Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1803.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Monroe’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Monroe is more historic than 77% of U.S. towns, #462 of 758 in New York. All 3 inputs are above most U.S. towns; its age ranks highest and its share of homes from before 1940 lowest.
A−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Monroe’s overall grade.
New York towns list more on the Register than most of the country (a typical New York town has 12.3 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Monroe’s 22.7 sits near the middle of its state (58% of New York towns have fewer) while its 49 historic buildings outnumber those of 85% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from B+ to A−. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±3.0 points). Two sources give 1799.
Founding year: Wikidata (other dates in Quick answers). Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →
What stands out about Monroe’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
The first settlers to this land were American Indians from the Leni-Lenape Indian nation. The Leni-Lenape nation consisted of three tribes: the Unulactus, the turkey tribe; Minsis, the wolf tribe; and the Unamis, the turtle tribe. As white settlers started to move north, the Leni-Lenape were forced to move west, out of New York and New Jersey into Pennsylvania and later into central North America, under the treaty of Easton, a colonial agreement signed in October 1758. The British colonial government of the province of Pennsylvania and the Native American tribes in the Ohio country signed this document stating they would be allies in the French and Indian War.
Passages that mention Monroe, cut from the printed page as they were published.
History of Monroe County, Michigan ..1890 · page 557Read the page →
Read the text
Alphabetical list of names of Federal soldiers of the War of the Eebellion residing in the county of Monroe in x\pril, 1888, giving rank last held, compan}- or batteiy, regiment or ship, and residence — as shown by the returns of the supervisors of the several towns, and wards of city of Monroe, made in pursuance of Act 282 of the Session Laws of 1887,
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
History of Monroe County, Michigan ..1890 · page 594Read the page →
Read the text
reference is made to page 275. The early settlement of this town is largely identified with the early settlement heretofore detailed with that of the city of Monroe. RAISINVILLE TOWNSHIP. The township of Eaisin ville was one of the the Indian who crossed his path after he had five townships reorganized in 1827, and exbut one leg to use. Daring this period he tended over the present townships of Ida, Dunwent one day to Monroe to mill, and on his re-
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
Scans and text from the Internet Archive. Books published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.
Timeline
Monroe, 1790 to 2010
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Monroe. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1902Schunemunk sheet · 1:62,500
U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Monroe.
Every building
Monroe, building by building, 1897–1911
Fire insurance maps drew every building, what it was made of and what it was used for, so insurers could price the risk of fire. Pick a year, then a sheet.
In 1799, according to Wikidata. Monroe’s post office opened in 1803, and the census of 1820 counted 2,969 people here.
How does Monroe rank for history?
Monroe is more historic than 77% of U.S. towns, #462 of 758 in New York. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
What is on the National Register in Monroe?
Three places: the Village of Monroe Historic District (listed 1998), the Checkerboard Inn (2006) and the Rest Haven (2017).
How old are the homes in Monroe?
12% of Monroe’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±3.0 points), against a typical 27% for a New York town; the median home was built in 1981.
Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
From Wikidata (1), the National Register of Historic Places (3), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock), the USGS Geographic Names Information System, Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress) and old county and town histories (Internet Archive). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
