Monroe is the
ninth-largest city in the
U.S. state of
Louisiana
Louisiana ( ; ; ) is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It borders Texas to the west, Arkansas to the north, and Mississippi to the east. Of the 50 U.S. states, it ranks 31st in area and 25 ...
, and is the
parish seat and largest city of
Ouachita Parish. With a
2020 census-tabulated population of 47,702,
it is the principal city of the
Monroe metropolitan statistical area, the second-largest metropolitan area in
North Louisiana.
Etymology
As
governor of Louisiana
The governor of Louisiana (; ) is the chief executive of the U.S. state government of Louisiana. The governor also serves as the commander in chief of the Louisiana National Guard. Republican Jeff Landry has held the office since January 8, ...
,
Esteban Rodríguez Miró had ''Fort Miro'' built in 1791. Fort Miro changed its name to Monroe to commemorate the first arrival of the
steamboat
A steamboat is a boat that is marine propulsion, propelled primarily by marine steam engine, steam power, typically driving propellers or Paddle steamer, paddlewheels. The term ''steamboat'' is used to refer to small steam-powered vessels worki ...
''James Monroe'' in the spring of 1820.
The ship's arrival was the single event, in the minds of local residents, that transformed the outpost into a
town
A town is a type of a human settlement, generally larger than a village but smaller than a city.
The criteria for distinguishing a town vary globally, often depending on factors such as population size, economic character, administrative stat ...
.
Credit for the name is indirectly given to
James Monroe of
Virginia
Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...
, the fifth
President of the United States
The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president directs the Federal government of the United States#Executive branch, executive branch of the Federal government of t ...
, for whom the ship was named. The steamboat is depicted in a
mural
A mural is any piece of Graphic arts, graphic artwork that is painted or applied directly to a wall, ceiling or other permanent substrate. Mural techniques include fresco, mosaic, graffiti and marouflage.
Word mural in art
The word ''mural'' ...
at the main branch of the Ouachita Parish Public Library.
History
Early history–late 20th century
Monroe's origins date back to the
Spanish colonial period.
Fort Miro changed its name to Monroe to commemorate the first arrival of the
steamboat
A steamboat is a boat that is marine propulsion, propelled primarily by marine steam engine, steam power, typically driving propellers or Paddle steamer, paddlewheels. The term ''steamboat'' is used to refer to small steam-powered vessels worki ...
''James Monroe'' in the spring of 1820 (see "Etymology" above).
In 1913,
Joseph A. Biedenharn, the first bottler of
Coca-Cola
Coca-Cola, or Coke, is a cola soft drink manufactured by the Coca-Cola Company. In 2013, Coke products were sold in over 200 countries and territories worldwide, with consumers drinking more than 1.8 billion company beverage servings ...
, moved to Monroe from Vicksburg, Mississippi. Biedenharn and his son Malcolm were among the founders of
Delta Air Lines
Delta Air Lines, Inc. is a Major airlines of the United States, major airline in the United States headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia, operating nine hubs, with Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport being its ...
, originally Delta Dusters. That company was founded in
Tallulah, Louisiana in Madison Parish. It was based on products and processes developed by the Agriculture Experimental Station to dust crops from airplanes in order to combat the devastating effects that the
boll weevil had on cotton crops. Biedenharn's home and gardens have been preserved and are now operated as the
Biedenharn Museum and Gardens and are open to the public.
Collett E. Woolman, the Ouachita Parish agent, was originally from
Indiana
Indiana ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Michigan to the northwest, Michigan to the north and northeast, Ohio to the east, the Ohio River and Kentucky to the s ...
. He pioneered
crop dusting to eradicate the
boll weevil, which destroyed
cotton
Cotton (), first recorded in ancient India, is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective case, around the seeds of the cotton plants of the genus '' Gossypium'' in the mallow family Malvaceae. The fiber is almost pure ...
throughout the
Mississippi Delta in the early 20th century. Woolman originated the first crop-dusting service in the world. The collapse of cotton production meant a widespread loss of farm jobs, which contributed to the early-20th-century
Great Migration, when a total of 1.5 million
African-Americans
African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from any of the Black racial groups of Africa. ...
left the rural
South
South is one of the cardinal directions or compass points. The direction is the opposite of north and is perpendicular to both west and east.
Etymology
The word ''south'' comes from Old English ''sūþ'', from earlier Proto-Germanic ''*sunþa ...
for jobs in
northern and
midwestern cities. They were also escaping the oppressive racial conditions and violence under
Jim Crow
The Jim Crow laws were state and local laws introduced in the Southern United States in the late 19th and early 20th centuries that enforced racial segregation, " Jim Crow" being a pejorative term for an African American. The last of the ...
and the
disenfranchisement
Disfranchisement, also disenfranchisement (which has become more common since 1982) or voter disqualification, is the restriction of suffrage (the right to vote) of a person or group of people, or a practice that has the effect of preventing someo ...
that excluded most blacks from the political system.
