'Monroe County' is in the
U.S. state of
Pennsylvania. Named in honor of
James Monroe, the fifth
president of the United States, the
county is located in the east of the state, along its border with
New Jersey. In 2000, its population was 138,687. Its
county seat is
Stroudsburg6. The county is home to
East Stroudsburg University.
Geography
According to the
U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,599
km² (617
mi²). 1,576 km² (608 mi²) of it is land and 23 km² (9 mi²) of it (1.44%) is water.
Monroe County was formed from the northern section of Northampton County.
Due to its close proximity to
New York City, Pennsylvania governor
Ed Rendell and many
Wall Street executives have decided to construct a "backup" Wall Street, in case of a terrorist attack on New York. The construction would contain millions of square feet of office space in Monroe County alone. Over seven other Pennsylvania counties will also have headquarters.
Adjacent Counties
★
Wayne County (north)
★
Pike County (northeast)
★
Sussex County, New Jersey (northeast)
★
Warren County, New Jersey (east)
★
Northampton County (south)
★
Carbon County (west)
★
Luzerne County (northwest)
★
Lackawanna County (northwest)
Demographics
As of the
census² of 2000, there were 138,687 people, 49,454 households, and 36,447 families residing in the county. The
population density was 88/km² (228/mi²). There were 67,581 housing units at an average density of 43/km² (111/mi²). The racial makeup of the county was 88.21%
White, 6.02%
Black or
African American, 0.21%
Native American, 1.11%
Asian, 0.03%
Pacific Islander, 2.42% from
other races, and 1.99% from two or more races. 6.63% of the population were
Hispanic or
Latino of any race.
It is one of the fastest growing counties in the nation.
There were 49,454 households out of which 36.20% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.70% were
married couples living together, 8.80% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.30% were non-families. 20.20% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.80% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.73 and the average family size was 3.16.
In the county, the population was spread out with 26.80% under the age of 18, 8.60% from 18 to 24, 28.80% from 25 to 44, 23.50% from 45 to 64, and 12.30% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 97.60 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.40 males.
Politics
The county is closely-divided politically between the
Democratic and
Republican parties. In the
2004 U.S. presidential election, the county was carried by a margin of four votes.
In
May 2007, there were 101,228 registered voters in Monroe County
[1].
★ Democratic: 43,323 (42.80%)
★ Republican: 38,597 (38.13%)
★ Other: 19,308 (19.07%)
Municipalities

Map of Monroe County, Pennsylvania with Municipal Labels showing Boroughs (red), Townships (white), and Census-designated places (blue).
Under Pennsylvania law, there are four types of incorporated municipalities:
cities,
boroughs, , and, in at most two cases,
towns. The following cities, boroughs and townships are located in Monroe County:
Boroughs
Townships
Census-designated places
Census-designated places are geographical areas designated by the
U.S. Census Bureau for the purposes of compiling demographic data. They are not actual jurisdictions under Pennsylvania law. Other unincorporated communities, such as villages, may be listed here as well.
Education

Map of Monroe County, Pennsylvania Public School Districts
Colleges and universities
★
East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania
★
Northampton Community College (Monroe Campus)
Public school districts
★
East Stroudsburg Area School District
★
Pleasant Valley School District
★
Pocono Mountain School District
★
Stroudsburg Area School District
Other Notable Resources
In addition to its rich cultural heritage, Monroe County is home to the Pennsylvania portion of the
Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area, Sullivan Trail (The portion of the route of General
John Sullivan's famous march of 1778 from Easton to New York that reaches from
Tannersville to
Pocono Pines. This trail leads to the road that scales Big Pocono Mountain, one of the highest points in the Poconos that offers magnificent vistas.),
Sanofi-Pasteur (manufacturer of vaccines),
Pocono Raceway (home of two major
NASCAR events held annually),
Camelbeach Water Park and Ski Area,
Shawnee Mountain Ski Area, The
Crossings Factory Stores (named the number one outlet center in North America by the Outlet Retail Merchants Association (ORMA) for 2000-2001), three state parks (
Big Pocono State Park,
Gouldsboro State Park and
Tobyhanna State Park, and
Tobyhanna Army Depot (a major element of the Communications-Electronics Command and the largest Communications-Electronics repair, overhaul and fabrication facility in the
Department of Defense).