Cape Girardeau, Missouri

Cape Girardeau, Missouri
Nicknames: 
Cape, The City of Roses, River City
Interactive map of Cape Girardeau, Missouri
Cape Girardeau
Cape Girardeau
Coordinates: 37°18′39″N 89°33′35″W / 37.31083°N 89.55972°W / 37.31083; -89.55972
CountryUnited States
StateMissouri
CountiesCape Girardeau, Scott
Founded1793
Incorporated1793
Government
 • TypeCouncil-Manager
 • MayorStacy Kinder
Area
 • City
29.31 sq mi (75.91 km2)
 • Land29.25 sq mi (75.76 km2)
 • Water0.058 sq mi (0.15 km2)
Elevation
371 ft (113 m)
Population
 (2020)
 • City
39,540
 • Estimate 
(2024)
40,818
 • Density1,351.7/sq mi (521.91/km2)
 • Metro
97,699 (US: 362nd
DemonymCape Girardean
Time zoneUTC−6 (CST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−5 (CDT)
ZIP Codes
63701–63703, 63705
Area code573
FIPS code29-11242
GNIS feature ID2393737
Websitecityofcapegirardeau.org

Cape Girardeau (/ɪˈrɑːrd/ jirr-AR-doh, French: Cap-Girardeau [kap ʒiʁaʁdo] ; colloquially referred to as "Cape") is a city in Cape Girardeau and Scott counties in the U.S. state of Missouri. The population was 39,540 at the 2020 census, making it the 17th-largest city in the state. It is a principal city of the Cape Girardeau–Jackson metropolitan area with 97,517 residents. Cape Girardeau is the economic center of southeastern Missouri and the home of Southeast Missouri State University. It is located approximately 100 miles (160 km) southeast of St. Louis and 150 miles (240 km) north of Memphis, Tennessee.