Cairo

About Cairo

Cairo (, KAIR-oh, sometimes , KAY-roh) is the southernmost city in the U.S. state of Illinois and the county seat of Alexander County. A river city, Cairo has the lowest elevation of any location in Illinois and is the state's only city to be surrounded by levees. The city is named after Egypt's capital on the Nile and is located in the river-crossed area of Southern Illinois. It is coterminous with Cairo Precinct.

Cairo is located at the confluence of the Ohio and Mississippi rivers, two of the largest rivers in North America, by discharge, and is near the Cache River complex, a Wetland of International Importance. Settlement began in earnest in the 1830s, and busy river boat traffic expanded through the 1850s. Fort Defiance, a Civil War base, was located here in 1862 by Union General Ulysses S. Grant to control strategic access to the rivers and launch and supply his successful campaigns south. The town also served as a naval base for the Mississippi River Squadron to pursue the Anaconda Plan to win the war. Developed as a river port, Cairo was later bypassed by transportation changes away from the large expanse of low-lying land, wetland, and water, which surrounds Cairo and makes such infrastructure difficult. Due to industrial restructuring, the population peaked at 15,203 in 1920, while in the 2020 census, it was 1,733. Its population has been shrinking for decades. A majority of residents are African American.

Several blocks in the town comprise the Cairo Historic District, listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP). The Old Customs House is also on the NRHP. The city is part of the Cape Girardeau–Jackson metropolitan area.

The entire city was evacuated during Mississippi River floods in 2011, after the Ohio River rose higher than the 1937 flood levels, with the possibility of Cairo being inundated by 15 feet of water. To prevent flooding in Cairo and other more populous areas farther downstream along both the Ohio and Mississippi rivers, the United States Army Corps of Engineers breached levees in the Mississippi flood zone in Missouri, near Cairo.

Text: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0

Cairo weather: 7-day forecast

Source: National Weather Service (NOAA).

Nearest webcams to Cairo

There are no webcams in Cairo itself. These are the closest, 33 miles away or more.

Webcams: Windy.com

Living in Cairo

Median household income

$41,912

Median home value

$32,000

Median rent

$515/mo

Median age

43.8

Map of Cairo

Tap any street on the map to see it in Street View below. Map: © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Cairo Street View

Drag the image to look around and tap the arrows on the ground to move. If it says there is no imagery, tap a nearby street on the map above.

Cairo, IL population

Cairo had 1,733 residents in the 2020 Census.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Decennial Census.

Cairo at a glance

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau (Gazetteer, ZCTA), USGS GNIS, Wikidata.

Towns near Cairo

• Wyatt, MO3.3 mi S
• Mound City5.6 mi N
• Wilson City, MO6.1 mi S
• Wickliffe, KY6.2 mi SE
• Mounds7.6 mi N
• Barlow, KY8.2 mi NE
• Charleston, MO10.4 mi SW
• Unity11.2 mi NW
• La Center, KY12.4 mi NE
• Blandville, KY12.8 mi E
• Bardwell, KY13.2 mi SE
• Olmsted13.3 mi NE

Straight-line distance between town centers.

Frequently asked questions about Cairo