On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Monroe is more historic than 42% of U.S. towns. 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.
Wisconsin towns list more on the Register than most of the country (a typical Wisconsin town has 3.0 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Monroe’s 0.0 sits below most of its state (28% of Wisconsin towns have fewer) while its 0 listings outnumber those of 23% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on two of the three inputs, so a change in either one moves the letter more than it would with three. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±8.3 points).
Founding year: our sources. 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.
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.
Sanborn Map Company, via the Library of Congress. Editions published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.
On the map
Monroe on the map, 1920 to 1982
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Monroe. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1920Monroe 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.
The story so far
Monroe, in brief
Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Monroe yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
Monroe is a city in Green County, Wisconsin, United States, and its county seat. The population was 10,661 at the 2020 census. The city is bordered by the Town of Monroe to the north and the Town of Clarno to the south. It is nicknamed the "Cheese Capital of the USA".
Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population grew from 1,245 to 1,291 (+4%).
Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.
From the old history books
What they wrote about Monroe, 1884–1912
Passages that mention Monroe, cut from the printed page as they were published.
History of Monroe County Wisconsin1912 · page 219Read the page →
Read the text
Benjamin. It was as follows: ‘‘To the Honorable Board of Supervisors of Monroe county, Wisconsin: The undersigned legal voters of the county of Monroe, state of Wisconsin, whose names appear on some one of the poll lists on the last general election held in such county of Monroe, do respectfully petition your honorable body and ask that the county seat of Monroe county be changed from the city of Sparta to the city of Tomah, in said county; and that the
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
History of Monroe County Wisconsin1912 · page 66Read the page →
Read the text
Originally, in 1849 LaCrosse eounty eomprised all the territory ineluded in its present limits and that of Monroe, Jackson, Trempeleau and Buffalo counties; settlements being rapid in the next few years and the inhabitants somewhat ‘‘erowded”’ as they thought, in 1853. upon application to the legislature, Jackson eounty was set off, and in 1854 Trempeleau, Buffalo and Monroe eounties were established and detaehed from LaCrosse county.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
History of Green County, Wisconsin1884 · page 900Read the page →
Read the text
The town of Monroe embraces congressional township 2 north, range 7 east, of the fourth principal meridian, except that portion which is included within the incorporated limits of the city of Monroe, which lies in the southeastern part of this town. The surface of this town is, in places, quite broken, yet it is all an excellent agricultural and stock raising region. The soil
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
History of Monroe County, Wisconsin, past and present1912 · page 219Read the page →
Read the text
Benjamin. It was as follows: "To the Honorable Board of Supervisors of Monroe county, Wisconsin : The undersigned legal voters of the county of Monroe, state of Wisconsin, whose names appear on some one of the poll lists on the last general election held in such county of Monroe, do respectfully petition your honorable body and ask that the county seat of Monroe county be changed from the city of Sparta to the city of Tomah, in said county ; and that the
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, 1873 to 1984
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
Monroe is more historic than 42% of U.S. towns. 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?
17% of Monroe’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±8.3 points), against a typical 12% for a Wisconsin town; the median home was built in 1977.
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 (6), 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.
