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History · Cairo

Cairo’s post office opened in 1886, and 31% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: the census since 1900.

1886first post office
0on the National Register
31%homes built before 1940
1famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Photo: Ammodramus · Public domain
Quick answers

How Cairo began, and where its name came from

When was Cairo founded?

1886

The Cairo post office opened in 1886, the earliest record of the town by name.

First census: 224 in 19002020 census: 822140 years

How did Cairo get its name?

Cairo was named after Cairo, the capital of Egypt.

Founding year: the first Cairo post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Name: Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.The full story ↓

What stands out about Cairo’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of Cairo are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Old housesHalf of Cairo’s homes were built before 1961.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Cairo’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Cairo’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
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The story

How Cairo came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Cairo.

Read it all →

Cairo was established in 1886 when the Grand Island and Wyoming Central Railroad was extended to that point. It was named after Cairo, the capital of Egypt. Many of the town's street names reinforce the "Egyptian" theme.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

From the old history books

What they wrote about Cairo in 1920

Passages that mention Cairo, cut from the printed page as they were published.

CAIRO The founding of the town of Cairo long postdates the early history of Mayfield and South Loup Townships. When the railroad was surveyed the town of Cairo sprang up in the spring of 1886. Established on the line of th& Grand Island & Wyoming Railroad, now the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy, this
History of Hall County, Nebraska1920 · page 138Read the page →
Read the text

CAIRO The founding of the town of Cairo long postdates the early history of Mayfield and South Loup Townships. When the railroad was surveyed the town of Cairo sprang up in the spring of 1886. Established on the line of th& Grand Island & Wyoming Railroad, now the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy, this

Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
Two years later Mr. Trumbull removed tu a location near the present site of Cairo and organized the first church in the village and also organized the first church at Bluti' Center, eight miles southwest of Cairo. For several years longer he was active in church work here but his health failed agai…
History of Hall County, Nebraska1920 · page 722Read the page →
Read the text

Two years later Mr. Trumbull removed tu a location near the present site of Cairo and organized the first church in the village and also organized the first church at Bluti' Center, eight miles southwest of Cairo. For several years longer he was active in church work here but his health failed again and he went to California to recuperate, living there

Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.

Scans and text from the Internet Archive. Books published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.

By decade

Cairo, decade by decade

Today6 recent
A historic bank building, now (as of 2021) a coffee shop fittingly called the Medina Street Vault2021A historic bank building, now (as of 2021) a coffee s…A long, long, heavily laden coal train passes outside Cairo (pronounced "CARE-roh"), a small town northwest of Grand Is…2021A long, long, heavily laden coal train passes outside…A bustling grain-silo operation2021A bustling grain-silo operationA mural by local art teacher Sarah Swartzendruber2021A mural by local art teacher Sarah SwartzendruberNEMap-doton-Cairo2017NEMap-doton-CairoWelcome to2009Welcome to
People over time

Cairo, census by census

02004006008001900192019401960198020002020822

Grew from 224 people in 1900 to 822 in 2020, 3 times over.

13 censuses, 1900–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Cairo’s Wikipedia page.

Questions about Cairo’s history

What year was Cairo founded?

The Cairo post office opened in 1886, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

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Sources

Where this page comes from

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). How TownRatings grades history →

From Wikimedia Commons (2), the Library of Congress (4), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock), the USGS Geographic Names Information System and old county and town histories (Internet Archive). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.