Monroe is a city and the

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...

of Walton County,

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...

, United States. It is located both one hour east of

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...

via US 78 and GA 138 to I-20 and east of Hartsfield–Jackson International Airport and is one of the exurban cities in the

Atlanta metropolitan area Metro Atlanta, designated by the United States Office of Management and Budget as the Atlanta–Sandy Springs–Roswell metropolitan statistical area, is the most populous metropolitan statistical area in the U.S. state of Georgia and the sixt ...

. The population was 14,928 at the 2020 U.S. census.

History

Monroe was founded in 1818 as seat of the newly formed Walton County. It was incorporated as a town in 1821 and as a city in 1896. Monroe was a major cotton producer in the state during the 1900s. The two main cotton mills in Monroe used to be the driving economic force in the region. Now the mills no longer produce for the cotton industry, but rather serve as economic engines for the region by housing antique markets, event space, and other unique retail. In July 1946, the area was the site of the last mass lynching in the United States. A White mob attacked and killed two Black married couples who were driving through the area. The four people were pulled from their car and shot several times. A

Civil War A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...

memorial, in the form of a statue of a Confederate soldier, stands adjacent to the county courthouse in downtown Monroe.

Geography

Monroe is in the center of Walton County. U.S. Route 78 (Atlanta/Monroe Bypass) passes north of the city, leading west to Loganville, and west to downtown

, and east 25 miles to

Athens Athens ( ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Greece, largest city of Greece. A significant coastal urban area in the Mediterranean, Athens is also the capital of the Attica (region), Attica region and is the southe ...

. GA Bus. 10 runs through the city of Monroe.

Georgia State Route 11 State Route 11 (SR 11) is a state highway in the U.S. state of Georgia, traveling through portions of Echols, Lanier, Berrien, Irwin, Ben Hill, Wilcox, Pulaski, Houston, Peach, Bibb, Jones, Jasper, Newton, Walton, Barrow ...

leads northwest from Monroe 15 miles to Winder, the Barrow County seat, and south 10 miles to Social Circle, and southwest to eastern rural Newton County, east of Covington. State Route 138 leads south to Conyers. Monroe is located at (33.793295, -83.710790). According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the city has a total area of , of which is land and (1.05%) is water.

Demographics

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 14,928 people, 4,709 households, and 3,223 families residing in the city.

Economy

The east end of Monroe contains multiple industries: *

Hitachi () is a Japanese Multinational corporation, multinational Conglomerate (company), conglomerate founded in 1910 and headquartered in Chiyoda, Tokyo. The company is active in various industries, including digital systems, power and renewable ener ...

automotive systems of America *Tucker Door and Trim *

Arkansas Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the West South Central region of the Southern United States. It borders Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, Texas to the southwest, and Oklahoma ...

-headquartered Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.'s southeast Walmart Distribution Center *

Leggett & Platt Leggett & Platt (L&P), based in Carthage, Missouri, is an American diversified manufacturer that designs and produces various engineered components and products that can be found in homes and automobiles. The firm was founded in 1883, and consis ...

Corporation

Education

Walton County School District

The Walton County School District holds pre-school to grade twelve, and consists of nine elementary schools, three middle schools, and four high schools. The district has 675 full-time teachers and over 10,368 students.

Public schools

Elementary

* Atha Road Elementary School * Bay Creek Elementary School * Harmony Elementary School * Monroe Elementary School * Walker Park Elementary School * Walnut Grove Elementary School * Sharon Elementary School * Loganville Elementary School * Youth Elementary School

Middle

* Carver Middle School * Loganville Middle School * Youth Middle School

High

* Monroe Area High School * Loganville High School * Walnut Grove High School * Social Circle High School

Private

* George Walton Academy * Loganville Christian Academy * Monroe Country Day School

Monroe Museum

The Monroe Museum is a history museum that details a timeline of Monroe, starting with the Native Americans that lived in the area, and ending with the present.

Notable people

Javianne Oliver Javianne Oliver (born December 26, 1994) is an American female track and field sprint (running), sprinter. Oliver finished second in the 60 meters at the 2017 NCAA Division I Indoor Track and Field Championships for the University of Kentucky. ...

- 2020 Olympic Silver Medalist * Alfred H. Colquitt -

Governor of Georgia The governor of Georgia is the head of government of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia and the commander-in-chief of the state's Georgia National Guard, National Guard, when not in federal service, and Georgia State Defense Force, State Defense Fo ...

and senator who served as Confederate officer * Frances Conroy -

Golden Globe The Golden Globe Awards are awards presented for excellence in both international film and television. It is an annual award ceremony held since 1944 to honor artists and professionals and their work. The ceremony is normally held every Januar ...

- and SAG Award-winning actress * Besse Cooper -

suffragist Suffrage, political franchise, or simply franchise is the right to vote in public, political elections and referendums (although the term is sometimes used for any right to vote). In some languages, and occasionally in English, the right to vo ...

, teacher, and World's Oldest Living Person 2011-2012 * Henry Fambrough - baritone singer, The Spinners * Marquis Floyd - NFL player *

Michael Gallup Michael Gallup (born March 4, 1996) is an American professional American football, football wide receiver for the Washington Commanders of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Butler Grizzlies and Colorado Stat ...

Dallas Cowboys The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. T ...

wide receiver * Lonnie Hillyer - jazz trumpeter * Tyler Hubbard - country music singer/songwriter, member of band

Florida Georgia Line Florida Georgia Line was an American country music duo founded in 2010 by vocalists and songwriters Tyler Hubbard of Georgia and Brian Kelley of Florida. Their 2012 debut single " Cruise" broke two major sales records: it was downloaded over ...

* Henry Dickerson McDaniel -

from 1883 to 1886 * Prince Hulon Preston, Jr. - member of US House of Representatives * Patricia Roberts - Olympic silver medalist and

Women's Basketball Hall of Fame The Women's Basketball Hall of Fame honors those who have contributed to the sport of women's basketball. The Hall of Fame opened in 1999 in Knoxville, Tennessee, USA. It is the only facility of its kind dedicated to all levels of women's bask ...

inductee * Stephon Tuitt - NFL player for

Pittsburgh Steelers The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. Founded in 1933 P ...

* Clifford Walker -

from 1923 to 1927 * Bruce Williamson (born 1954) - Politician. Member of

Georgia House of Representatives The Georgia House of Representatives is the lower house of the Georgia General Assembly (the state legislature) of the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. There are currently 180 elected members. Republican Party (United States), Repu ...

References

{{authority control Cities in Georgia (U.S. state) County seats in Georgia (U.S. state) Cities in Walton County, Georgia