Monroe, Connecticut


Monroe is a town located in eastern Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 18,825 at the 2020 census. Monroe is part of the Greater Bridgeport Planning Region.
The town is largely considered a bedroom community of New York City, New Haven, Stamford and Bridgeport.
Monroe contains the villages of Stepney, Stevenson and Monroe Center.

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 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.
On August 18, 2024, the town suffered from flash flooding due to torrential rainfall, causing road destruction and leaving many stranded. This included the Route 34 bridge near the Lake Zoar Drive-In getting washed away completely, which left the road closed for an extended period of time.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of, of which is land and, 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:
  • East Village
  • Midtown
  • Monroe Center
  • North Central
  • Stepney
  • Stevenson
  • Upper Stepney
  • Whitney Farms
  • Zoar

    Demographics

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 18,825 people living in the town. The racial makeup of the town was
84.6% White, 2.4% African American,
6.2% Asian, and 4.9% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 6.8% of the population.
As of the census of 2000, there were 19,247 people, 6,481 households, and 5,346 families residing in the town. The population density was. There were 6,601 housing units at an average density of. 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

The town of Monroe features eleven houses of worship representing numerous faiths.
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. It is the only municipality in Fairfield County that voted for Goldwater and subsequently voted for Donald Trump in all three of his elections.
YearDemocraticRepublicanThird Parties
202446.6% 5,34651.9% 5,9611.50% 175
202048.64% 5,83849.90% 5,9891.46% 175
201641.44% 4,52054.29% 5,9224.27% 466
201243.02% 4,44655.70% 5,7571.28% 132
200846.41% 5,13352.58% 5,8151.00% 111
200440.73% 4,34958.02% 6,1951.25% 133
200044.57% 4,35250.79% 4,9604.64% 453
199640.94% 3,54445.84% 3,96813.23% 1,145
199228.47% 2,74547.78% 4,60723.76% 2,291
198832.60% 2,59966.67% 5,3150.73% 58
198425.02% 1,77174.65% 5,2830.32% 23
198028.82% 1,81559.34% 3,73711.85% 746
197636.05% 2,02563.20% 3,5500.75% 42
197225.87% 1,32971.92% 3,6952.22% 114
196833.15% 1,52757.47% 2,6479.38% 432
196449.78% 1,96050.22% 1,9770.00% 0
196035.51% 1,11664.49% 2,0270.00% 0
195620.66% 38979.34% 1,4940.00% 0

Voter registration and party enrollment as of October 26, 2021Voter registration and party enrollment as of October 26, 2021Voter registration and party enrollment as of October 26, 2021Voter registration and party enrollment as of October 26, 2021Voter registration and party enrollment as of October 26, 2021Voter registration and party enrollment as of October 26, 2021
PartyPartyActive votersInactive votersTotal votersPercentage
Republican3,6731683,84126.70%
Democratic3,1881713,35923.36%
Unaffiliated6,6273116,93848.24%
Minor parties234102441.70%
TotalTotal13,72266014,382100%

Education

oversees public education and includes approximately 4,000 students, in three elementary schools, two middle schools, and one 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.
Chalk Hill Middle School housed Monroe's 5th and 6th graders from 1969 to 2011. From 2012 to 2016, Chalk Hill was the home of Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown following the December 14, 2012, shooting.

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.

    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 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.