Cairo is a

town A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world. Origin and use The word "town" shares an ori ...

in Greene County,

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

, United States. The population was 6,644 at the 2020 census. The town is in the southern part of the county, partly in the

Catskill Park The Catskill Park is in the Catskill Mountains in New York in the United States. It consists of of land inside a Blue Line in four counties: Delaware, Greene, Sullivan, and Ulster. As of 2005, or 41 percent of the land within, is owned by ...

. The town contains a

hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play, with 29,551 words. Set in Denmark, the play depicts ...

, also named

Cairo Cairo ( ; ar, القاهرة, al-Qāhirah, ) is the capital of Egypt and its largest city, home to 10 million people. It is also part of the largest urban agglomeration in Africa, the Arab world and the Middle East: The Greater Cairo metro ...

History

The first European-American settler arrived around 1772, but many new families moved in after the

American Revolution The American Revolution was an ideological and political revolution that occurred in British America between 1765 and 1791. The Americans in the Thirteen Colonies formed independent states that defeated the British in the American Revolut ...

. They were coming west from New England. In 1803, the Town of Cairo was formed from the towns of Catskill, Coxsackie, and

Durham Durham most commonly refers to: *Durham, England, a cathedral city and the county town of County Durham *County Durham, an English county *Durham County, North Carolina, a county in North Carolina, United States *Durham, North Carolina, a city in No ...

. First known as "Canton", the town was renamed in 1808 to "Cairo". The accepted local pronunciation is "care-oh", and newcomers are quickly advised of this. From 1800 the Susquehannah Turnpike, a private toll road, ran through the town. The only railroad in the county, the Canajoharie and Catskill Railroad, ran through the town. It operated only from 1839 to about 1842.

Geography

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 the ...

, the town has a total area of 60.1 square miles (155.8 km²), of which 60.0 square miles (155.3 km²) is land and 0.2 square miles (0.4 km², or 0.27%) is water.

Catskill Creek Catskill Creek is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed October 3, 2011 tributary of the Hudson River that drains the northeastern Catskill Mountains of the U.S. State of New ...

flows through the town.

Demographics

As of the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses incl ...

of 2000, there were 6,355 people, 2,579 households, and 1,709 families residing in the town. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical term.Matt RosenberPopul ...

was 106.0 people per square mile (40.9/km²). There were 3,322 housing units at an average density of 55.4 per square mile (21.4/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 96.87%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White on ...

, 0.55%

Black Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white have o ...

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 0.33% Native American, 0.22%

Asian Asian may refer to: * Items from or related to the continent of Asia: ** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia ** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia ** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...

, 0.60% from

other races Other often refers to: * Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy Other or The Other may also refer to: Film and television * ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack * ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...

, and 1.43% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to Vic ...

Latino Latino or Latinos most often refers to: * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America * Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States * The people or cultures of Latin America; ** Latin A ...

of any race were 3.67% of the population. There were 2,579 households, out of which 29.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.6% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between t ...

living together, 10.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.7% were non-families. 28.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.44 and the average family size was 3.00. In the town, the population was spread out, with 25.2% under the age of 18, 6.2% from 18 to 24, 26.3% from 25 to 44, 25.1% from 45 to 64, and 17.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.1 males. The median income for a household in the town was $35,995, and the median income for a family was $41,820. Males had a median income of $36,590 versus $25,538 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the town was $19,407. About 6.1% of families and 10.4% 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 10.3% of those under age 18 and 10.9% of those age 65 or over.

Communities and locations in Cairo

* Acra – A

west of Cairo hamlet on Route 23. *

– The hamlet and

census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counterparts of incorporated places, such ...

of Cairo. *Gayhead – A hamlet at the northern town line. *Purling – A hamlet south of Cairo hamlet. *Round Top – A hamlet southwest of Purling. *South Cairo – A hamlet southeast of Cairo hamlet on Route 23. *South Durham – A hamlet at the western town line. *Woodstock – A populated place north of Cairo on Route 32, along

Public safety

Cairo has two fire companies: Cairo Fire District and Round Top Vol. Fire Co. Inc. Cairo Ambulance responds to medical emergencies in the town.

Notable people

Joseph Alden Joseph Alden (January 4, 1807 – August 30, 1885) was an American academic and Presbyterian pastor. Education Alden was born in Cairo, New York, on January 4, 1807, and he began there to teach school when fourteen years of age, in order to pay ...

(1807–1885) – born in Cairo, noted academic and author of over seventy books *

David Brewster Sir David Brewster KH PRSE FRS FSA Scot FSSA MICE (11 December 178110 February 1868) was a British scientist, inventor, author, and academic administrator. In science he is principally remembered for his experimental work in physical optics ...

(1801–1876) – born in Cairo,

U.S. Representative The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they c ...

from New York *

Jennifer Connelly Jennifer Lynn Connelly (born December 12, 1970) is an American actress. She began her career as a child model before making her acting debut in the 1984 crime film ''Once Upon a Time in America''. After having worked as a model for several year ...

(born 1970) – born in Cairo, Academy Award-winning actress * Jack Diamond (1897–1931) – bootlegger and gangster * Robert Field (1804–1876) – born in Cairo, politician and businessman * John Ashley Griswold (1822–1902) – born in Cairo, attorney, judge and politician *

Rob LeDonne Rob LeDonne is an American writer for television and print media. He has written comedy material for '' Late Night with Jimmy Fallon'', ''The Tonight Show with Jay Leno'', the MTV Video Music Awards, and the Teen Choice Awards. He has also cond ...

(born 1987 in Brooklyn, NY) – attended Cairo-Durham Central Schools, writer for numerous TV shows and periodicals * Charles Porter (1833–1897) – born in Cairo,

from

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

* Lorenzo Shepard (1821–1856) – born in Cairo, attorney and politician *

Thurlow Weed Edward Thurlow Weed (November 15, 1797 – November 22, 1882) was a printer, New York newspaper publisher, and Whig and Republican politician. He was the principal political advisor to prominent New York politician William H. Seward and was ins ...

(1797–1882) – born in Cairo, newspaper editor and political boss who promoted, by turns (and sometimes simultaneously), the

National Republican The National Republican Party, also known as the Anti-Jacksonian Party or simply Republicans, was a political party in the United States that evolved from a conservative-leaning faction of the Democratic-Republican Party that supported John Qu ...

, Anti-Masonic, Whig and

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

parties

References

{{authority control Towns in Greene County, New York 1803 establishments in New York (state) Populated places established in 1803