Monroe

History

Monroe's origins date back to the Spanish colonial period. Fort Miro changed its name to Monroe to commemorate the first arrival of the steamboat James Monroe in the spring of 1820 (see "Etymology" above). Collett E. Woolman, the Ouachita Parish agent, was originally from Indiana. He pioneered crop dusting to eradicate the boll weevil, which destroyed cotton throughout the Mississippi Delta in the early 20th century. Woolman originated the first crop-dusting service in the world. The collapse of cotton production meant a widespread loss of farm jobs, which contributed to the early-20th-century Great Migration, when a total of 1.5 million African Americans left the rural South for jobs in northern and midwestern cities. They were also escaping the oppressive racial conditions and violence under Jim Crow and the disenfranchisement that excluded most blacks from the political system.Howard D. Griffin (1911–1986) purchased a boat dealership in 1936 while a student at what became the University of Louisiana Monroe. By the 1960s, Griffin's company had become the world's largest outboard motor dealership, and he also sold motorcycles. From 1955 to 1985, Griffin and his wife, Birdie M. Griffin (1915–1985), operated their seasonal Land O' Toys store in Monroe.

Geography

Located in northeastern Louisiana, Monroe is the center of the Monroe metropolitan statistical area. It is the parish seat of Ouachita Parish, and northeastern Louisiana's economic and cultural hub. Monroe has an elevation of above sea level. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 31.6 square miles (83.9 km), of which, 28.7 square miles (74.3 km) is land and 3.7 square miles (9.6 km) is water. The total area is 11.46% water. Monroe has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen climate classification Cfa). Rainfall is abundant, with the normal annual precipitation averaging over . Monthly averages range from less than in August to more than in June. Severe thunderstorms with heavy rain, hail, damaging winds and tornadoes occur in the area during the spring and summer months. The winter months are normally mild, with an average of 35 days of freezing or below-freezing temperatures per year, with ice and sleet storms possible. Summer months are hot and humid, with maximum temperatures exceeding 90 degrees an average of 91 days per year, with high to very high relative average humidity, sometimes exceeding the 90 percent level. In March 2016, rainfall amounts ranging between 15 and 20 inches fell area-wide over 3 days, more than any 3-day period ever previously recorded. In Ouachita Parish alone, there were 9,500 homes with flood damage, and 5,400 were completely flooded. More than 1,700 high-water rescues were performed. As part of the 2020 Easter tornado outbreak, on April 12, the community was struck by a low-end EF3 tornado. Damage was severe, but there were no deaths or injuries due to advance warnings.

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• Northern Cardinal

  Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  2,931
• Carolina Wren

  Thryothorus ludovicianus (Latham, 1790) · Aves
  2,348
• Blue Jay

  Cyanocitta cristata (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  2,324
• Red-bellied Woodpecker

  Melanerpes carolinus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  2,232
• Carolina Chickadee

  Poecile carolinensis (Audubon, 1834) · Aves
  2,157
• Tufted Titmouse

  Baeolophus bicolor (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  2,077
• Mourning Dove

  Zenaida macroura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  1,642
• American Crow

  Corvus brachyrhynchos C.L.Brehm, 1822 · Aves
  1,555

Largest nearby schools

• West Monroe High School
  High · West Monroe · 2,189 students · 19.4:1 ratio
• Ouachita Parish High School
  High · Monroe · 1,191 students · 18.9:1 ratio
• Neville High School
  High · Monroe · 1,121 students · 17.2:1 ratio
• Sterlington Elementary School
  Elementary · Sterlington · 820 students · 22.2:1 ratio
• Claiborne School
  Elementary · West Monroe · 751 students · 20.3:1 ratio
• Wossman High School
  High · Monroe · 636 students · 16.7:1 ratio
• West Ridge Middle School
  Middle · West Monroe · 635 students · 17.2:1 ratio
• Carroll High School
  High · Monroe · 609 students · 16:1 ratio

Most recent

• M 2.76 — 2020-05-11
  13 km SSE of El Dorado, Arkansas
• M 2.79 — 2020-02-24
  12 km ENE of Junction City, Arkansas
• M 3 — 2007-05-16
  5 km SW of Calion, Arkansas
• M 2.8 — 2001-12-17
  3 km WSW of El Dorado, Arkansas