Cape Girardeau dates to 1793, and 12% of its homes were built before 1940
More historic than 86% of U.S. towns · #26 of 247 in Missouri. What drives it
45 places in town are on the National Register, among them nine historic districts with 247 buildings between them. Below: 3 old photos and papers, maps from 1884 on, and the census since 1860.
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1806.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Cape Girardeau’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Cape Girardeau is more historic than 86% of U.S. towns, #26 of 247 in Missouri. All 3 inputs are above most U.S. towns; its National Register listings ranks highest and its share of homes from before 1940 lowest.
A
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Cape Girardeau’s overall grade.
Missouri towns list about as much on the Register as the country (a typical Missouri town has 2.4 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Cape Girardeau’s 74.1 sits above most of its state (90% of Missouri towns have fewer) while its 299 historic buildings outnumber those of 95% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from B+ to A. The pre-1940 share (±1.5 points) is firm at this size. Two sources give 1793.
Founding year: Wikidata (other dates in Quick answers). Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →
What stands out about Cape Girardeau’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
The city is named after Jean Baptiste de Girardot, who established a temporary trading post in the area around 1733. He was a French soldier stationed at Kaskaskia between 1704 and 1720 in the French colony of La Louisiane. The "Cape" in the city name referred to a rock promontory overlooking the Mississippi River; it was later destroyed by railroad construction. As early as 1765, a bend in the Mississippi River, about 60 miles (97 km) south of the French village of Ste. Genevieve, had been referred to as Cape Girardot or Girardeau (both pronounced the same in French).
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Cape Girardeau. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1922Cape Girardeau sheet · 1:62,500
U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Cape Girardeau.
Every building
Cape Girardeau, building by building, 1884–1923
Fire insurance maps drew every building, what it was made of and what it was used for, so insurers could price the risk of fire. Pick a year, then a sheet.
In 1793, according to Wikidata. Cape Girardeau’s post office opened in 1806, and the census of 1860 counted 2,663 people here.
How does Cape Girardeau rank for history?
Cape Girardeau is more historic than 86% of U.S. towns, #26 of 247 in Missouri. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
What is on the National Register in Cape Girardeau?
45 listings: 35 buildings, among them the Glenn House (listed 1979, the first), 9 historic districts with 247 contributing buildings, and 1 site. 299 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in Cape Girardeau?
12% of Cape Girardeau’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±1.5 points), against a typical 8.4% for a Missouri town; the median home was built in 1975.
Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
From Wikimedia Commons (3), Wikidata (8), the National Register of Historic Places (45), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock), the USGS Geographic Names Information System and Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
