Monroe is an unincorporated community in Rusk County, located in the U.S. state of Texas. According to the

Handbook of Texas The ''Handbook of Texas'' is a comprehensive encyclopedia of Texas geography, history, and historical persons published by the Texas State Historical Association (TSHA). History The original ''Handbook'' was the brainchild of TSHA President Wal ...

, the community had a population of 96 in 2000. It is located within the

Longview, Texas metropolitan area The Longview metropolitan statistical area is a metropolitan area in Northeast Texas that covers three counties— Gregg, Rusk, and Upshur. As of the 2010 census the MSA had a population of 280,000 (though a July 1, 2019 estimate placed the pop ...

History

Monroe was named by the people who moved to the area from

Monroe County, Georgia Monroe County is a County (United States), county located in the Central Georgia, central portion of the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the population was 27,957. The county seat is ...

. A post office was established at Monroe in 1860 and remained in operation until 1904, with two brief interruptions. Mail was then sent from Kilgore. Originally, the community shipped cotton and hay, but in the 1980s, it was dominated by gas and oil. The population was 60 in 1940, then jumped to 140 from 1950 to the 1960s. It went down to 96 from 1972 through 1986, but an unofficial count by residents in 1972 put it at 246. Monroe's community center was built in 1932 and has been used for quiltings, family reunions, plays, receptions, and occasional church activities. It also hosted a voting booth for 1,300 registered voters. Its population was 90 in 1990, then went back up to 96 in 2000.

Geography

Monroe is located in northeastern Rusk County near Wyche Branch, Bonner Creek, and Tiawichi Creek.

Texas State Highway 322 State Highway 322 (SH 322) is a Texas state highway that runs from U.S. Route 259, US 259 in Henderson, Texas, Henderson to Interstate 20 in Texas, I-20/US 259/Texas State Highway Loop 281, Loop 281 in Longview, Texas, Longview. Route descriptio ...

exits into Monroe on Farm to Market Road 1249 west.

Education

Today, the community is served by the

Kilgore Independent School District Kilgore Independent School District is a public school district based in Kilgore, Texas (USA). In addition to the city of Kilgore, the district serves rural areas in southern Gregg and northern Rusk counties. The district-wide dropout rate was r ...

Notes

Unincorporated communities in Rusk County, Texas Unincorporated communities in Texas {{RuskCountyTX-geo-stub