Monroe, Wisconsin

Monroe, Wisconsin
City
Seal
Nickname(s): Swiss Cheese Capital of the USA
Coordinates: 42°36′N 89°38′W / 42.600°N 89.633°W / 42.600; -89.633
Country	United States
State	Wisconsin
County	Green
Government
• Type	Council-Manager Government
• Mayor	William Ross
Area[1]
• Total	4.83 sq mi (12.51 km2)
• Land	4.83 sq mi (12.51 km2)
• Water	0 sq mi (0 km2)
Elevation[2]	1,056 ft (322 m)
Population (2010)[3]
• Total	10,827
• Estimate (2012[4])	10,794
• Density	2,241.6/sq mi (865.5/km2)
Time zone	Central (CST) (UTC-6)
• Summer (DST)	CDT (UTC-5)
Area code(s)	608
FIPS code	55–53750[5]
GNIS feature ID	1569657[2]
Website	http://www.cityofmonroe.org

Monroe, known as "the Swiss Cheese Capital of the USA", is a city in and the county seat of Green County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 10,827 at the 2010 census. The city is located partially within the Town of Monroe and partially in the Town of Clarno.

Geography

Monroe is located at 42°36′N 89°38′W / 42.600°N 89.633°W / 42.600; -89.633 (42.5989, -89.6410).^[6] According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 4.83 square miles (12.51 km²), all of it land.^[1]

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 for the city was $21,657. About 2.4% of families and 5.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.3% of those under age 18 and 8.1% of those age 65 or over.

2010 census

As of the census^[3] of 2010, there were 10,827 people, 4,810 households, and 2,781 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,241.6 inhabitants per square mile (865.5 /km²). There were 5,101 housing units at an average density of 1,056.1 per square mile (407.8 /km²). The racial makeup of the city was 94.8% White, 0.6% African American, 0.2% Native American, 0.7% Asian, 2.6% from other races, and 1.1% from two or more races. Hispanic 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 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.

Businesses and attractions

The Richardsonian Romanesque style courthouse, located on the Square, was built in 1891.

• The Swiss Colony
• Monroe Truck Equipment
• the Monroe Clinic
• Minhas Craft Brewery
• Mitek's factory (makers of MTX Audio)
• Chalet Cheese Factory, may now be the only cheese factory in North America making Limburger cheese
• Green County Courthouse
• T&B's Performance and Machine
• Historic downtown square
• Turner Hall, the only Turner (gymnast) Hall of Swiss origin left in the U.S.
• Ludlow Mansion
• Monroe Arts Center in the landmarked First Methodist Church edifice
• Cheese Days, a biannual celebration of the region's dairy heritage
• WEKZ AM, 1260 kHz and WEKZ-FM, 93.7 MHz

Education

The Monroe School District 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 Badger Conference, Monroe Middle School, Abraham Lincoln Accelerated Learning Academy, Parkside Elementary School, and Northside Elementary School. The district also has an alternative high school and middle school, as well as a virtual school. St. Victor Catholic elementary school also serves the community. Monroe has a campus of Blackhawk Technical College, the community's sole institution of post-secondary education.

Transportation

Wisconsin State Highways

• WIS 11 Runs Around Monroe on the bypass.
• WIS 81 Runs Around Monroe on the bypass.
• WIS 69 Runs on the bypass for 1 mile with WIS 81 and WIS 11
• WIS 59 Ends in The Northeast corner of the city near the Monroe Clinic.^[7]

Railroads

Wisconsin and Southern Railroad serves the city with freight service. A branch line from Janesville ends at Badger State Ethanol.

Recreation

Monroe has a number of large parks. The largest include Twining Park, where the city's Swiss bandshell is located; Recreation Park, home to the city swimming pool; and Honey Creek Park, the location of a skate park. The city is the eastern starting point for the Cheese Country Trail, 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.

Notable people

• Bob Anderegg, basketball player^[8]
• Ken Behring, former owner of the Seattle Seahawks^[9]
• James Bintliff, Union Army general^[10]
• Ira B. Bradford, Wisconsin State Assemblyman "Statewide County WI Archives Biographies^[11]
• Evelene Brodstone, one of the highest paid woman executives of the 1920s.^{[citation needed]}
• Dick Campbell, singer, songwriter, movie director^[12]
• David G. Deininger, jurist and legislator^[13]
• G. Fred Galli, cheesemaker and legislator^[14]
• Loyd Ivey, Owner/CEO of Mitek (MTX Audio, Atlas Sound)^{[citation needed]}
• Andre Jacque, member of the Wisconsin State Assembly^[15]
• Harry A. Keegan, Wisconsin State Assemblyman^[16]
• Nathan J. Lindsay, U.S. Air Force Major General^[17]
• William H. H. Llewellyn, New Mexico State Representative, member of the Rough Riders
• Joe Lobdell, football player^[18]
• John Luchsinger, legislator, writer, jurist^[19]
• Ric Mathias, NFL player^[20]
• Perry A.C. Reed, Nebraska State Senator^[21]
• Tom Tennant, MLB player^[22]
• Robin G. Tornow, U.S. Air Force general^[23]
• Charles Treat, U.S. Army general, Army Distinguished Service Medal recipient^{[citation needed]}
• Nathan Farragut Twining, Chief of Staff, United States Air Force^[24]
• Merrill B. Twining, General, United States Marine Corps^[25]
• Don S. Wenger, U.S. Air Force Major General^{[citation needed]}
• Francis H. West, Union Army general^{[citation needed]}
• George Otto Wirz, Roman Catholic bishop^[26]
• Edwin E. Woodman, Wisconsin State Senator^[27]
• Art Young, cartoonist and writer^{[citation needed]}
• Roy F. Zinser, Distinguished Service Cross recipient^[28]

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Monroe, Wisconsin.

Wikisource has the text of a 1920 Encyclopedia Americana article about Monroe, Wis..

• Monroe, Wisconsin

v t e Municipalities and communities of Green County, Wisconsin, United States County seat: Monroe Cities Brodhead‡ Monroe Villages Albany Belleville‡ Brooklyn‡ Browntown Monticello New Glarus Towns Adams Albany Brooklyn Cadiz Clarno Decatur Exeter Jefferson Jordan Monroe Mount Pleasant New Glarus Spring Grove Sylvester Washington York CDP Juda Unincorporated communities Attica Clarno Exeter Dayton Martintown Mineral Point Oakley Postville Ross Crossing Schneyville Schulz Stearns Twin Grove Footnotes ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties