Monroe, Connecticut

Monroe, Connecticut
Town

Seal

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
State Connecticut
NECTA Bridgeport-Stamford
Region Greater Bridgeport
Incorporated 1823
Government
 • Type Selectman-town council
 • First Selectman Steve Vavrek (R)
 • Town Council Chm
Frank Lieto (R), Vice Chm
Enid Lipeles (R)
Sean O'Rourke
Terry Rooney (R)
Kevin Reid (R)
Ken Kellogg (R)
Phyllis Kansky (D)
Dee Dee Martin (D)
Nicholas Kapoor (D)
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 (2010)
 • Total 19,479
 • Density 740/sq mi (290/km2)
Time zone Eastern (UTC-5)
 • Summer (DST) Eastern (UTC-4)
ZIP code 06468
Area code(s) 203
FIPS code 09-48620
GNIS feature ID 0213463
Website www.monroect.org

Monroe is a town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 19,479 at the 2010 census.[1]

Like many of its neighbors, Monroe is largely considered a bedroom community of New York City and Bridgeport. Monroe's neighbors are Easton, Newtown, Oxford, Shelton, and Trumbull. The New York Times profiled Monroe in a February 2013 article called "Living In Monroe, Conn.; a Friend, in Need and Deed."[2]

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.

Neighborhoods

Monroe is made up of several neighborhoods:

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 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 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.

The Stepney Dam in Monroe, Connecticut was erected in 1927.
The Stepney Dam is on Route 25.
Main Street at night in Monroe, CT.

Town information

Historical
population of
Monroe[3]
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
2010 19,479

Media

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 recently opened STEM Academy), and a high school (Masuk High School). In 2011, the STEM Academy at Masuk High School was opened as an alternative school option for 6th, 7th, and 8th graders.[4] One of Monroe's schools (Chalk Hill) was provided to its neighboring town Newtown, Connecticut in the aftermath of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting.[5]

Private school

St. Jude School, a Catholic school with around 220 students, is 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 of the church every year in the end of August before the school year begins.

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.

Places of worship

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

Emergency services

Fire departments

The town of Monroe is protected 24/7, 365 days a year by three independent and all-volunteer fire departments operating from six fire stations, two in each district. The combined departments operate a total of 1 Truck, 1 Quint, 2 Rescues, 8 Engines, 3 Tankers, 2 Brush Units, 1 Fire Boat, 2 Utility Units, 1 Squad, and 3 Command Vehicles. The combined departments respond to an averaged total of over 1,000 emergency calls annually. The Fire Marshal is William B. Davin.

Stepney Volunteer Fire Department (since 1917)

Stepney Volunteer Fire Department

Monroe Volunteer Fire Department (since 1923)

Monroe Volunteer Fire Department

Stevenson Volunteer Fire Department (since 1950)

Stevenson Volunteer Fire Department

Emergency medical services

The town of Monroe is served by Monroe Volunteer Emergency Medical Service. Founded in 1977, MVEMS provides pre-hospital emergency care and hosts emergency training courses such as CPR/AED, EMR, and EMT.

Police department

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

Notable locations

Locations on the National Register of Historic Places

Notable people

Economy

Though Monroe's commercial base is primarily services and retail outlets, the following corporations are headquartered in Monroe.

Infrastructure

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.

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.

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop. %±
18501,442—
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%
Est. 201419,867[7]2.0%
U.S. Decennial Census[8]

As of the census[9] 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 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[10]
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%

Notes

  1. ↑ "Race, Hispanic or Latino, Age, and Housing Occupancy: 2010 Census Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171) Summary File (QT-PL), Monroe town, Connecticut". U.S. Census Bureau, American FactFinder 2. Retrieved August 9, 2011.
  2. ↑ http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/03/realestate/living-in-monroe-conn-a-friend-in-need-and-deed.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  3. ↑ Archived February 16, 2008, at the Wayback Machine.
  4. ↑ "STEM Academy Forum Draws a Large Audience Summary File (QT-PL), Monroe town, Connecticut". Monroe Patch 2. Retrieved October 8, 2011.
  5. ↑ "Sandy Hook Shooting School Survivors to move to Monroe, CT's Chalk Hill School".
  6. ↑ "The Warren's Occult Museum". The New England Society For Psychic Research.
  7. ↑ "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Incorporated Places: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2014". Retrieved June 4, 2015.
  8. ↑ "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
  9. ↑ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
  10. ↑ "Registration and Party Enrollment Statistics as of October 25, 2005" (PDF). Connecticut Secretary of State. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2006-09-23. Retrieved 2006-10-02.

References

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