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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
U.S. state	Connecticut
County	Fairfield
Metropolitan area	Bridgeport-Stamford
Incorporated	1823
Government
• Type	Selectman-town council
• First Selectman	Ken Kellogg (R)
• Town Council	Frank Lieto (R), Chairman Enid Lipeles (R), Vice Chairman Sean O'Rourke Terry Rooney (R) Kevin Reid (R) Dennis Condon(R) Jen Aguilar(D) Dee Dee Martin (D) Jason Maur(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 (2015)
• Total	20,020
• Density	763.3/sq mi (294.7/km2)
Time zone	UTC−5 (Eastern)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (Eastern)
ZIP Code	06468
Area code(s)	203/475
FIPS code	09-48620
GNIS feature ID	0213463
Website	www.monroect.org

Sign in front of town hall

Monroe is an affluent 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 February 2013.^[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:

• East Village


• Midtown


• Monroe Center


• North Central


• Stepney


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  Gazebo in front of town hall

  
  
  Stevenson


• Upper Stepney


• Whitney Farms


• Zoar

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.^[3]

The Stepney Dam is on Route 25.

Main Street at night in Monroe

Demographics

As of the census^[6] 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 people 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. 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.

Town information

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 local online newspaper is the Monroe Patch.

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),the 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.^[8] 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.^[9]

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 the intersection of Routes 111 and 110. St. Jude holds a carnival in the parking lot in the back of the church every 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 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.

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

Places of worship

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

The town of Monroe features ten 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's Roman Catholic 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
  

Emergency services

Fire departments

The town of Monroe is protected 24/7, 365 days a year by three independent and all-volunteer fire departments.

Emergency medical services

The town of Monroe is served by the Monroe Volunteer Emergency Medical Service.^[10] 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.^[11]

Notable locations

Whitney Farms Golf Course in Monroe

A landscape in Monroe

• 
  Lake Zoar, a reservoir on the Housatonic River


• 
  Stevenson Dam, which holds back Lake Zoar, and is the bridge for CT Route 34 across the Housatonic


• 
  Stepney Cemetery, founded in 1794 and located near the Stepney Green


• 
  Webb Mountain Park, a municipal park with hiking trails and campsites


• William E. Wolfe Park, 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.


• Rails to Trails is an approximately five-mile scenic walking and biking trail that runs from Great Hollow Lake in Wolfe Park, and continues to the Newtown Town line. It is being considered to connect Monroe's walking trail to Trumbull's, which would connect both Monroe, Trumbull, and Bridgeport's Rails to Trails paths.


• 
  The Warren's Occult Museum is a world-renowned museum with hundreds of thousands of yearly visits that houses the largest array of occult artifacts from the Ed and Lorraine Warren investigations.^[12]

Locations 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)

A sunset at Whitney Farms Golf Course 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.

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

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  Webb Mountain Park Discovery Zone, Classroom Court pond
  

  
  

  
  


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  The East Village Barn Hill Schoolhouse of 1790
  

  
  

  
  


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  Edith Wheeler Memorial Library
  

  
  

  
  


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  Old Truck and Barn
  

  
  

  
  


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  Masuk Marching Band percussion
  

  
  

  
  


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  Fountain and pond at Wolfe Park
  

  
  

  
  


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  Sign in front of Town Hall
  

  
  

  
  


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  Back of sign
  

  
  

  
  


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  Two fawns frolic in a Monroe back yard.
  

  
  

  
  


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  Masuk High School football
  

  
  

  
  


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  Great Hollow Lake in Monroe
  

  
  

  
  


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  Classic Nights Car Club Show, May 2013
  

  
  

  
  

See also

• 
  Connecticut portal
  

References

Further reading

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

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Monroe, Connecticut.

Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Monroe, Connecticut.

• Town of Monroe official website


• Monroe Volunteer Emergency Medical Service


• Monroe Volunteer Fire Department


• Stevenson Volunteer Fire Department


• Stepney Volunteer Fire Department


• 
  Monroe Courier newspaper


• Monroe Historical Society


• 
  Monroe Patch newspaper