Monroe is a city in
Green County, Wisconsin, United States, and its
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 ...
. The population was 10,661 at the
2020 census. The city is bordered by the
town of Monroe to the north and the
town of Clarno to the south. It is nicknamed the "Cheese Capital of the USA".
Geography
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 , all of it land.
Demographics
As of 2000 the median income for a household in the city was $36,922, and the median income for a family was $47,361. Males had a median income of $32,050 versus $22,112 for females. The
per capita income
Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year.
In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...
for the city was $21,657. About 2.4% of families and 5.4% of the population were 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 ...
, including 4.3% of those under age 18 and 8.1% of those age 65 or over.
2020 census
As of the
census of 2020,
the population was 10,661. The
population density
Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...
was . There were 5,126 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 89.2%
White
White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...
, 0.7%
Black
Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''P ...
or
African American
African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...
, 0.7%
Asian, 0.4%
Native American, 4.1% from
other races, and 4.9% from two or more races. Ethnically, the population was 7.6%
Hispanic
The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...
or
Latino of any race.
According to the
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 ...
estimates for 2016-2020, the median income for a household in the city was $51,996, and the median income for a family was $69,493. Male full-time workers had a median income of $48,772 versus $36,334 for female workers. The
per capita income
Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year.
In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...
for the city was $31,308. About 8.0% of families and 10.7% of the population were 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 ...
, including 9.9% of those under age 18 and 15.9% of those age 65 or over.
Of the population age 25 and over, 90.6% were high school graduates or higher and 17.4% had a bachelor's degree or higher.
2010 census
As of the
census
A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...
of 2010, there were 10,827 people, 4,810 households, and 2,781 families residing in the city. The
population density
Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...
was . There were 5,101 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 94.8%
White
White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...
, 0.6%
African American
African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...
, 0.2%
Native American, 0.7%
Asian, 2.6% from
other races, and 1.1% from two or more races.
Hispanic
The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...
or
Latino of any race were 4.9% of the population.
There were 4,810 households, of which 27.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.8% 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, 10.7% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.3% had a male householder with no wife present, and 42.2% were non-families. 36.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.22 and the average family size was 2.87.
The median age in the city was 41.1 years. 22.5% of residents were under the age of 18; 8% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 24% were from 25 to 44; 26.8% were from 45 to 64; and 18.8% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 47.9% male and 52.1% female.
Cheese Days
Cheese Days is a biennial celebration of cheese and the dairy industry, taking place in Monroe, Wisconsin. Established in 1914, the weekend-long event typically occurs on the third weekend in September of even-numbered years in the historic downtown area known as “the Square”. The festivities include carnival rides, a variety of local food, restaurant, craft, and club stands, live, traditional Swiss-Germanic music (including
polka
Polka is a dance style and genre of dance music in originating in nineteenth-century Bohemia, now part of the Czech Republic. Though generally associated with Czech and Central European culture, polka is popular throughout Europe and the ...
s and
waltz
The waltz ( , meaning "to roll or revolve") is a ballroom dance, ballroom and folk dance, in triple (3/4 time, time), performed primarily in closed position. Along with the ländler and allemande, the waltz was sometimes referred to by the ...
es), and a culmination of it all into a two-hour parade on Sunday afternoon. Over one hundred thousand people come for the festivities throughout the three-day event. Cheese Days was not held in 1918, 1942, 1944 and 2020.
Parks and recreation
Monroe's parks include Twining Park, where the city's Swiss bandshell is located; Recreation Park, home to the city swimming pool; and Honey Creek Park, the site of a skate park. The city is the eastern starting point for the
Cheese Country Trail
The Cheese Country Trail is a multi-use rail trail in south central Wisconsin.
The trail stretches from Monroe, Wisconsin, Monroe to Mineral Point, Wisconsin, Mineral Point, connecting Browntown, Wisconsin, Browntown, South Wayne, Wisconsin, S ...
, a 47-mile multi-purpose recreational path, and the
Badger State Trail, a bicycle and pedestrian-only trail in summer and an ATV/snowmobile trail in winter. The "Cheese Trail" extends from
Mineral Point to Monroe, while the Badger State Trail runs from the state line to
Madison and connects to the
Jane Addams Trail in Illinois. Both are former railway corridors. Monroe is also home to Stateline Ice and Community Expo (S.L.I.C.E.), the only indoor ice rink in Green County.
Badger State Trail Runs from
Madison through
Fitchburg past the
Ice Age National Scenic Trail Montrose segment,
Belleville,
New Glarus, and crosses the
Sugar River State Trail before reaching Monroe, and then continues to meet with the
Jane Addams Trail at the
Illinois
Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...
border which continues to
Freeport, Illinois
Freeport is the largest city in Stephenson County, Illinois, United States, and its county seat. The population was 23,973 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, and the mayor of Freeport is Jodi Miller, elected in 2017. Freeport is k ...
.
