WILL JACKSON, CAPE MELD INTO ONE CITY IN FUTURE?

As the Cape Girardeau, Jackson and Scott City communities continue to grow and expand, it is likely that the three will melt into one metro area.

However, it is unlikely they will formally unify into one municipality, particularly Cape Girardeau and Jackson.

"What I don't see is Cape Girardeau and Jackson combined into one city," said Jackson Mayor Paul Sander. "That has never been mentioned, but as they grow together, there might be a time when someone might push for it. I don't think the citizens of Jackson or Cape Girardeau would support that."

Already the city limits of the two abut at Interstate 55. As each annexes more unincorporated areas of Cape Girardeau County, the two will become direct neighbors on more fronts.

While Cape Girardeau City Manager Michael Miller cited the adage that you should never say never, he doubts the cities will ever merge.

"They are two distinct communities with two distinct characters," Miller said. "On the other hand, they are a lot alike, so it could happen. But I don't think it will happen unless both communities decide it's what they want to do."

The two cities are bound to each other not just by geography but economy.

"Jackson has found that for every 100 jobs that locate in the city of Cape Girardeau," said Cape Girardeau County Commissioner Gerald Jones, "about 30 to 40 of those people will live in Jackson and about 70 percent will be in the Jackson School District."

Tom Tucker, executive director of the Southeast Missouri Regional Planning and Economic Development Commission, said the region has been experiencing a trend toward urbanization. With more residents and businesses moving into the region, cities will continue to expand.

But he doesn't predict a major growth explosion in the region's population.

"I don't expect any radical growth, but there will be good, steady growth and that is the kind of growth we need," Tucker said.

Jones said despite the urbanization trend, the Cape Girardeau/Jackson/Scott City ares will never be on the scale of St. Louis or Kansas City and still has a long way to go before it's as big as Springfield.

"We will always be a rural community," Jones said.

Said Miller: "What I see for the future, hopefully, is an expansion of what we've got now -- a Midwest, hometown atmosphere. If you talk to people who have moved down here, that is what they moved here for."

As Cape Girardeau is largely locked in by the Mississippi River to the east, Scott City to the South and Jackson to the west, its expansion will be largely to the north.

Jackson, however, has more room to spread out.

While no plans are on the drawing table, Sander says the logical directions for Jackson's borders to expand are south along Highway 25 and northeast along Highway 61 to the I-55 interchange at Fruitland.

"There are no immediate plans to annex those areas, but I think we will look at those areas very closely," Sander said.

"I think those would be the two best areas for us to grow."