Cairo (pronounced KAY-ro) is the county seat and largest city of Grady County, Georgia, in the lower coastal plain of the state's southwest corner near the Florida line. The 2020 census counted 10,179 residents. The county itself is named for Henry W. Grady, the Atlanta Constitution editor and orator who championed the "New South." Cairo's identity was built on cane syrup. In the 1860s, Seaborn Anderson Roddenbery began selling open-kettle sugarcane syrup from a horse-drawn buggy, and his family's W.B. Roddenbery Company later marketed Georgia cane syrup nationwide, producing as many as 120 barrels a day at its peak. That heritage earned Cairo the nickname "Syrup City" and made the town a regional agricultural center. Agriculture remains the foundation of the local economy. Grady County lies in the heart of south Georgia's peanut belt, and row crops such as peanuts, cotton, and soybeans dominate the surrounding farmland, with processing plants handling the harvest. The region's rich soil and long growing season also support vegetables and other crops, continuing a farming tradition that has defined the area for generations. Public education is provided by the Grady County School District, based in Cairo, which operates elementary, middle, and high schools including Cairo High School. The city serves as the commercial, governmental, and cultural center of the county. Cairo sits on U.S. Highway 84, connecting it east to Thomasville and west to Bainbridge, with Georgia State Route 93 running through the center of town toward Pelham and the Florida border. Tallahassee, Florida, lies a short drive to the south. This crossroads position, combined with its agricultural base and deep-rooted small-town culture, makes Cairo the anchor of one of Georgia's most productive farming regions.