Howard D. Griffin (1911–1986) purchased a boat dealership in 1936 while a student at what became the
University of Louisiana Monroe. By the 1960s, Griffin's company had become the world's largest outboard motor dealership, and he also sold
motorcycle
A motorcycle (motorbike, bike; uni (if one-wheeled); trike (if three-wheeled); quad (if four-wheeled)) is a lightweight private 1-to-2 passenger personal motor vehicle Steering, steered by a Motorcycle handlebar, handlebar from a saddle-style ...
s. From 1955 to 1985, Griffin and his wife, Birdie M. Griffin (1915–1985), operated their seasonal Land O' Toys store in Monroe.
Geography
Located in northeastern Louisiana, Monroe is the center of the
Monroe metropolitan statistical area. It is the parish seat of
Ouachita Parish, and northeastern Louisiana's economic and cultural hub. Monroe has an elevation of above sea level.
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 31.6 square miles (83.9 km), of which, 28.7 square miles (74.3 km) is land and 3.7 square miles (9.6 km) is water. The total area is 11.46% water.
Climate
Monroe has a
humid subtropical climate
A humid subtropical climate is a subtropical -temperate climate type, characterized by long and hot summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between ...
(
Köppen climate classification
The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...
''Cfa''). Rainfall is abundant, with the normal annual precipitation averaging over . Monthly averages range from less than in August to more than in June. Severe thunderstorms with heavy
rain
Rain is a form of precipitation where water drop (liquid), droplets that have condensation, condensed from Water vapor#In Earth's atmosphere, atmospheric water vapor fall under gravity. Rain is a major component of the water cycle and is res ...
,
hail
Hail is a form of solid Precipitation (meteorology), precipitation. It is distinct from ice pellets (American English "sleet"), though the two are often confused. It consists of balls or irregular lumps of ice, each of which is called a hailsto ...
, damaging
wind
Wind is the natural movement of atmosphere of Earth, air or other gases relative to a planetary surface, planet's surface. Winds occur on a range of scales, from thunderstorm flows lasting tens of minutes, to local breezes generated by heatin ...
s and
tornadoes occur in the area during the spring and summer months.
The winter months are normally mild, with an average of 35 days of freezing or below-freezing temperatures per year, with ice and
sleet storms possible. Summer months are hot and humid, with maximum temperatures exceeding 90 degrees an average of 91 days per year, with high to very high relative average humidity, sometimes exceeding the 90 percent level.
Notable natural disasters
March 2016 flood
In March 2016, rainfall amounts ranging between 15 and 20 inches fell area-wide over 3 days, more than any 3-day period ever previously recorded. In
Ouachita Parish alone, there were 9,500 homes with flood damage, and 5,400 were completely flooded. More than 1,700 high-water rescues were performed.
2020 tornado
As part of the
2020 Easter tornado outbreak, on April 12, the community was struck by a
low-end EF3 tornado. Damage was severe, but there were no deaths or injuries due to advance warnings.
Demographics
As of the
2020 census, there were 47,702 people, 17,327 households, and 9,811 families residing in the city. At the 2019
American Community Survey
The American Community Survey (ACS) is an annual demographics survey program conducted by the United States Census Bureau. It regularly gathers information previously contained only in the long form of the United States census, decennial census ...
, there were 48,241 people and 17,327 households. In 2010, the population was 48,815, declining from the city's historic high of 57,597 at the
1980 U.S. census.
Of the 17,327
household
A household consists of one or more persons who live in the same dwelling. It may be of a single family or another type of person group. The household is the basic unit of analysis in many social, microeconomic and government models, and is im ...
s in 2019, there were 7,409 owner-occupied housing units. An estimated 3,493 of owner-occupied housing units were
married couples
Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...
living together; 354 were male households with no female present, and 927 were female households with no male present. There was an average family size of 3.58; 27.4% of all households were married couples living together, 29.8% were male households with no female present, and 46.4% were female households with no male present.
The
median income
The median income is the income amount that divides a population into two groups, half having an income above that amount, and half having an income below that amount. It may differ from the mean (or average) income. Both of these are ways of unde ...
for a household in the city was $30,438 versus $51,073 nationwide. Families had an annual median income of $38,374, married-couple families $75,089, and non-family households $21,210. Approximately 36.8% of the population lived at or below the
poverty line
The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...
