*** Welcome to piglix ***

Cairo, Ill.

Cairo, Illinois
City of Cairo
City
PublicLibraryCairoIL.jpg
Etymology: Cairo, Egypt
Alexander County Illinois Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Cairo Highlighted.svg
Location of Illinois in the United States
Location of Illinois in the United States
Coordinates: 37°0′47″N 89°10′49″W / 37.01306°N 89.18028°W / 37.01306; -89.18028Coordinates: 37°0′47″N 89°10′49″W / 37.01306°N 89.18028°W / 37.01306; -89.18028
Country United States
State Illinois
County Alexander
Government
 • Mayor Tyrone Coleman
Area
 • Total 9.08 sq mi (23.53 km2)
 • Land 6.98 sq mi (18.08 km2)
 • Water 2.10 sq mi (5.45 km2)
Elevation 315 ft (96 m)
Population (2010)
 • Total 2,831
 • Estimate (2016) 2,359
 • Density 337.97/sq mi (130.49/km2)
Time zone CST (UTC−6)
 • Summer (DST) CDT (UTC−5)
Area code(s) 618
FIPS code 17-10383
Cairo, Illinois

Cairo (/ˈkɛər/ KAIR-oh) is the southernmost city in the U.S. state of Illinois, and is the county seat of Alexander County.

Cairo is located at the confluence of the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers. The rivers converge at Fort Defiance, a Civil War camp that was built in 1862 by Union General Ulysses S. Grant. Cairo has the lowest elevation of any location in Illinois and is the only Illinois city surrounded by levees. It is in the area known as Little Egypt.

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 GirardeauJackson, MO-IL Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population at the 2010 census was 2,831, a significant decline from its peak population of 15,203 in 1920.


...
Wikipedia

...