More historic than 27% of U.S. towns · #147 of 285 in Washington. What drives it
Most of Monroe was built recently: 9% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1997. Below: 6 old photos and papers, maps from 1905 on, and the census since 1910.
The Monroe post office opened in 1890, the earliest record of the town by name. Wikidata gives 1903. Another post office, Park Place (1877), opened inside today’s city and later closed.
First census: 1,552 in 19102020 census: 19,699136 years
How historic is Monroe?
C
More historic than 27% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
Founding year: the first Monroe post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Wikidata: 1903.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 27% of U.S. towns, #147 of 285 in Washington. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its National Register listings pull it down.
C
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Monroe’s overall grade.
Few Washington towns list much on the Register (a typical Washington town has 0.1 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Monroe’s 0.0 sits below most of its state (27% of Washington towns have fewer) while its 0 listings outnumber those of 23% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C− to C. The pre-1940 share (±2.5 points) is firm at this size. The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date; Wikidata gives 1903.
Founding year: the first post office (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.
Monroe’s post office has been open since 1890. Another post office, Park Place, opened and closed inside today’s town.
Park Place
1877–1880
Monroe
1890–today
18701950today
Hamlets and corners on the map
FryelandsMonroe JunctionMonroe Mobile Home ParkWoodruff
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
Every building
Monroe, building by building, 1905–1913
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.
The confluence of the Skykomish and Snoqualmie rivers had originally belonged to the indigenous Skykomish tribe, who predominantly occupied the area between modern-day Monroe and Index. The confluence itself was known as Tualco (Lushootseed: squa'lxo), and a nearby Skykomish village named S'dodohobc acted as a trade post between several Coast Salish groups. A separate settlement near modern-day Monroe was used by the S'dodohobc band of the Snohomish people. The land around the confluence was cleared into a prairie and used to cultivate berries, hazelnuts, and other plants. The Skykomish were among the tribes to sign the Treaty of Point Elliott in 1855, effectively ceding their traditional territories, including the Tualco and confluence areas.
Passages that mention Monroe, cut from the printed page as they were published.
History of Snohomish County, Washington, Volume I1926 · page 599Read the page →
Read the text
location having been chosen because of the richness of the soil for the farming operations carried on, and for the well known healthfulness of the valley. This institution employs a number of people and thus adds to the population and to the business of the town. There are three good hotels, and the Monroe General Hospital is an exceptional institution for a city the size of Monroe. One unacquainted with the wealth of Monroe’s trade territory would be surprised at the large stocks carried by its merchants and the fine, large, well equipped stores. A milk condensery plant belonging to the Carnation Milk Products Company affords
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
History of Snohomish County, Washington, Volume I1926 · page 795Read the page →
Read the text
The little City of Monroe, fifteen miles southeast from Everett and a near neighbor of the historic City of Snohomish, like Arlington, has been satisfactorily served by one newspaper for many years, although by 1920 the city had reached a population of 1,675, and has been making consistent and substantial growth every year since that time. The Monroe Monitor, one of the foremost weeklies of the old days as well as of the present time, was established by that well-remembered soldierjournalist, Maj. B. F. Smith, January 14, 1898, originally as a four-page, fivecolumn weekly. In the following year the major sold the property to E. C. Bissell,
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, 1877 to 2002
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
The Monroe post office opened in 1890, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records). Wikidata gives 1903.
How does Monroe rank for history?
Monroe is more historic than 27% of U.S. towns, #147 of 285 in Washington. 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.
How old are the homes in Monroe?
9% of Monroe’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±2.5 points), against a typical 4.3% for a Washington town; the median home was built in 1997.
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 Wikimedia Commons (6), 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.
c. 1900
c. 1900
1908
c. 1913