; 54.1% under 18 years, 32.2% aged 18 to 16, and 21.3% aged 65 and older lived at or below the poverty line in 2019.
In 2019, the racial and ethnic makeup of the city was 62.0%
Black or African American, 32.7%
non-Hispanic or Latin American white, 0.2%
American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%
Asian, 1.0% some other race, 0.9%
two or more races, and 2.3%
Hispanic and Latin American of any race.
Among the Hispanic and Latin American population at the 2019 American Community Survey, the largest groups were
Mexican Americans (1.2%) and
Puerto Ricans (0.1%). Other Hispanic and Latin Americans made up 1.0% of the total population.
Vietnamese and
Chinese Americans were the largest Asian American groups in the city, followed by
Asian Indians; the Vietnamese community in Monroe and the rest of Louisiana grew following the
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War (1 November 1955 – 30 April 1975) was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam) and their allies. North Vietnam w ...
.
Religion
As part of the
Bible Belt,
Christianity
Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion, which states that Jesus in Christianity, Jesus is the Son of God (Christianity), Son of God and Resurrection of Jesus, rose from the dead after his Crucifixion of Jesus, crucifixion, whose ...
is the largest religion in Monroe, the city's
metropolitan area
A metropolitan area or metro is a region consisting of a densely populated urban area, urban agglomeration and its surrounding territories which share Industry (economics), industries, commercial areas, Transport infrastructure, transport network ...
, and
North Louisiana. In common with much of northern and
Central Louisiana,
Baptists
Baptists are a Christian denomination, denomination within Protestant Christianity distinguished by baptizing only professing Christian believers (believer's baptism) and doing so by complete Immersion baptism, immersion. Baptist churches ge ...
makes up the largest
Christian denomination
A Christian denomination is a distinct Religion, religious body within Christianity that comprises all Church (congregation), church congregations of the same kind, identifiable by traits such as a name, particular history, organization, leadersh ...
by affiliation. As a predominantly-African-American city, the largest
Baptist denominations are the
National Baptist Convention, USA; the
National Baptist Convention of America; and the
Progressive National Baptist Convention. The
Southern Baptist Convention
The Southern Baptist Convention (SBC), alternatively the Great Commission Baptists (GCB), is a Christian denomination based in the United States. It is the world's largest Baptist organization, the largest Protestant, and the second-largest Chr ...
also has churches throughout the Monroe area.
Methodism
Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a Protestant Christianity, Christian Christian tradition, tradition whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's brother ...
make up the second-largest Christian denomination by affiliation, primarily divided among the
African Methodist Episcopal and
Christian Methodist Episcopal churches. The
Catholic Church
The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...
is the third-largest, and the city's Catholic population is served by the
Roman Catholic Diocese of Shreveport as of 2021.
Pentecostalism
Pentecostalism or classical Pentecostalism is a movement within the broader Evangelical wing of Protestantism, Protestant Christianity that emphasizes direct personal experience of God in Christianity, God through Baptism with the Holy Spirit#Cl ...
is a growing tradition among the population, divided among Classical Pentecostals, and
Oneness Pentecostals. The
Church of God in Christ and
United Pentecostal Church are the largest Pentecostal denominations in the city and metropolitan area; there are also some independent Oneness Pentecostal churches in the city.
Islam
Islam is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran, and the teachings of Muhammad. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated to number Islam by country, 2 billion worldwide and are the world ...
is Monroe's second-largest religion.
Muslim
Muslims () are people who adhere to Islam, a Monotheism, monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God ...
s are predominantly
Sunni
Sunni Islam is the largest branch of Islam and the largest religious denomination in the world. It holds that Muhammad did not appoint any successor and that his closest companion Abu Bakr () rightfully succeeded him as the caliph of the Mu ...
, though the
Nation of Islam also maintains a presence in the area. Former
mayor
In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilitie ...
Jamie Mayo controversially awarded a
key to the city to the head of the Nation of Islam
Louis Farrakhan.
Judaism
Judaism () is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic, Monotheism, monotheistic, ethnic religion that comprises the collective spiritual, cultural, and legal traditions of the Jews, Jewish people. Religious Jews regard Judaism as their means of o ...
is Monroe's third-largest religion, with most being of the
Reform denomination. Temple B'nai Israel, established in 1868, is Monroe's oldest
synagogue
A synagogue, also called a shul or a temple, is a place of worship for Jews and Samaritans. It is a place for prayer (the main sanctuary and sometimes smaller chapels) where Jews attend religious services or special ceremonies such as wed ...
.
