Alexander County, Illinois

Alexander County History, Geography, Demographics, Cities and Towns, and Education

County Seat: Cairo
Year Organized: 1819
Square Miles: 236

Court House:

2000 Washington Avenue
County Courthouse
Cairo, IL 62914-1717

Etymology - Origin of County Name

William M. Alexander, early settler of the district and state representative in the second and third General Assemblies

Demographics:

County QuickFacts: Census Bureau Quick Facts

County History

First county organized in Illinois. March 14, 1819. Separated from Union County in 1819. Sometimes referred to as the foot hills of the Ozarks. Named for Dr. William M. Alexander, State Representative

The first settlement goes back to 1805. Alexander County forms the southern extremity of the state and is bounded by the Mississippi River on the west and south, by the Ohio and Cache Rivers on the east and by Union County on the north. There were very few people in the territory in 1819 at the time of the formation of the county. In 1820, considerably more than one year after its organization, there were, according to the United States census, but 625 souls and it must be borne in mind that in that enumeration was included nearly all of what is now Pulaski County. The only towns of importance at that time were America and Caledonia, both now in Pulaski County.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 253 square miles (654 km²), of which 236 square miles (612 km²) is land and 16 square miles (42 km²) (6.40%) is water. Its borders are partly defined by the Mississippi River and the Ohio River.

Neighboring Counties:

North: Union County
East: Pulaski County
Southeast: Ballard County, Ky.
South: Mississippi County, Mo.
Southwest: Scott County, Mo.
Northwest: Cape Girardeau County, Mo.

Cities and Towns:

- Cairo (County Seat)	city	Incorporated Area
- East Cape Girardeau	village	Incorporated Area
- Tamms	village	Incorporated Area
- Thebes	village	Incorporated Area
- Unity	township

County Resources:

Enter County Resources and Information Here

County Resources

The history of our nation was a prolonged struggle to define the relative roles and powers of our governments: federal, state, and local. And the names given the counties, our most locally based jurisdictions, reflects the "characteristic features of this country!"

But age, size and colorful names of our counties isn't the only reason to explore counties' role in American history, or the history of county government itself. In fact, the story of county government reflects the larger meanings of American history.

Today's counties are the most flexible, locally responsive and creative governments in the US. They are the most diverse, varying in size, population, geography, and governmental structure. In their politics and policies, they express a 1990's political slogan "Think globally, act locally."