Monroe, Connecticut

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Monroe, Connecticut
Town of Monroe
Town
Gazebo in front of town hall
Gazebo in front of town hall
Official seal of Monroe, Connecticut
Seal
Location in Fairfield County and the state of Connecticut
Location in Fairfield County and the state of Connecticut
Coordinates: 41°20′10″N 73°13′33″W / 41.33611°N 73.22583°W / 41.33611; -73.22583Coordinates: 41°20′10″N 73°13′33″W / 41.33611°N 73.22583°W / 41.33611; -73.22583
Country United States
U.S. state Connecticut
CountyFairfield
Metropolitan areaBridgeport-Stamford
Incorporated1823
Government
 • TypeSelectman-town council
 • First SelectmanKen Kellogg[1]
 • Town Council
Town Council members[2][3]
Area
 • Total26.3 sq mi (68.1 km2)
 • Land26.1 sq mi (67.7 km2)
 • Water0.2 sq mi (0.5 km2)
Elevation
522 ft (159 m)
Population
 (2015)
 • Total20,020
 • Density763.3/sq mi (294.7/km2)
Time zoneUTC−5 (Eastern)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−4 (Eastern)
ZIP Code
06468
Area code(s)203/475
FIPS code09-48620
GNIS feature ID0213463
Websitewww.monroect.org

Monroe is a town located in eastern Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 19,479 at the 2010 census.[4]

Monroe is largely considered a bedroom community of New York City, New Haven, and Bridgeport.

History[]

On May 15, 1656, the Court of the Colony of Connecticut in Hartford affirmed that the town of Stratford included all of the territory 12 miles (19 km) 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 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.

Monroe incorporated as a town in 1823. The community is named after James Monroe, fifth President of the United States.[5]

Geography[]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 26.3 square miles (68 km2), of which 26.1 square miles (68 km2) is land and 0.2 square miles (0.52 km2), or 0.76%, is water. The Pequonnock River begins in Monroe in Wolfe Park. Monroe borders Lake Zoar, a reservoir on the Housatonic River formed by the Stevenson Dam.

Neighborhoods[]

Monroe is made up of several neighborhoods:

Demographics[]

See also: List of Connecticut locations by per capita income
Historical population
Census Pop. %±
18301,522—
18401,351−11.2%
18501,4426.7%
18601,382−4.2%
18701,226−11.3%
18801,157−5.6%
1890994−14.1%
19001,0434.9%
19101,002−3.9%
19201,16115.9%
19301,2215.2%
19401,72841.5%
19502,89267.4%
19606,402121.4%
197012,04788.2%
198014,01016.3%
199016,89620.6%
200019,24713.9%
201019,4791.2%
2017 (est.)19,635[6]0.8%
U.S. Decennial Census[7]

As of the census[8] 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 per square mile (97.5/km2). The racial makeup of the town was 95.8% White, 0.20% African American, 0.08% Native American, 2.62% Asian, 0.50% from other races, and 0.83% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 2.20% 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. Of all households 14.9% 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.

Arts and culture[]

Notable locations[]

Locations on the National Register of Historic Places[]

Places of worship[]

Humphrey Bogart's former home in Monroe now belongs to the Sisters of the Holy Family of Nazareth.

The town of Monroe features eleven houses of worship representing numerous faiths.

  • Beacon Hill Evangelical Free - Evangelical Free Church of America
  • Good Shepherd Lutheran Church - Lutheran
  • Faith World Outreach - non-denominational Christian
  • Monroe Congregational Church - Congregationalist
  • Our Lady of the Rosary Chapel - Roman Catholic
  • Pilgrims Pathway Wesleyan Church - Wesleyans
  • Saint Jude Church - Roman Catholic
  • Saint Peter's Episcopal Church - Episcopal
  • Stepney Baptist Church - Baptist
  • United Methodist Church of Monroe - United Methodist
  • Islamic Community of Fairfield County - Islamic

Government[]

Monroe is a stalwart Republican town at the presidential level with the longest streak of supporting the GOP in Fairfield County. No Democrat has won the town in over 60 years. Lyndon B. Johnson came the closest in his landslide victory in 1964, having lost the town by only 17 votes to Barry M. Goldwater.