Economy
Top employers

According to the city's 2019 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the largest employers in the city are:
Shopping
*
Pecanland Mall has major anchor stores:
Belk
Belk, Inc. is an American department store chain founded in 1888 by William Henry Belk in Monroe, North Carolina, with nearly 300 locations in 16 states. Belk stores and Belk.com offer apparel, shoes, accessories, cosmetics, home furnishings, a ...
,
Dillard's
Dillard's, Inc. is an American department store chain with approximately 267 stores in 29 states and headquartered in Little Rock, Arkansas. Currently, the largest number of stores are located in Texas with 57 and Florida with 42. The company a ...
, and
JC Penney. The largest mall in
North Louisiana, it has a total of 83 retail stores.
Government

Monroe uses a
mayor–council form of government. It is led by a city council consisting of a mayor and five councilors. The mayor is elected at large and city councilors are elected by members of a geographic district. Each city council meeting has time for public comment.
In the
Louisiana State Legislature
The Louisiana State Legislature (; ) is the state legislature (United States), state legislature of the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is a bicameral legislature, body, comprising the lower house, the Louisiana House of Representatives with 105 ...
, Monroe is in the
33rd and
34th Senate districts, represented by
Republican Stewart Cathey Jr. and
Democrat Katrina Jackson, and the 14th, 16th, and 17th House districts, represented by Republican Michael Charles Echols, and Democrats Adrian Fisher and Patricia "Pat" Moore.
Monroe is located in
Louisiana's 5th congressional district, represented by
Julia Letlow in the
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Artic ...
.
Arts and culture
The
Monroe Civic Center has multiple facilities, the main complex being the Civic Center arena. The arena provides of exhibit space along with 5,600 seats, with a larger potential capacity of up to 7,200 seats. The arena houses events such as
banquets,
circus
A circus is a company of performers who put on diverse entertainment shows that may include clowns, acrobats, trained animals, trapeze acts, musicians, dancers, hoopers, tightrope walkers, jugglers, magicians, ventriloquists, and unicy ...
es, and
rodeo
Rodeo () is a competitive equestrian sport that arose out of the working practices of cattle herding in Spain and Mexico, expanding throughout the Americas and to other nations. It was originally based on the skills required of the working vaqu ...
s.The center also holds the B. D. Robinson Conference Hall, Monroe Convention Center, equestrian pavilion, and the 2,200-seat W. L. Jack Howard Theatre named for
W. L. "Jack" Howard, the
Union Parish native who served as mayor of Monroe from 1956 to 1972 and again from 1976 to 1978. The
Harvey H. Benoit Recreation Center is used for
basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...
games and has outdoor
tennis
Tennis is a List of racket sports, racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent (singles (tennis), singles) or between two teams of two players each (doubles (tennis), doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket st ...
courts.
During the last week of June, Monroe hosts the annual
Miss Louisiana pageant.
Monroe is the home of the
Louisiana Purchase Gardens and Zoo, which collectively maintains over 500 animals. It also offers boat rides and a catwalk, in addition to other seasonal activities.
The Monroe area is home to several museums, including the
Northeast Louisiana Children's Museum, the
Biedenharn Museum and Gardens, the
Chennault Aviation and Military Museum, the
Masur Museum of Arts, and the
Northeast Louisiana Delta African-American Heritage Museum. This is one of the 26 sites identified in the early 21st century as part of the state's
African American Heritage Trail.
Parks and Recreation
Monroe is home to the
Black Bayou Lake National Wildlife Refuge. Admission is free.
Parks
The City of Monroe owns and operates 17 city parks.
Golf
*
Bayou Desiard Country Club
*Chennault Golf Course
*Frenchman's Bend Country Club
*The Links at Muny, Forsythe Park
Professional Sports
Monroe was home to the
Monroe Moccasins minor league hockey team in the Western Professional Hockey League from 1997 to 2001. The team will resume play in 2024.
Media
The
Gannett
Gannett Co., Inc. ( ) is an American mass media holding company headquartered in New York City. It is the largest U.S. newspaper publisher as measured by total daily circulation.
It owns the national newspaper ''USA Today'', as well as several ...
owned ''News Star'' is the primary daily newspaper serving Monroe and area.
Monroe is served by two African-American-owned weekly newspapers: the ''
Monroe Free Press'' and the ''Monroe Dispatch.'' ''The Free Press'' was founded in 1969 by Roosevelt Wright, Jr., and ''The Dispatch'' was founded in 1975 by Irma and Frank Detiege. ''
The Ouachita Citizen'' is a locally owned and operated weekly newspaper that was founded in 1924. It has all-local coverage of events in Ouachita Parish, including Monroe,
West Monroe,
Sterlington and
Richwood.
