Everything about Cape Girardeau totally explained
Cape Girardeau (
French:
Cap-Girardeau, pronounced ]) is a city located in the
county of the same name in
Missouri, south of
Saint Louis. As of the
2000 census, the city population was 35,349. The Cape Girardeau-Jackson, MO-IL
Micropolitan Statistical Area embraces
Alexander County, Illinois,
Bollinger County, Missouri and
Cape Girardeau County, Missouri. It is the home of
Southeast Missouri State University.
The city isn't the county seat of
Cape Girardeau County as some visitors mistakenly assume. The county seat of Cape Girardeau County is
Jackson, Missouri.
History
The city is named after
Jean Baptiste de Girardot, who established a temporary
trading post in the area around 1733; he was a French soldier stationed at
Kaskaskia, Illinois, 1704-1720. The Cape in the city name was a rock promontory overlooking the
Mississippi River, later destroyed by railroad construction. As early as 1765, a bend in the Mississippi about sixty miles south of the French village of
Ste. Genevieve had been referred to as Cape Girardot or Girardeau. The settlement there dates from 1793 when the Spanish government, which had secured
Louisiana in 1762, granted
Louis Lorimier, a French-Canadian, the right of establishing a trading post. His grant gave him extensive trading privileges and a large tract of land surrounding his post. Lorimier was made commandant of the district and prospered from the returns on his land sales and trade with indigenous peoples such as the
Ozark Bluff Dwellers and the
Mississippian. The town of Cape Girardeau was incorporated in 1808, prior to Missouri statehood, and was reincorporated as a city in 1843. The advent of the
steamboat in 1835 led it to become the biggest port on the
Mississippi River between
Saint Louis and
Memphis.
The
Civil War Battle of Cape Girardeau took place on April 26, 1863. The Union and Confederate Armies collided in a fierce, four-hour artillery barrage, on that day,
23 Union and 30 Confederate soldiers were killed. Today, Cape Girardeau is the home to numerous Civil War sites and memorials such as,
Reflecting the area's rich appreciation of history, numerous murals create a beautiful backdrop to some of the city's most charming areas. The largest, and most dramatic of these, is the
Mississippi River Tales Mural, located on the city's downtown floodwall. Covering nearly 18,000 square feet, this mural spans the length of the downtown shopping district, and features 24 panels that tell the tales of Cape Girardeau and the mighty Mississippi River. Behind the floodwall lies the
Riverfront Park of Cape Girardeau Missouri, where riverboats dock and visitors can view the river.
The city is also known to some as "The City of Roses" because of a nine mile (14 km) stretch of highway that was once lined with dozens of rose bushes. There also used to be many prominent rose gardens around the community. Few of these gardens persist today.
In December of 2003, a new four-lane cable-stay bridge crossing the Mississippi River at Cape Girardeau was opened. Its official name is
"The Bill Emerson Memorial Bridge."
The two towers of the bridge reach a height of approximately 91 meters. The old bridge was completed in September 1928 to replace a ferry. It was built for Model-T cars and was only wide.
The City of Cape Girardeau was recognized in Jan. 2008 by First Lady Laura Bush as a Preserve America Community.
Geography
Cape Girardeau is located at (37.309042, -89.546498).
According to the
U.S. Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 26.4
sq mi (16,875
acres or 68.4
km²).
The "cape" that the city is named after no longer exists. A rock which remains from the previously existing cape can be seen on a promontory which overlooks the Mississippi River in Cape Rock Park.
Demographics
As of the
census of 2000, there were 35,349 people, 14,380 households, and 8,297 families residing in the city. The
population density was 1,456.5 people per square mile (562.4/km²). There were 15,827 housing units at an average density of 652.1/sq mi (251.8/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 87.32%
White, 9.30%
Black or
African American, 1.13%
Asian, 0.39%
Native American, 0.04%
Pacific Islander, 0.43% from
other races, and 1.40% from two or more races.