Presidential elections results
Voter registration and party enrollment as of October 27, 2020[12]
Party Active voters Inactive voters Total voters Percentage
Republican 3,795 127 3,922 27.29%
Democratic 3,181 132 3,313 23.05%
Unaffiliated 6,671 235 6,906 48.06%
Minor parties 219 11 220 1.53%
Total 13,866 505 14,371 100%

Education[]

Monroe Public Schools[]

The school district for Monroe is called Monroe Public Schools and includes approximately 4,000 students, in three elementary schools (Fawn Hollow, Monroe Elementary, and Stepney Elementary), two middle schools (Jockey Hollow and STEM Academy), and one high school (Masuk High School).

In 2011, STEM Academy was opened at Masuk High School as an additional middle school option for Monroe's 6th, 7th, and 8th graders.[13]

Chalk Hill Middle School housed Monroe's 5th and 6th graders from 1969-2011 (when it was closed due to shifting population and budget issues).[14] From 2012-2016, Chalk Hill was the home of Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown following the Dec. 14, 2012 shooting.[15]

Private school[]

St. Jude School, was a Catholic school with around 220 Pre-K to 8th Grade students, located next to St. Jude Parish on Route 111. For the 2017-18 school year, St. Jude School merged with two other local Catholic schools (St. Joseph and St. Lawrence, both of neighboring Shelton, CT). The three schools combined to make Holy Trinity Catholic Academy, housed in the former St. Lawrence School in Shelton.[16]

In 2003, the St. Jude School boys' junior varsity basketball team won the New England CYO tournament, defeating Springfield, Massachusetts in the championship, becoming the school's first team 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.[citation needed]

In 2006, the St. Jude boys' junior varsity again won the New England CYO tournament, defeating Hartford, Connecticut.[citation needed]

Media[]

  • The town of Monroe owns and operates the FM radio station WMNR.
  • The Monroe Courier was the weekly town newspaper until it was shut down in October 2018.
  • The two local online newspaper are the Monroe Patch and the Monroe Sun.[17]

Infrastructure[]

Roads[]

  • Connecticut Route 25, Main Street, runs across Monroe from Upper Stepney to the Trumbull town line. The highway starts in Brookfield/Danbury and runs to Bridgeport. From Brookfield through Monroe, it is a 2-lane road, and just over the Monroe-Trumbull border within Trumbull, it becomes a 6-lane freeway which connects to Interstate 95.
  • Connecticut Route 34 runs through the northern (Stevenson) section of Monroe. The route begins in Newtown and ends in New Haven, where it connects with I-91 and I-95.
    • Stevenson Dam, which holds back Lake Zoar, and is the bridge for CT Route 34 across the Housatonic River
  • Connecticut Route 59 begins at its intersection with Route 25 in Monroe and travels south through Easton and Fairfield, where it ends in Bridgeport.
  • Connecticut Route 110 begins in Monroe at its intersection with Route 111, then travels through Shelton before ending in Stratford.
  • Connecticut Route 111, Monroe Turnpike, begins at its intersection with Route 34 in Monroe and runs south to Trumbull, where it terminates just north of Bridgeport at the Merritt Parkway.

Parks and recreation[]

The Monroe Parks and Recreation Department manages Monroe's parks.

  • Webb Mountain Park, a municipal park with hiking trails and campsites
  • , a town park located on Cutlers Farm Road and on the northern end of Cross Hill Road. The park includes a public pool, four 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. Great Hollow Lake is located in the south-western area of the park.
  • The Housatonic Railway Trail is an approximately five-mile section of the scenic walking and biking Pequonnock River trail that runs from Great Hollow Lake in Wolfe Park through the Newtown Town line.[18]

Emergency services[]

Fire department[]

Monroe is protected by three independent and all-volunteer fire departments operating out of six fire stations.

