Jackson is a city in and the

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US st ...

Cape Girardeau County Cape Girardeau County is located in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of Missouri; its eastern border is formed by the Mississippi River. At the 2020 census, the population was 81,710. The county seat is Jackson, the first city in the US ...

Missouri Missouri is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee): Iowa to the north, Illinois, Kentucky and Tennessee to the east, Arkansas t ...

, United States. It is a principal city of the

Cape Girardeau Cape Girardeau ( , french: Cap-Girardeau ; colloquially referred to as "Cape") is a city in Cape Girardeau and Scott Counties in the U.S. state of Missouri. At the 2020 census, the population was 39,540. The city is one of two principal citi ...

–Jackson, MO- IL Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population of Jackson was 15,481 at the 2020 census.

History

In 1813, Cape Girardeau County succeeded Cape Girardeau District, and the Court of Common Pleas and the Court of General Quarter-Sessions of the Peace in Cape Girardeau were superseded by the Court of Common Pleas, leading to a new seat of justice. The seat of the county and the courts were at first held on the plantation of Thomas Bull about one and one-half mile south of present-day Jackson. Land was then purchased along Hubble Creek for the county seat in 1814. The first post office was established in 1814 when the area was called Birdstown. The name was changed to Jackson on August 31, 1819, named for

Andrew Jackson Andrew Jackson (March 15, 1767 – June 8, 1845) was an American lawyer, planter, general, and statesman who served as the seventh president of the United States from 1829 to 1837. Before being elected to the presidency, he gained fame as ...

, a general popular for his role in the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States, United States of America and its Indigenous peoples of the Americas, indigenous allies against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom ...

. It was the first town to be named after Andrew Jackson. The town was

plat In the United States, a plat ( or ) (plan) is a cadastral map, drawn to scale, showing the divisions of a piece of land. United States General Land Office surveyors drafted township plats of Public Lands Surveys to show the distance and bea ...

ted in 1815. The ''Missouri Herald'', the third newspaper in state, was established here on June 25, 1819. In 1818, the town already had a population of 300. The first county courthouse was built in 1818 on Jackson's public square. Although its initial growth was rapid, the economy of the City of Jackson developed conservatively. The town suffered a setback in June, 1833, when Cholera spread killing 128. Cholera struck again on June 10, 1852, causing all abled bodies to flee the town until the epidemic had run its course. In 1841, a bank was established. A flour mill was constructed in 1855 and another in 1873. But the community could not escape the impact of the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states ...

; on June 24, 1861, a military skirmish took place near Jackson between units of the

Union Army During the American Civil War, the Union Army, also known as the Federal Army and the Northern Army, referring to the United States Army, was the land force that fought to preserve the Union of the collective states. It proved essential to th ...

and the Confederate Army. In 1877, Jackson was linked to Cape Girardeau by the first long-distance railway service line in Missouri. By 1884, the population of the City of Jackson had grown to 2,105, and the town supported 50 businesses. In 1884, by popular vote, it was decided to incorporate Jackson as a city of the fourth class. The courthouse built in 1818 burned down in 1870. The current courthouse was built in 1908 and is “on the square” in the center of Uptown Jackson where Jones Drug Store still runs and serves the community since 1871. The Big Hill Farmstead Historic District, Abraham Byrd House, Frizel-Welling House, Jackson Uptown Commercial Historic District, and McKendree Chapel are listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

Geography

Jackson is located on

US Route 61 U.S. Route 61 or U.S. Highway 61 (U.S. 61) is a major United States highway that extends between New Orleans, Louisiana and the city of Wyoming, Minnesota. The highway generally follows the course of the Mississippi River and is designated ...

approximately seven miles northwest of

. Hubble Creek and its tributary Goose Creek flow through the city. According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of t ...

, the city has a total area of , of which is land and is water.

