population of 1,733 individuals with a median age of 36 age the population dropped by -21.84% in Cairo, Alexander County, Illinois population since 2000 and are distributed over a density of 248.03 residents per square mile of area (95.77/km²). There are average 2.2 people per household in the 1,243 households with an average household income of $25,123 a year. The unemployment rate in Alabama is 11.60% of the available work force and has dropped -7.12% over the most recent 12-month period and the projected change in job supply over the next decade based on migration patterns, economic growth, and other factors will increase by 14.16%. The number of physicians in Cairo per 100,000 population = 22.6.

Weather

The annual rainfall in Cairo = 49 inches and the annual snowfall = 9.4 inches. The annual number of days with measurable precipitation (over .01 inch) = 110. The average number of days per year that are predominantly sunny = 218. 90 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily high temperature for the month of July and 27 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily low temperature for the month of January. The Comfort Index (higher=better) is 43, where higher values mean a more pleasant climate. The Comfort Index measure recognizes that humidity by itself isn't the problem. (Have you noticed nobody ever complains about the weather being 'cold and humid?) It's in the summertime that we notice the humidity the most, when it's hot and muggy. Our Comfort Index uses a combination of afternoon summer temperature and humidity to closely predict the effect that the humidity will have on people.

Median Home Cost

The percentage of housing units in Cairo, Alexander County, Illinois which are owned by the occupant = 41.50%. A housing unit is a house, apartment, mobile home, or room occupied as separate living quarters. The average age of homes = 56 years with median home cost = $30,690 and home appreciation of -0.24%. This is the value of the years most recent home sales data. Its important to note that this is not the average (or arithmetic mean). The median home price is the middle value when you arrange all the sales prices of homes from lowest to highest. This is a better indicator than the average, because the median is not changed as much by a few unusually high or low values. The property tax rate of $12.54 shown here is the rate per $1,000 of home value. If for simplification for example the tax rate is $14.00 and the home value is $250,000, the property tax would be $14.00 x ($250,000/1000), or $3500. This is the 'effective' tax rate.

Study

The local school district spends $5,219 per student. There are 15.1 students for each teacher in the school. 7.53% of the area’s population over the age of 25 with an Associate Degree or other 2-year college degree, 4.42% with a master’s degree, Ph.D. or other advanced college degree and 2.94% with high school diplomas or high school equivalency degrees (GEDs).

  • Cairo's population in Alexander County, Illinois of 12,566 residents in 1930 has dropped 0,14-fold to 1,733 residents after 120 years, according to the official 2020 census.

    Approximately 56.17% female residents and 43.83% male residents live in Cairo, Alexander County, Illinois.

    As of 2020 in Cairo, Alexander County, Illinois are married and the remaining 54.86% are single population.

  • 18.9 minutes is the average time that residents in Cairo require for a one-way commute to work. A long commute can have different effects on health. A Gallup poll in the US found that in terms of mental health, long haul commuters are up to 12 percent more likely to experience worry, and ten percent less likely to feel well rested. The Gallup poll also found that of people who commute 61­–90 minutes each day, a whopping one third complained of neck and back pain, compared to less than a quarter of people who only spend ten minutes getting to work.

    74.77% of the working population which commute to work alone in their car, 14.93% of the working population which commutes to work in a carpool, 1.27% of the population that commutes using mass transit, including bus, light rail, subway, and ferry.

  • Of the total residential buildings in Cairo, Alexander County, Illinois, 41.50% are owner-occupied homes, another 33.15% are rented apartments, and the remaining 25.35% are vacant.

  • The 36.12% of the population in Cairo, Alexander County, Illinois who identify themselves as belonging to a religion are distributed among the following most diverse religions.

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