In 1916, 45 men and women formed the first volunteer fire company in Monroe, the Stepney Volunteer Fire Company. In 1923 the Stepney Company built its own firehouse, which housed their first fire truck. It is the only Ladder Company in the Town of Monroe.[19] Also in 1923, the Monroe Volunteer Fire Department was established.[20]

Emergency medical services[]

Monroe is served by the Monroe Volunteer Emergency Medical Service, founded 1977.[21]

Police department[]

Officially organized in 1952, the Monroe Police Department operates out of Monroe Town Hall.[22]

Notable people[]

  • Mike Gminski, former Duke basketball standout and NBA player
  • Mary O'Hara, author of My Friend Flicka and other books; lived on an estate called Tyrawley on Bagburn Hill Road for nearly 20 years
  • Jesse Schwartz, the voice of Leo on Little Einsteins
  • Ed and Lorraine Warren, paranormal investigators and authors
  • Ed Wojna, former Major League pitcher

Images[]

  • Webb Mountain Park Discovery Zone, Classroom Court pond

  • The East Village Barn Hill Schoolhouse of 1790

  • Edith Wheeler Memorial Library

  • Fountain and pond at Wolfe Park

  • Great Hollow Lake in Monroe

See also[]

  • Flag of Connecticut.svg Connecticut portal

References[]

  1. ^ "First Selectman". Town of Monroe, Connecticut. Retrieved June 18, 2021.
  2. ^ "Town Council Members 2019-2021". Town of Monroe, Connecticut. Retrieved June 18, 2021.
  3. ^ Bittar, Bill (June 17, 2021). "Wales strives to improve people's quality of life, at work and in her hometown". The Monroe Sun.
  4. ^ Bureau, U.S. Census. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2017-11-17.
  5. ^ The Connecticut Magazine: An Illustrated Monthly. Connecticut Magazine Company. 1903. p. 333.
  6. ^ "CONNECTICUT POPULATION ESTIMATES AS OF JULY 1, 2017". Archived from the original (PDF) on May 23, 2015. Retrieved June 22, 2019.
  7. ^ "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
  8. ^ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
  9. ^ "The Warren's Occult Museum". The New England Society For Psychic Research. Archived from the original on 2016-11-17. Retrieved 2016-07-13.
  10. ^ "Home". www.classicnights.com. Retrieved 2021-07-03.
  11. ^ "General Elections Statement of Vote 1922".
  12. ^ "Registration and Party Enrollment Statistics as of October 29, 2019" (PDF). Connecticut Secretary of State. Retrieved 2020-11-02.
  13. ^ "STEM Academy Forum Draws a Large Audience Summary File (QT-PL), Monroe town, Connecticut". Monroe Patch 2. Archived from the original on April 2012. Retrieved October 8, 2011.
  14. ^ "Monroe superintendent proposes one-year closure of Chalk Hill Middle School". 11 December 2010.
  15. ^ "Monroe: What to do about Chalk Hill Middle School?". 30 April 2017.
  16. ^ "3 Catholic schools to become one in Shelton". 4 February 2017.
  17. ^ Monroe Sun
  18. ^ Babina, John (2006-11-28). "Monroe Rails into Trails" (PDF). Monroe Parks and Recreation Department. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2021-06-03. Retrieved 2021-06-03.
  19. ^ "History". stepneyfire.com. Retrieved 2021-07-03.
  20. ^ "About Us - Monroe Volunteer Fire Department No. 1 Inc". www.monroefire.com. Retrieved 2021-07-03.
  21. ^ Monroe Volunteer Emergency Medical Service.
  22. ^ Monroe Police Department

Further reading[]

  • Reverend Samuel Orcutt, A History of Stratford and the City of Bridgeport Connecticut, Fairfield Historical Society, 1886
  • The New York Times feature about Monroe

External links[]

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