Monroe is a city in and the county seat of Union County, North Carolina, United States. The population increased from 32,797 in 2010 to 34,551 in 2020, and the 28th most populous city in North Carolina. It is within the rapidly growing Charlotte metropolitan area. Monroe has a council-manager form of government.

History

Early history

thumb|right|Monroe in the early 20th century

Monroe was founded as a planned settlement. In 1843, the first Board of County Commissioners, appointed by the General Assembly, selected an area in the center of the county as the county seat, and Monroe was incorporated that year. It was named for James Monroe, the country's fifth president. It became a trading center for the agricultural areas of the Piedmont region, which cultivated tobacco.

Civil rights struggle

Racial segregation established by a white-dominated state legislature after the end of the Reconstruction era persisted for nearly a century into the 1960s. Following World War II, many local blacks and veterans, including Marine veteran Robert F. Williams, began to push to regain their constitutional rights after having served the United States military during the war. Williams and the burgeoning NAACP chapter would be met with fierce resistance during their push to integrate local public facilities. During a 1957 effort to integrate a local swimming pool, the city had an estimated population of 12,000; the press reported an estimated 7,500 members of the Ku Klux Klan gathering in the city, many of whom arrived from across the South Carolina border just 14 miles away.

Williams was elected as president of the local chapter of the NAACP in 1951. He began to work to integrate public facilities, starting with the library and the city's swimming pool, which both excluded blacks. He noted that not only did blacks pay taxes as citizens that supported operations of such facilities, but they had been built with federal funds during the Great Depression of the 1930s.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which is land and (1.13%) is water.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, Monroe had a population of 34,562. The median age was 35.5 years. 27.0% of residents were under the age of 18 and 14.5% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 96.1 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 92.6 males age 18 and over.

There were 12,160 households in Monroe, including 8,657 families; 37.4% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 44.9% were married-couple households, 18.3% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 29.8% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 24.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

! Race !! Number !! Percent

|-

| White || 15,232 || 44.1%

|-

| Black or African American || 7,935 || 23.0%

|-

| American Indian and Alaska Native || 384 || 1.1%

|-

| Asian || 398 || 1.2%

|-

| Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander || 24 || 0.1%

|-

| Some other race || 7,403 || 21.4%

|-

| Two or more races || 3,186 || 9.2%

|-

| Hispanic or Latino (of any race) || 10,939 || 31.7%

|}

2010 census

As of the census while the Monroe Pirates played there in 1971.

Media

The local newspaper is The Enquirer-Journal, which is published three days a week (Wednesday, Friday and Sunday).

The local radio stations are WIXE 1190 AM radio and WDZD 99.1 FM.

Transportation

U.S. Route 74 runs east-west through Monroe; U.S. Route 601 runs north-south through the city. The Monroe Expressway bypasses the city.

Charlotte–Monroe Executive Airport (EQY) is located northwest of Monroe. Charlotte Douglas International Airport, the nearest airport with commercial flights is northwest of Monroe.

The Seaboard Air Line Railroad ran multiple passenger trains a day on the Raleigh-Athens-Atlanta route through Monroe, including the Silver Comet (New York-Birmingham). The SAL also operated Charlotte (SAL station)-Hamlet-Wilmington passenger trains, also making stops in Monroe. This Charlotte-Wilmington service ended in 1958. The last train was the Silver Comet, ending service in October 1969. Trains used to stop at the Seaboard Air Line Railroad depot.

Notable people

  • Adrian Autry, retired professional basketball player who is currently the associate head coach for the Syracuse Orange
  • Terry Baucom, banjoist
  • Thomas Walter Bickett, 54th Governor of North Carolina (1917–1921)
  • Skipper Bowles, politician
  • Walter P. Carter, civil rights activist
  • Gil Coan, Major League Baseball player
  • Grover Covington, Canadian Football Hall of Famer
  • Jamison Crowder, NFL wide receiver for Washington Commanders
  • Carlo Curley, classical organist
  • Christine Darden, aeronautical engineer at NASA; first African-American woman at agency promoted to Senior Executive Service, top rank of federal civil service
  • Theodore L. Futch, Brigadier general in the United States Army during World War II
  • JoJo Hailey, R&B and soul singer-songwriter
  • K-ci Hailey, R&B and soul singer-songwriter
  • Jesse Helms, U.S. Senator
  • Martha Blakeney Hodges, First Lady of North Carolina
  • Richard Huntley, former NFL running back
  • Beth Kennett, first woman mayor of Burlington, North Carolina
  • Michael Macchiavello, American freestyle and folkstyle wrestler, won NCAA Wrestling national championship at NC State
  • Carroll McCray, NCAA head football coach of Gardner-Webb University
  • Jeff McNeely, Major League Baseball player
  • James W. Nance, U.S. Navy officer, 10th Deputy National Security Advisor (1981–1982)
  • John J. Parker, U.S. judge who served on tribunal of Nuremberg Trials
  • Samuel I. Parker, recipient of the Medal of Honor for his actions during World War I
  • Aaron W. Plyler, politician and businessman
  • Mike Pope, former NFL tight end coach
  • Calvin Richardson, R&B and soul singer-songwriter
  • Speedy Thompson, former NASCAR driver
  • Andy Tomberlin, Major League Baseball player
  • John Tsitouris, Major League Baseball pitcher
  • Paul Waggoner, guitarist for Between the Buried and Me
  • Robert F. Williams, civil rights activist
  • Scott Williams, serial killer
  • Terry Witherspoon, former NFL fullback

References

  • Official website of Monroe Economic Development