Cape Girardeau County

county in Missouri, United States

Key facts

Country: United States
State: Missouri
Founded: October 1, 1812
Named after: A rock promontory over the Mississippi River and Ensign Sieur Jean Baptiste de Girardot (also spelled Girardeau or Girardat)
Seat: Jackson
Largest city: Cape Girardeau
Total: 586 sq mi (1,520 km )
Land: 579 sq mi (1,500 km )
Water: 7.8 sq mi (20 km )
Estimate 2025: 83,999
Density: 141/sq mi (54.5/km )
Time zone: UTC−6 ( Central )
Summer dst

Article

Cape Girardeau County (commonly called Cape County) is located in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of Missouri; its eastern border is formed by the Mississippi River. At the 2020 census, the population was 81,710. The county seat is Jackson, the first city in the US to be named in honor of President Andrew Jackson. Officially organized on October 1, 1812, the county is named after Ensign Sieur Jean Baptiste de Girardot, an official of the French colonial years. The "cape" in the county's name is named after a former promontory rock overlooking the Mississippi River; this feature was demolished during railroad construction. Cape Girardeau County is the hub of the Cape Girardeau–Jackson metropolitan area. Its largest city is Cape Girardeau.

History