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Population:
City: 23,516
County: 141,449
Geography:
Monroe
is situated in the southeastern corner of Michigan, approximately
40 miles south of Detroit and 20 miles north of Toledo, OH. It is
a natural watershed for the River Raisin that flows into Lake Erie
after almost bisecting the county north and south. The rich river
plain soil has been ideally suited for the growing of crops, making
agriculture on of the leading industries in the county.
Climate:
Moderate, with temperatures normally ranging from 10 degrees in
winter, to 90 degrees in the summer. Annual average precipitation
totals approximately 30.09 inches of rainfall to 10 to 50 inches
of snowfall. Average relative humidity is 45 percent.
- Warmest Month: July
* Average Maximum Temperature: 83.1 degrees
* Average Minimum Temperature: 63.4 degrees
- Coldest Month: January
* Average Maximum Temperature: 31.7 degrees
* Average Minimum Temperature: 19.2 degrees
Government:
Board
of Commissioners Information about City and County government services
and policies can be obtained from: Monroe City Hall 120 E. First
Street Monroe, MI 48161 Monroe County Clerk's Office 106 E. First
Street Monroe, MI 48161 Other Local Government Information is available
on this
web site.
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History:
French missionaries came to this territory as early as 1634.
They named the river the Riviere Aux Raisins because of the many
grapes in this locality. A trading post and fort were established
here in 1778. Francois Navarre was the first white settler in 1780.
The first settlement was called Frenchtown when about 100 French
families came here from Detroit and Canada. The American Flag was
first raised in Michigan in 1796 at Frenchtown.Κ Frenchtown was
later named Monroe in honor of President James Monroe. St. Antoine's
Church on the banks of the River Raisin was the second continuous
church parish organized in the state.
Monroe
County was established in July, 1817 as one of the first steps
in the organization of the Michigan territory after the War of 1812.
The old settlement of Frenchtown, which centered upon the square
of the present Courthouse, took the name of Monroe and became the
County Seat in September, 1817.
The
original Courthouse was a two-story structure, built of logs
and located across the street from the present Courthouse at the
current site of the Presbyterian Church. It housed not only the
Court, but also the jail and the jailer's quarters, and served as
such from 1818 to 1839. A new stone Courthouse was constructed in
1839 on the site of the present Courthouse. It served Monroe County
until February 28, 1879 when it was destroyed by fire, with almost
a total loss of all records. There
still remains in the County Clerk's Office some of the partially
burned records, and some records dating back to 1856, which are
still legible and are used for historical facts. The present courthouse
was built in 1880, and there have since been three additions.
The
first was built in 1954 directly behind the structure along Washington
Street. The second was constructed in 1966 along First Street and
the most recent was built in 1986 on the site of the former jail.
During
the early morning hours of April 13, 1992, an arsonist set fire
to the Monroe County Courthouse. Fires were set in four separate
locations, with extensive damage to the Probate Court, the Historic
Circuit Courtroom, Treasurer's Office and main entrance. The restoration
and remodeling took some ten months to complete, at a cost of $930,000.00.
The arsonist has yet to be apprehended, despite the offering of
a $25,000.00 reward by the County Board of Commissioners for information
leading to the arrest, prosecution and conviction of the person(s)
responsible.
In
addition to the County Courthouse, several other buildings have
been built or acquired to house County offices. The Johnson-Phinney
home was purchased with other adjacent property in 1960 and was
then known as the Courthouse Annex. This historic structure was
moved in 1977 from its original location next to the Courthouse
to the corner of Second and Cass Streets, where it housed the Monroe
County Chamber of Commerce for some time, and is now owned by the
City of Monroe. The Stoner-Kemmerling Building, across from the
Courthouse, was purchased in 1970, and extensive remodeling of that
facility began in late 1988 and was completed in 1989. ΚΚΚ The population
of the County has grown from 1,340 in 1810 to 148,821 in 1999, based
upon estimates of the Southeast Michigan Council of Governments.
Source:
Monroe
County, Michigan
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