Cape Girardeau (, ; colloquially referred to as "Cape") is a city located in Cape Girardeau County, Missouri in the United States. It is located approximately southeast of St. Louis and north of Memphis. As of the 2010 U.S. Census, the city's population was 37,941, making it the 16th-largest city in Missouri, and the largest city in Southeast Missouri. An emerging college town, it is the home of Southeast Missouri State University.