Television
Monroe is the principal city of the Monroe media market for television. Both
KNOE-TV and
KTVE offer a full range of network and local daily news programming.
Radio
Monroe is served by local radio station
KJLO, and
KMVX, that also broad
KMLB AM 540.
Emergency alert stations
*KMLB-KNOE 540 AM
*KMVX-KNOE 101.9 FM
*KNOE TV 8
*KTVE-TV 10
*KARD-TV 14
Education
Colleges and universities
*
Career Technical College
*
Louisiana Delta Community College
Louisiana Delta Community College is a public community college in Monroe, Louisiana.
The college began offering classes in 2001. Louisiana Delta Community College has eight campuses (Bastrop, Louisiana, Bastrop, Jonesboro, Louisiana, Jonesboro, ...
*
McCann School of Business & Technology
*
Northeast Louisiana Technical College
*
UniTech Training Academy
*
University of Louisiana Monroe
K-12 education
The city is within the
Monroe City Schools school district, which uses the city boundaries as its boundary.
[ ]
Text list
/ref> The school district consists of three high schools, three junior high schools, and 18 elementary schools. The Monroe school district operates the following high schools:
* Carroll High School
* Neville High School
* Wossman High School
The Monroe district is separate from the larger Ouachita Parish School System, which does not include any part of the Monroe city limits.[ The Ouachita Parish school district formerly had its headquarters in Monroe. Ouachita Junior High School is physically in the Monroe city limits. Ouachita Parish High School has a Monroe postal address, though it is in an ]unincorporated area
An unincorporated area is a parcel of land that is not governed by a local general-purpose municipal corporation. (At p. 178.) They may be governed or serviced by an encompassing unit (such as a county) or another branch of the state (such as th ...
.[ ]
Compare to this map pages 6-7 (PDF pp. 7-8/9)
The attendance boundaries of both schools do not include any part of the city limits.
Schools of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Shreveport:
* St. Frederick Catholic High School
*Jesus the Good Shepherd School - Began operations in 1960
*Our Lady of Fatima Catholic School
Other private schools in the area include:
* River Oaks School has a Monroe postal address though it is outside of the city limits
Infrastructure
National Guard
Monroe is home to the 528th Engineer Battalion of the Louisiana
Louisiana ( ; ; ) is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It borders Texas to the west, Arkansas to the north, and Mississippi to the east. Of the 50 U.S. states, it ranks 31st in area and 25 ...
Army National Guard
The Army National Guard (ARNG) is an organized Militia (United States), militia force and a Reserve components of the United States Armed Forces, federal military reserve force of the United States Army. It is simultaneously part of two differen ...
. This unit is part of the 225th Engineer Brigade which is headquartered in Pineville, Louisiana at Louisiana National Guard Training Center Pineville.
Transportation
Monroe was the founding city of Delta Air Lines
Delta Air Lines, Inc. is a Major airlines of the United States, major airline in the United States headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia, operating nine hubs, with Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport being its ...
in the 1920s. As the airline expanded, it moved to 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 ...
. Monroe Regional Airport serves the city and northeast Louisiana. It has three main runways and is served by regional partners of American Airlines
American Airlines, Inc. is a major airlines of the United States, major airline in the United States headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas, within the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, and is the Largest airlines in the world, largest airline in the ...
and Delta Air Lines
Delta Air Lines, Inc. is a Major airlines of the United States, major airline in the United States headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia, operating nine hubs, with Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport being its ...
.
Greyhound Bus Lines provides transportation from Monroe to many cities across the nation. Monroe has the oldest municipally-owned transit system in the nation. Created in 1906 as a four-line street railroad, the Monroe Transit System now provides 13 fixed bus routes covering most areas of the city, and three demand-response buses serving the disabled.
Monroe can be accessed from Interstate 20, U.S. Highway 165, Louisiana Highway 15, U.S. Highway 80, and Interstate 420 (proposed).
Kansas City Southern, Union Pacific
The Union Pacific Railroad is a Class I freight-hauling railroad that operates 8,300 locomotives over routes in 23 U.S. states west of Chicago and New Orleans. Union Pacific is the second largest railroad in the United States after BNSF, ...
, BNSF, and Norfolk Southern serve freight traffic in the city.
Notable people
References
External links
*
*
*
{{Authority control
1845 establishments in Louisiana
Cities in Louisiana
Cities in North Louisiana
Cities in Ouachita Parish, Louisiana
Louisiana African American Heritage Trail
Louisiana populated places on the Ouachita River
Parish seats in Louisiana
Populated places established in 1845