Cape Girardeau County is a
county located in the southeastern part of the
U.S. state of
Missouri; its eastern border is formed by the
Mississippi River. As of the
2010 U.S. Census, the population was 75,674. The
county seat is
Jackson, the first city in the US to be named in honor of
President Andrew Jackson. Officially organized on October 1, 1812, the county is named after Ensign Sieur Jean Baptiste de Giradot, an official of the French colonial years. The "cape" in the county's name is named after a former promontory rock overlooking the
Mississippi River; this feature was demolished during railroad construction.