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History · Cairo

Cairo was first counted by the census in 1880, and 47% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1906 on and the census since 1880.

1880first census
0on the National Register
47%homes built before 1940
2famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Photo: Nyttend · Public domain
Quick answers

How Cairo began

When was Cairo founded?

1880

Cairo first appears in the census in 1880. Another post office, West Cairo (1852), opened inside today’s town and later closed.

First census: 316 in 18802020 census: 517146 years
Founding year: the first census.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.On the map since 19064 editions of the USGS map, 1906 to 1983. Watch Cairo change.Old housesHalf of Cairo’s homes were built before 1951.
★ 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.
Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
On the map

Cairo on the map, 1906 to 1983

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Cairo. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Cairo on the 1906 USGS mapCairo on the 1960 USGS mapCairo on the 1971 USGS mapCairo on the 1983 USGS map1906Columbus Grove 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 Cairo.

The story

How Cairo came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Cairo.

Read it all →

Cairo was originally called West Cairo, and under the latter name was platted in 1848. A post office called West Cairo was established in 1852, and the name was changed to Cairo in 1922.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Cairo, 1852 to 1922

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 19th century
  2. 1852Post officeThe West Cairo post office opens
  3. 1867Born hereBelle Harpster Hartness is born here
  4. 20th century
  5. 1906On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  6. 1907Born hereRobert Franklin Jones is born here
  7. 1922Post officeThe West Cairo post office closes
  8. 1922Post officeThe Cairo post office opens
By decade

Cairo, decade by decade

Today4 recent
Main at Anthony2015Main at AnthonyMap of Allen County Ohio Highlighting Cairo Village2015Map of Allen County Ohio Highlighting Cairo VillageMapSandalus niger Knoch2011Sandalus niger KnochOHMap-doton-Cairo2004OHMap-doton-Cairo
People over time

Cairo, census by census

010020030040050060018801900192019401960198020002020Peak: 596

Between 316 and 596 people in every census since 1880.

15 censuses, 1880–2020.

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

Famous people

2 famous people were born in Cairo

Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.

See all →
Robert Franklin JonesAmerican politician · b. 1907
Belle Harpster HartnessAmerican stenographer, writer, lecturer, lady o… · b. 1867
Places that used to be

Lost post offices and old corners

Cairo’s post office has been open since 1922. Another post office, West Cairo, opened and closed inside today’s town.

West Cairo
1852–1922
Cairo
1922–today
18501940today
Hamlets and corners on the map
West Cairo

US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

Questions about Cairo’s history

What year was Cairo founded?

The Cairo post office opened in 1880, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

Memory lane

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

Town Square →
Start a conversation
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 (4), 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) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.