The
Cheese Country Trail
The Cheese Country Trail is a multi-use rail trail in south central Wisconsin.
The trail stretches from Monroe, Wisconsin, Monroe to Mineral Point, Wisconsin, Mineral Point, connecting Browntown, Wisconsin, Browntown, South Wayne, Wisconsin, S ...
passes through Monroe.
Education
The School District of Monroe is the largest school district in Green County, serving around 2,700 pupils, and having an open enrollment procedure. The school district maintains
Monroe High School, home of the Cheesemakers in the
Rock Valley Conference, Monroe Middle School, Abraham Lincoln Accelerated Learning Academy, Parkside Elementary School, and Northside Elementary School. St. Victor Catholic elementary school offers grades K (four years old) through 5. Monroe has a campus of
Blackhawk Technical College, the community's sole institution of post-secondary education.
Transportation
*
WIS 11 runs around Monroe on the bypass.
*
WIS 59 ends in the northeast corner of the city near the Monroe Clinic.
*
WIS 69 runs on the bypass for 1 mile with WIS 81 and WIS 11.
*
WIS 81 runs around Monroe on the bypass.
Monroe Municipal Airport (KEFT) serves the city and surrounding communities.
Wisconsin and Southern Railroad
The Wisconsin and Southern Railroad is a Class II regional railroad in Southern Wisconsin and Northeastern Illinois currently operated by Watco. It operates former Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad (Milwaukee Road) and ...
serves the city with freight service. A branch line from
Janesville ends at Badger State Ethanol.
Notable people
*
Henry Adams, Wisconsin State Representative and Senator
*
Bob Anderegg, professional basketball player
*
Ken Behring, former owner of the
Seattle Seahawks
*
James Bintliff,
Union Army general
*
John Bolender, Wisconsin State Representative
*
Ira B. Bradford, Wisconsin State Representative
*
Evelene Brodstone, one of the highest paid female executives of the 1920s
*
Dick Campbell, singer, songwriter, movie director
*
Edwin Copeland, botanist and founder of the
University of the Philippines Los Banos College of Agriculture
*
David G. Deininger, jurist and legislator
*
A. Clarke Dodge, Wisconsin State Representative and businessman
*
Alice Righter Edmiston, artist
*
Joe Dodge, jazz musician
*
G. Fred Galli, cheesemaker and legislator
*
John C. Hall, Wisconsin State Senator and physician
*
Andre Jacque, Wisconsin State Representative
*
Janet Jennings, nurse during the
Spanish–American War
The Spanish–American War (April 21 – August 13, 1898) was fought between Restoration (Spain), Spain and the United States in 1898. It began with the sinking of the USS Maine (1889), USS ''Maine'' in Havana Harbor in Cuba, and resulted in the ...
*
Harry A. Keegan, Wisconsin State Representative
*
Nathan J. Lindsay,
U.S. Air Force major general
*
William H. H. Llewellyn,
New Mexico
New Mexico is a state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States. It is one of the Mountain States of the southern Rocky Mountains, sharing the Four Corners region with Utah, Colorado, and Arizona. It also ...
State Representative, member of the
Rough Riders
*
Joe Lobdell, professional football player
*
John Luchsinger, legislator, writer, jurist
*
Willis Ludlow, Wisconsin State Representative and mayor of Monroe
*
Ric Mathias,
NFL player
*
Perry A.C. Reed,
Nebraska
Nebraska ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Ka ...
State Senator
*
William Rittenhouse, Wisconsin State Senator
*
Ray H. Schoonover, Wisconsin State Representative, sheriff, and businessman
*
Tom Tennant,
MLB
Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...
player
*
Robin G. Tornow,
U.S. Air Force general
*
Charles Treat,
U.S. Army general,
Army Distinguished Service Medal
The Distinguished Service Medal (DSM) is a military decoration of the United States Army that is presented to soldiers who have distinguished themselves by exceptionally meritorious service to the government in a duty of great responsibility. ...
recipient
*
Joseph B. Treat, Wisconsin State Senator and Chairman of the Republican State Central Committee
*
Nathaniel Treat, Maine State Representative
*
Nathaniel B. Treat, Wisconsin State Representative
*
Nathan Farragut Twining, Chief of Staff,
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force (USAF) is the Air force, air service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is one of the six United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Tracing its ori ...
*
Merrill B. Twining,
United States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines or simply the Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is responsible for conducting expeditionar ...
general
*
Don S. Wenger,
U.S. Air Force major general
*
Walter S. Wescott, Wisconsin State Representative and Senator
*
Francis H. West,
Union Army general
*
George Otto Wirz, Roman Catholic bishop
*
Edwin E. Woodman, Wisconsin State Senator
Biodata
/ref>
* Art Young, cartoonist and writer
References
External links
City of Monroe
{{Authority control
Cities in Wisconsin
Cities in Green County, Wisconsin
Micropolitan areas of Wisconsin
County seats in Wisconsin
Swiss-American culture in Wisconsin