Cairo, Illinois
| Cairo, Illinois | |
| City of Cairo | |
| City | |
 |
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| 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°WCoordinates: 37°0′47″N 89°10′49″W / 37.01306°N 89.18028°W |
| Area | 9.08 sq mi (24 km2) |
| - land | 6.97 sq mi (18 km2) |
| - water | 2.12 sq mi (5 km2) |
| Population | 2,831 (2010) |
| Density | 198.9/km2 (515/sq mi) |
| Founded | 1858 |
| Mayor | Tyrone Coleman |
| Timezone | CST (UTC−6) |
| - summer (DST) | CDT (UTC−5) |
| Postal code | 62914 |
| Area code | 618 |
   Location of Cairo within Illinois
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Cairo (generally pronounced /ˈkɛroʊ/ CARE-o by natives, and /ˈkeɪroʊ/ KAY-ro by others) 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 State Park, a Civil War fort 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 Girardeau−Jackson, 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.
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