Monroe, Connecticut

Monroe, Connecticut
Town
Location in Fairfield County, Connecticut
Country	United States
State	Connecticut
NECTA	Bridgeport-Stamford
Region	Greater Bridgeport
Incorporated	1823
Government
• Type	Selectman-town meeting
• First Selectman	Steve Vavrek
Area
• Total	26.3 sq mi (68.1 km2)
• Land	26.1 sq mi (67.7 km2)
• Water	0.2 sq mi (0.5 km2)
Elevation	522 ft (159 m)
Population  (2005)
• Total	19,650
• Density	750/sq mi (291/km2)
Time zone	UTC-5 (Eastern)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-4 (Eastern)
ZIP code	06468
Area code	203
FIPS code	09-48620
GNIS feature ID	0213463
Website	http://www.monroect.org/

Monroe is a town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 19,247 at the 2000 census. The current first selectman is Steve Vavrek.

The town was recently featured in Forbes' "Best Places to Live" feature article. Monroe, like its neighbors, is largely considered a bedroom community of New York City and Stamford. Monroe's neighbors are Newtown, Easton, Oxford, Shelton, and Trumbull.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 26.3 square miles (68.2 km²), of which, 26.1 square miles (67.7 km²) of it is land and 0.2 square miles (0.5 km²) of it (0.76%) is water.

Principal communities

• East Village
• Monroe center
• Stepney
• Stevenson
• Upper Stepney

History

The Monroe Town seal is in the form of a circle with the words "Town of Monroe Connecticut" written in the outer rim of the seal. Inside this outer circle is a profile of a bust of James Monroe, who was the fifth President of the United States, serving from 1817-1825.

On May 15, 1656, the Court of the Colony of Connecticut in Hartford, affirmed that the town of Stratford included all of the territory twelve miles inland from Long Island Sound, between the Housatonic River and the Fairfield town line to include the southern portion of present-day Monroe. In 1662, Stratford selectmen Lt. Joseph Judson, Captain Joseph Hawley and John Minor, had secured all the written deeds of transfer from the Golden Hill Paugussett Indian Nation for this vast territory that comprises the present-day towns of Trumbull, Shelton and Monroe. In 1671, Stratford purchased from the Paugusset Indians the territory which included the remainder of the northern portions of Monroe, Trumbull and Shelton, in what is known as The White Hills Purchase, and officially annexed it to the Township of Stratford.

• 
  Sign in front of Town Hall
• 
  Back of sign
• 
  Monroe CT Gazebo

City Information

Historical population of Monroe[1]
1830	1,522
1840	1,351
1850	1,442
1860	1,382
1870	1,226
1880	1,157
1890	994
1900	1,043
1910	1,002
1920	1,161
1930	1,221
1940	1,728
1950	2,892
1960	6,402
1970	12,047
1980	14,010
1990	16,896
2000	19,247

Monroe Public Schools

The school district for Monroe includes approximately 4,000 students, in three elementary schools (Fawn Hollow, Monroe Elementary, & Stepney Elementary) two middle schools (Jockey Hollow and Chalk Hill), and a high school (Masuk High School). The schools have many interesting programs. For more information click here.

Monroe's Private School

St.Jude School, a Catholic school with around 220 students. Located next to St. Jude Parish, on Route 111, very close to Route 111's and 110's intersection. St. Jude holds a carnival in the parking lot in the back every year in the end of August before school starts.

In 2003, the St. Jude boys Junior Varsity basketball team won the New England CYO tournament, defeating Springfield, Massachusetts in the championship, becoming the first team from St. Jude to win the tournament. The first selectman of the town dedicated a day to them. In 2005, they returned to the tournament in Rhode Island as 8th graders. After defeating Worcester and Boston, they lost to Hartford by 5.

In 2006, the St. Jude boys Junior Varsity again won the New England CYO tournament, defeating Hartford, Connecticut. They are recognized as the best team in the school's history.

Churches

St. Peter's Episcopal Church

Parks

• Great Hollow Lake
• Webb Mountain Park
• William E. Wolfe Park is a town park located on Cutlers Farm Rd and on the northern end of Cross Hill Rd. The park includes a public pool, 4 baseball fields, a football field, a basketball court, a playground, and a hiking trail that leads to Great Hollow Lake. The park includes a barbecue set up on the grass, and a nearby pavilion.

On the National Register of Historic Places

• Daniel Basset House — 1024 Monroe Turnpike (added September 23, 2002)
• Monroe Center Historic District — CT 110 and CT 111 (added September 19, 1977)
• Stevenson Dam Hydroelectric Plant — CT 34 (added October 29, 2000)
• Thomas Hawley House — 514 Purdy Hill Rd. (added May 11, 1980)

Notable people from Monroe

• Mike Gminski, former Duke basketball standout and NBA player. An assortment of Mike Gminski memorabilia, including shorts he wore while playing for the 76ers, is on display in a glass case outside the gymnasium at Fawn Hollow Elementary School.
• Jesse Schwartz, the voice of Leo on Little Einsteins. He currently lives in Monroe.
• Ed Wojna, former Major League pitcher.
• Mary O'Hara, author of "My Friend Flicka" and several other books, lived on an estate called Tyrawley on Bagburn Hill Road for nearly 20 years.
• Chris Monteleone, A g kid.

Demographics

As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there were 19,247 people, 6,481 households, and 5,346 families residing in the town. The population density was 736.5 people per square mile (284.4/km²). There were 6,601 housing units at an average density of 252.6/sq mi (97.5/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 96.87% White, 0.20% African American, 0.08% Native American, 1.52% Asian, 0.50% from other races, and 0.83% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.50% of the population.

There were 6,481 households out of which 42.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 74.0% were married couples living together, 6.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 17.5% were non-families. 14.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.96 and the average family size was 3.31.

In the town the population was spread out with 29.1% under the age of 18, 4.8% from 18 to 24, 29.9% from 25 to 44, 25.7% from 45 to 64, and 10.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 96.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.5 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $85,000 and the median income for a family was $92,514. Males had a median income of $61,109 versus $41,572 for females. The per capita income for the town was $34,161. About 1.8% of families and 2.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 2.6% of those under age 18 and 5.5% of those age 65 or over.

Voter Registration and Party Enrollment as of October 25, 2005
Party		Active Voters	Inactive Voters	Total Voters	Percentage	Republican	3,388	228	3,616	26.79%	Democratic	2,200	122	2,322	17.21%	Unaffiliated	7,074	479	7,553	55.96%	Minor Parties	3	2	5	0.04%
Total		12,665	831	13,496	100%

References

• Reverend Samuel Orcutt, A History of Stratford and the City of Bridgeport Connecticut, Fairfield Historical Society, 1886

External links

• Monroe Volunteer Emergency Medical Service
• Town of Monroe
• Newspaper - Monroe Courier
• TownLeaders - Monroe, CT
• Monroe Historical Society
• Whitney Farms Golf Course
• Twombly Nursery