Cape Girardeau Airfares (CGI) - Missouri

Cape Girardeau, Missouri - City Overview and Airfare Information

Cape Girardeau MO

Cape Girardeau (pronounced /ˈkʰeɪp dʒəˈɹɑɹdoʊ/) (French: Cap-Girardeau, pronounced /kap ʒiʀaʀdo/) is a city located in the county of the same name in Missouri, 115 miles 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.

Cape Girardeau is located at 37°18′33″N, 89°32′47″W (37.309042, -89.546498)^GR1.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 26.4 mi² (16,875 acres or 68.4 km²).

As of the census^GR2 of 2000, there were 35,349 people, 14,380 households, and 8,297 families residing in the city. The population density was 562.4/km² (1,456.5/mi²). There were 15,827 housing units at an average density of 251.8/km² (652.1/mi²). 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, St. Francis Medical Center, Procter and Gamble, and Southeast Missouri State University.

• The city is home to Southeast Missouri State University. The Show Me Center, a joint project of the city and the university, opened in 1987.
• Talk radio star Rush Limbaugh was born to a prominent family of lawyers in Cape Girardeau; some 'dittoheads' make pilgrimages there. [1] Rush's brother, David[2], runs a law firm in the city. Rush's cousin Stephen N. Limbaugh, Jr., a Missouri Supreme Court Judge, also resides in the city.
• Dale Dye was also born in Cape Girardeau.
• Since 1964 the city has been protected by a floodwall which saved the city from the Great Flood of 1993. A two-block span of the wall is covered with murals depicting scenes of the history of the area as well as a mural now known as the Missouri Wall of Fame, which depicts famous Missourians of the past and present.
• The city is not the county seat of Cape Girardeau County as some visitors mistakenly assume. The county seat of Cape Girardeau County is Jackson, Missouri
• The city is known to some as 'The City of Roses' because of a nine mile 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.
• 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.
• The city has been called 'The only inland cape in the world.'
• 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 20 feet wide.^[1]
• 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: St. 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.

1. ^ Mary Charlotte Aubry Costello (1995). Climbing the Mississippi River Bridge by Bridge. Mary C. Costello. 0-9644518-1-6.