Hispanic or
Latino of any race were 1.10% of the population.
There were 14,380 households out of which 25.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.8% were
married couples living together, 10.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 42.3% were non-families. 33.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.24 and the average family size was 2.90.
The age distribution is 20.5% under the age of 18, 18.4% from 18 to 24, 25.6% from 25 to 44, 19.9% from 45 to 64, and 15.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 89.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.9 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $32,452, and the median income for a family was $43,917. Males had a median income of $31,575 versus $21,392 for females. The
per capita income for the city was $18,918. About 8.5% of families and 15.2% of the population were below the
poverty line, including 16.5% of those under age 18 and 8.6% of those age 65 or over.
Four of the largest employers in Cape Girardeau are Southeast Missouri Hospital, Saint Francis Medical Center, Procter and Gamble, and
Southeast Missouri State University.
Health and Education
The city is served by two major medical centers, Saint Francis Medical Center and Southeast Missouri Hospital, both of which have been noted for excellence in care.
There are three major school systems in the city: Cape Girardeau Public Schools (including Central Senior High School), the Catholic Church-run private schools (including Notre Dame High School), and
Southeast Missouri State University.
The city features several fitness centers and a walking/biking trail, as well as outdoor public sporting complexes.
Transportation
Cape Girardeau Regional Airport serves the city.
Cape Girardeau is also served by
Interstate 55 and a Interstate business loop, known locally as "Kingshighway".
Prominent Citizens
Cape Girardeau is the home or birthplace of several nationally recognized figures, including:
Chic Hecht, Republican United States Senator from Nevada, Military Intelligence Hall of Fame agent and U.S. Ambassador to the Bahamas was born in Cape Girardeau
Talk radio star Rush Limbaugh was born to a prominent family of lawyers in Cape Girardeau; some "dittoheads" make pilgrimages there. (External Link) Rush's brother, David(External Link) runs a law firm in the city.
Rush's cousin Stephen N. Limbaugh, Jr., a Missouri Supreme Court Judge, also resides in the city.
Actor and military consultant, Captain Dale Dye was born in Cape Girardeau.
Writer Terry Teachout was born in Cape Girardeau.
Dr. Andrew Conway Ivy (1893-1978), medical researcher, president of the American Physiological Society (1939-41), and promoter of the controversial 1950's cancer drug Krebiozen, was raised in Cape Girardeau.
Mark Littell, a baseball pitcher who played for Missouri teams the St. Louis Cardinals and Kansas City Royals was born in Cape Girardeau.
Trivia
The Show Me Center, a joint project of the city and the university, opened in 1987.
The city has been called "The only inland cape in the world."
James McMurtry's Song for a Deck Hand's Daughter is set in Cape Girardeau.
The book Killshot by Elmore Leonard is partly set in Cape Girardeau. In January 2006, some scenes were shot on location for the movie adaptation starring Diane Lane, Thomas Jane, Johnny Knoxville, and Mickey Rourke.
The city is home to two large, acute-care hospitals: Saint Francis Medical Center established in 1875, and Southeast Missouri Hospital established in 1928.
When completed, local television station KFVS-TV's tower, for a short period of time, was the world's tallest structure.Further Information
Get more info on 'Cape Girardeau'.
|
External Link Exchanges
Do you know how hard it is to get a link from a large encyclopaedia? Well we're different and will prove it. To get a link from us just add the following HTML to your site on a relevant page:
<a href="http://cape_girardeau__missouri.totallyexplained.com">Cape Girardeau, Missouri Totally Explained</a>
Then simply click through this link from your web page. Our crawlers will verify your link, extract the title of your web page and instantly add a link back to it. If you like you can remove the words Totally Explained and embed the link in article text.
As long as your link remains in place, we'll keep our link to you right here. Please play fair - our crawlers are watching. Your site must be closely related to this one's topic. Any kind of spamming, dubious practises or removing the link will result in your link from us being dropped and, potentially, your whole site being banned. |