Climate

Demographics

2010 census

At the 2010 census there were 13,758 people, 5,496 households, and 3,827 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 5,835 housing units at an average density of . The

racial makeup A race is a categorization of humans based on shared physical or social qualities into groups generally viewed as distinct within a given society. The term came into common usage during the 1500s, when it was used to refer to groups of variou ...

of the city was 95.81% White, 1.65% Black or African American, 0.27% Native American, 0.57% Asian, 0.01%

Native Hawaiian Native Hawaiians (also known as Indigenous Hawaiians, Kānaka Maoli, Aboriginal Hawaiians, First Hawaiians, or simply Hawaiians) ( haw, kānaka, , , and ), are the indigenous ethnic group of Polynesian people of the Hawaiian Islands. Hawa ...

or Pacific Islander, 0.32% from other races, and 1.37% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.24%. Of the 5,496 households 36.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.3% were married couples living together, 11.9% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.4% had a male householder with no wife present, and 30.4% were non-families. 26.4% of households were one person and 11.3% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.46 and the average family size was 2.96. The median age was 37.3 years. 25.6% of residents were under the age of 18; 8.3% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 26.1% were from 25 to 44; 24.8% were from 45 to 64; and 15.2% were 65 or older. The gender makeup of the city was 47.0% male and 53.0% female.

2000 census

At the 2000 census there were 11,947 people, 4,708 households, and 3,385 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 4,962 housing units at an average density of . The

of the city was 96.57% White, 1.36% African American, 0.28% Native American, 0.56% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.19% from other races, and 1.01% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.76%. Of the 4,708 households 36.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.2% were married couples living together, 9.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.1% were non-families. 25.1% of households were one person and 11.9% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.50 and the average family size was 2.98. The age distribution was 26.6% under the age of 18, 8.2% from 18 to 24, 29.9% from 25 to 44, 21.3% from 45 to 64, and 14.0% 65 or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 89.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.8 males. The median household income was $40,412 and the median family income was $46,854. Males had a median income of $35,212 versus $19,994 for females. The per capita income for the city was $18,799. About 5.0% of families and 6.7% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...

, including 6.7% of those under age 18 and 11.8% of those age 65 or over.

Government

Education

Most of Jackson is in

Jackson R-2 School District Jackson may refer to: People and fictional characters * Jackson (name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the surname or given name Places Australia * Jackson, Queensland, a town in the Maranoa Region * Jackson North, Qu ...

. A small portion is in the Cape Girardeau School District. Jackson R-2 operates Jackson High School. The Cape Girardeau district operates Central High School. Jackson has a public library, a branch of the Riverside Regional Library.

Notable people

Linda M. Godwin Linda Maxine Godwin Ph.D. (born July 2, 1952) is an American scientist and retired NASA astronaut. Godwin joined NASA in 1980 and became an astronaut in July 1986. She retired in 2010. During her career, Godwin completed four space flights and ...

NASA The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the US federal government responsible for the civil List of government space agencies, space program ...

astronaut *

Gary Friedrich Gary Friedrich (; August 21, 1943 – August 29, 2018) was an American comic book writer best known for his Silver Age stories for Marvel Comics' '' Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos'', and, in the following era, for the series '' The Monster o ...

, writer of the comic book ''

Ghost Rider Ghost Rider is the name of multiple antiheroes and superheroes appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Marvel had previously used the name for a Western character whose name was later changed to Phantom Rider. The first s ...

'' * Roy Thomas, writer (Marvel and DC Comics) and editor (Marvel). Writer of various movie scripts. * Louis C. Wagner, Jr., United States Army four-star general * Marie Elizabeth Watkins Oliver, "the Betsy Ross of Missouri" was the designer and creator of the Missouri State Flag * Edwin C. Horrell, American football player and coach.

References

External links

The City of Jackson website

Cape Girardeau
* Historic maps of Jackson in th
Sanborn Maps of Missouri Collection
at the

University of Missouri The University of Missouri (Mizzou, MU, or Missouri) is a public land-grant research university in Columbia, Missouri. It is Missouri's largest university and the flagship of the four-campus University of Missouri System. MU was founded in ...

{{authority control Cities in Cape Girardeau County, Missouri County seats in Missouri Cape Girardeau–Jackson metropolitan area Cities in Missouri 1814 establishments in Missouri Territory