New Cape ward map takes effect, thousands under new representation

(Editor's note: This story has been updated.)

The new ward boundaries for the City of Cape Girardeau based on census 2020 data officially went into effect today. Thousands of city residents will find themselves with a new representative on the Cape Girardeau City Council.

The largest geographical change in the new map is the size of Ward 2. The city's southernmost ward has struggled to maintain population in previous years. The aging infrastructure in the area and increased development on the north side of Cape Girardeau have led to a decline.

Under the newest revisions, the Ward 2 boundary will extend west, taking over the southernmost portion of what used to be Ward 6. Everything south of Highway 74 and east of Interstate 55 in city limits will now be a part of Ward 2, including the Cape Girardeau Regional Airport.

City officials hope the new size for Ward 2 will allow for population growth in the next 10 years.

In the inverse, Ward 4 will receive the most drastic population shift, decreasing by 966 people under the newest map. Developments along LaSalle Avenue and Perryville Road, among numerous other subdivisions, led to a population boom in the ward.

"Its just been spread out kind of evenly," Teresa Heifner, the city's geographic information systems coordinator, said of the growth in Ward 4.

The boundaries for the city used to look drastically different. A map of Cape Girardeau from 1970 showed 18 wards spread out across mostly the same area of city limits.

In 2001, the city ward map looked much the same as it did 10 years later. The population from the 2000 census put Cape Girardeau at just under 36,000 residents. Recent census data puts the city at just under 40,000 residents.

The process was much like a puzzle for Heifner. She went block by block, she said, evaluating census data while taking suggestions periodically from the city manager and other officials. She tried to keep even geographic and street boundaries -- although they weren't always possible -- and also make sure elected council members still resided in their respective wards. In total, she created three versions of the new map.

Heifner used a target population of 6,587 residents per ward.

"I tried to split things logically along, you know, the larger street corridors that made sense," Heifner said.

The GIS coordinator said she has numerous objectives when creating a new map. Chief among them is getting populations as even as possible, but she also wanted to make sure the map made sense not just for this year, but until the next one needs to be made.

"I mean, I just find the whole thing fun and fascinating," Heifner said of the process.

Those interested in a closer look at the new map can visit https://mcusercontent.com/7f6b8c7a659f90c1e0284788b/files/4e724d23-9533-8176-5528-08faf8a88ced/NewWards_2022.pdf.