Monroe, Louisiana
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Monroe, Louisiana | |
| Nickname: ""Twin City"" | |
| Motto: "One City, One Future" | |
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The city of Monroe is the parish seat of Ouachita Parish, in the US state of Louisiana. It is the principal city of and is included in the Monroe, Louisiana Metropolitan Statistical Area (pop. 171,188), which is included in the Monroe-Bastrop, Louisiana Combined Statistical Area. Monroe's Combined Statistical Area is 202,209. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 52,027, making it the eighth largest city in Louisiana.
Monroe is the home of the University of Louisiana at Monroe (formerly known as Northeast Lousiana University). It also houses the headquarters of CenturyTel, the eighth-largest telecommunications provider in the nation. Monroe is situated on the Ouachita River and continues to serve as the population center and distribution outlet for the surrounding farming community. Monroe will soon play host to a motor speedway in the year 2008.
Monroe and the neighboring town of West Monroe (pop. 13,250), which sits just across the Ouachita River, are often referred to as the Twin Cities of northeast Louisiana.
Monroe is served by a Gannett newspaper, the Monroe News-Star. The News-Star was formerly an afternoon daily owned by the late father-son team of publishers, Robert Ewing and John D. Ewing of Shreveport. When the Ewing's Monroe Morning World ceased publication, the sister publication, the News-Star, became the city's morning-only newspaper.
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[edit] Geography
Monroe is located at 32°30'37" North, 92°5'42" West (32.510343, -92.094895)GR1.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 83.9 km² (31.6 mi²). 74.3 km² (28.7 mi²) of it is land and 9.6 km² (3.7 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 11.46% water.
[edit] Demographics
As of the censusGR2 of 2000, there are 53,107 people, 19,421 households, and 12,157 families residing in the city. The population density is 714.9/km² (1,851.8/mi²). There are 21,278 housing units at an average density of 286.5/km² (741.9/mi²). The racial makeup of the city is 36.78% White, 61.13% African American, 0.13% Native American, 1.05% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.25% from other races, and 0.63% from two or more races. 1.01% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 19,421 households out of which 32.3% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 33.4% are married couples living together, 25.3% have a female householder with no husband present, and 37.4% are non-families. 31.3% of all households are made up of individuals and 11.7% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.54 and the average family size is 3.26.
In the city the population is spread out with 29.7% under the age of 18, 15.0% from 18 to 24, 25.1% from 25 to 44, 17.5% from 45 to 64, and 12.8% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 29 years. For every 100 females there are 84.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 76.6 males.
The median income for a household in the city is $25,864, and the median income for a family is $33,263. Males have a median income of $31,840 versus $22,352 for females. The per capita income for the city is $15,933. 32.3% of the population and 26.3% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 45.3% of those under the age of 18 and 21.6% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.
[edit] Education
[edit] Primary schools
Monroe has 20 primary schools: 13 elementary schools, 3 middle schools, and 5 high schools. Some private schools are not yet named (only public schools were counted). The high schools are Carroll High School, Neville High School, Ouachita Parish High School, Richwood High School and Wossman High School. Monroe does have many private schools including River Oaks School, Ouachita Christian School, and St. Fredrick's Catholic School.
[edit] Colleges and Universities
The University of Louisiana at Monroe is located in the city, as is Delta Community College.
[edit] Transportation
[edit] Bus
In Monroe, there are many options for transportation by bus. The Greyhound Lines provide transportation to many cities across the nation. There is also the Monroe transit system, which takes passengers to many different locations in the city.
[edit] Airports
Monroe Regional Airport serves the city. The airport has three main runways and is served by four airlines.
[edit] Interstates and Highways
Monroe can be accessed from I-20, Highway 165, and highway 80.
[edit] Railroads
Monroe has two main railroads Kansas City Southern Railway that runs from east to west and Union Pacific that runs fom North to South. There is also other roads:
[edit] Area Attractions
Monroe has many attractions. Some include the Pecanland Mall, Civic Center, and many historical museums.
[edit] Zoo
One of the most popular is the Louisiana Purchase Gardens and Zoo, which features over 500 animals. The zoo also offers boat rides and a catwalk.
