Monroe County, Pennsylvania

Monroe County, Pennsylvania
Location in the state of Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania's location in the U.S.
Founded	April 1, 1836
Seat	Stroudsburg
Largest city	East Stroudsburg
Area  - Total  - Land  - Water	617 sq mi (1,598 km²) 608 sq mi (1,575 km²) 9 sq mi (23 km²), 1.44%
Population  - (2010)  - Density	169,842 279/sq mi (107.8/km²)
Website	www.co.monroe.pa.us

Monroe County is a county 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. As of 2010, the population was 169,842. Its county seat is Stroudsburg.^[1] The county is home to East Stroudsburg University. Monroe County is one of the fastest growing counties in the State of Pennsylvania. Not only has the population increased by nearly 20 percent, but the commercial retail has grown a lot as well. There are many new shopping centers and even more are planned and are currently being planned at this time.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 617 square miles (1,599 km²), of which 608 square miles (1,576 km²) is land and 9 square miles (23 km²) (1.44%) is water. Monroe County was formed from the northern section of Northampton County.

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)

National protected areas

• Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area (part)
• Middle Delaware National Scenic River (part)

Demographics

Historical populations
Census	Pop.		%±
1840	9,879		—
1850	13,270		34.3%
1860	16,758		26.3%
1870	18,362		9.6%
1880	20,175		9.9%
1890	20,111		−0.3%
1900	21,161		5.2%
1910	22,941		8.4%
1920	24,295		5.9%
1930	28,286		16.4%
1940	29,802		5.4%
1950	33,773		13.3%
1960	39,567		17.2%
1970	45,422		14.8%
1980	69,409		52.8%
1990	95,709		37.9%
2000	138,687		44.9%
2010	176,842		27.5%
[2][3]

As of the census^[4] of 2010, there are 176,567 people, 49,454 households, and 36,447 families residing in the county. The population density was 228 people per square mile (88/km²). There were 67,581 housing units at an average density of 111 per square mile (43/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 72.1% White, 15.6% Black or African American, 0.21% Native American, 3.2% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 2.42% from other races, and 1.99% from two or more races. 19.9% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 19.9% were of German, 16.8% Italian, 14.5% Irish, 5.4% Polish, 5.1% American and 5.1% English ancestry according to Census 2000. 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

Party registration leans toward the Democratic Party a result of continued migration to the county by former New York City residents, many of whom are Democrats. While in the 2004 U.S. presidential election the county was carried by Republican George W. Bush by a margin of four votes, Democrat Barack Obama carried Monroe County in the 2008 U.S. presidential election by a 17 point margin, 58% to 41%. The other three 2008 statewide Democratic candidates also carried the county handily.

As of November 2008, there are 113,960 registered voters in Monroe County [1].

• Democratic: 53,801 (47.21%)
• Republican: 38,905 (34.14%)
• Other Parties: 21,254 (18.65%)

County commissioners

• John Moyer, Chairman, Republican
• Charles Garris, Republican
• Suzanne McCool, Democratic

Other county offices

• Controller, Marlo Merhige, Republican
• Coroner, Dave Thomas, Republican
• Jury Commissioner, Pam Bisbing, Republican
• District Attorney, E. David Christine, Jr., Republican
• Prothonotary, George Warden, Republican
• Recorder of Deeds and Register of Wills, Helen Diecidue, Republican
• Sheriff, Todd Martin, Republican
• Treasurer, Claudette Seager, Democratic

State Representatives

• Michael B. Carroll, Democratic, 118th district
• Michael Peifer, Republican, 139th district
• Mario Scavello, Republican, 176th district
• Rosemary Brown, Republican, 189th district

State Senators

• Raphael J. Musto, Democratic, 11th district
• Pat Browne, Republican, 16th district
• Lisa Boscola, Democratic, 18th district
• Lisa Baker, Republican, 20th district
• Robert J. Mellow, Democratic, 22nd district
• Dave Argall, Republican, 29th district

US Representative

• Lou Barletta, Republican, 11th district

U.S. Senators

• Robert P. Casey, Jr., Democratic
• Pat Toomey, Republican

Governor

• Tom Corbett, Republican

Transportation

Public transportation throughout the county is provided by the "Pocono Pony", operated by the Monroe County Transit Authority.

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, townships, and, in at most two cases, towns. The following cities, boroughs and townships are located in Monroe County:

Boroughs

Delaware Water Gap East Stroudsburg

Mount Pocono Stroudsburg

Townships

Barrett Township Chestnuthill Township Coolbaugh Township Eldred Township Hamilton Township Jackson Township Middle Smithfield Township Paradise Township

Pocono Township Polk Township Price Township Ross Township Smithfield Township Stroud Township Tobyhanna Township Tunkhannock Township

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 and large private housing communities, may be listed here as well.

Arlington Heights Brodheadsville Effort Emerald Lakes Indian Mountain Lake Mountainhome

Penn Estates Pocono Pines Saylorsburg Sierra View Sun Valley

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).

See also

• List of municipal authorities in Monroe County, Pennsylvania
• National Register of Historic Places listings in Monroe County, Pennsylvania

References

1. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. http://www.naco.org/Counties/Pages/FindACounty.aspx. Retrieved 2011-06-07. 
2. ^ http://factfinder2.census.gov
3. ^ http://mapserver.lib.virginia.edu/
4. ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 

Coordinates: 41°04′N 75°20′W / 41.06°N 75.34°W / 41.06; -75.34