[edit] Civic Center Complex
Monroe also has a Civic Center, which has multiple complexes. The main complex is the Civic center Arena. This arena provides 44,000 square feet of exhibit space along with 5,600 seats. The arena houses events such as banquets, circuses, and rodeos. The civic center also has a conference hall, convention center, equestrian pavilion, and the W.L. "Jack" Howard Theatre. This is all located at the Monroe Civic Center.
[edit] Shopping
There are many places to shop in Monroe.
- Pecanland Mall
- Garden District Shops
- Desiard Plaza
- Eastgate Shopping Center
- Geneva's Plaza
- Hideaway Village Shopping Center
- Murray Plaza
- Northgate Shopping Center
- Pecanland Commons
- Shopper's Plaza
- Southside Shopping center
- Sunshine Heights Shopping center
- Super 1 Plaza
- The Avenue
- Twin city
- Twin city Plaza
- Twin city Shopping Center
[edit] NASCAR
Monroe is projected to have its own NASCAR motor speedway by 2008. It will include a 3/8 mile oval, with a figure-eight race track in the middle. The speedway will have over 5,000 seats in all. The motor speedway will have a grandstand as well. It will be the only paved speedway between Dallas, Texas and Birmingham, Alabama.
[edit] Attractions
There will be other attractions in the motor speedway as well.
- Super-Sized Playground
- Ice cream parlor
- Large game room
[edit] Museums
There are many museums in the Monroe area such as The Northeast Louisiana Children's Museum. Also the Biedenharn Museum and Gardens and the Masur Museum is located in Monroe.
[edit] Skating
There are two skating venues in the Monroe area.
- Monroe skating rink
- West Monroe skating rink
[edit] Business
From 1926 to 1941, Monroe served as the home to Delta Air Lines until the company relocated to Atlanta, Georgia. Until 2004, Delta offered mainline jet service to Monroe, despite the city's small size. Monroe Regional Airport's logo is a "Delta" symbol and bears the statement "Birthplace of Delta Air Lines" at the entrance and on its website.
Monroe is the site of the first Coca-Cola bottling plant.
Monroe is also the headquarters for CenturyTel.
[edit] Media
[edit] Famous residents
- Harry W. Addison (author)
- Robert J. Barham (State senator from Morehouse Parish)
- Benoit Benjamin (NBA center)
- Bubby Brister (Denver Broncos quarterback)
- James L. Dennis (United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit judge)
- Hamid Drake (jazz drummer and percussionist)
- Eric Edwards (Arizona Cardinals tight end)
- Chuck Finley (St. Louis Cardinals pitcher)
- Carl Fontana (jazz trombonist)
- Teddy Garcia (Houston Oilers kicker)
- Kevin Griffin (Better than Ezra guitar/vocals)
- Andy Griggs (country music singer)
- Stan Humphries (San Diego Chargers quarterback)
- Greg Jordan (interior designer)
- Clay Jordan (contestant on Survivor Thailand)
- Tim McGraw (country music singer) (Start, Louisiana)
- Huey P. Newton (Black Panthers founder)
- Rudy Niswanger (Kansas City Chiefs center)
- James Arthur Payne (Better than Ezra backup vocals/keyboard/guitar/harmonica)
- Doug Pederson (Green Bay Packers quarterback)
- Shawn Reaves (actor (Tru Calling, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit))
- Bill Russell (basketball star)
- Frank Ticheli (composer)
- Odessa Turner (New York Giants wide receiver)
- Susan Ward (film and soap opera actress)
- W.E. Whetstone (businessman, civic leader, and member of the Louisiana State Board of Education)
- Margaret Sartor (writer of critically aclaimed 2006 memoir Miss American Pie)
- Aeneas Williams (St. Louis Rams safety)
- Pat Williams (Minnesota Vikings defensive tackle)
- Joseph Profit, Ph.D (Atlanta Falcons running back)
- Joel Simmons Jr. Graphic Designer, Writer
Famous Places of interest
- Biedenharn Museum and Gardens
- Masur Museum
- Louisiana Purchase Gardens and Zoo
- Monroe Offical Web Site
- Monroe Civic Center
- Northeast Louisiana Children's Museum
- University of Louisiana at Monroe web site
[edit] External links
- Maps and aerial photos
- Street map from Google Maps, or Yahoo! Maps, or Windows Live Local
- Satellite image from Google Maps, Windows Live Local, WikiMapia
- Topographic map from TopoZone
- Aerial image or topographic map from TerraServer-USA
