Monroe County, Wisconsin facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Monroe County
U.S. county
Monroe County Courthouse in Sparta
Location within the U.S. state of Wisconsin
Wisconsin's location within the U.S.
Country	United States
State	Wisconsin
Founded	1854 DT Moseley was the first white child born to settlers in Monroe County.
Named for	James Monroe
Seat	Sparta
Largest city	Sparta
Area
• Total	908 sq mi (2,350 km2)
• Land	901 sq mi (2,330 km2)
• Water	7.4 sq mi (19 km2)  0.8%%
Population  (2020)
• Total	46,274
• Estimate  (2023)	46,151
• Density	51.4/sq mi (19.8/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional districts	3rd, 7th

Monroe County is a place in the state of Wisconsin, in the United States. It's known as a county, which is like a smaller region within a state. The county was named after James Monroe, who was the fifth President of the United States.

As of 2020, about 46,274 people live here. The main town, or county seat, where the government offices are, is called Sparta.

Exploring Monroe County's Geography

Monroe County is a pretty big area. It covers about 908 square miles. Most of this area is land, about 901 square miles. The rest, about 7.4 square miles, is water, like rivers and lakes.

Military Presence

Monroe County is home to an important U.S. Army base:

• Fort McCoy, Wisconsin

Neighboring Counties

Monroe County shares its borders with several other counties:

• To the north: Jackson County
• To the east: Juneau County
• To the south: Vernon County
• To the west: La Crosse County

Who Lives in Monroe County?

The number of people living in Monroe County has grown a lot over the years. In 1860, there were only 8,410 people. By 2020, the population had reached 46,274!

Population Details from 2020

In 2020, the county had 46,274 residents. This means there were about 51 people living in each square mile. There were also nearly 20,000 homes in the county.

Most people living in Monroe County are White (about 89.2%). There are also people who identify as Black or African American (1.4%), Native American (1.3%), and Asian (0.8%). Some people are from two or more different backgrounds (5.0%). About 5.5% of the population is of Hispanic or Latino heritage.

Getting Around Monroe County

Monroe County has many ways to travel, from major highways to train lines and even airports.

Main Roads

Many important roads pass through Monroe County, making it easy to get around:

• Interstate 90
• Interstate 94
• U.S. Highway 12
• Highway 16 (Wisconsin)
• Highway 21 (Wisconsin)
• Highway 27 (Wisconsin)
• Highway 33 (Wisconsin)
• Highway 71 (Wisconsin)
• Highway 131 (Wisconsin)
• Highway 162 (Wisconsin)
• Highway 173 (Wisconsin)

Train Services

Trains are also a way to travel or move goods in the county:

• Canadian Pacific
• Union Pacific
• Amtrak (for passenger trains)
• Tomah station (a train station)

Bus Services

For local travel, buses are available:

• Scenic Mississippi Regional Transit

Airports

If you need to fly, there are a couple of airports:

• Sparta/Fort McCoy Airport
• Bloyer Field Airport (Y72)

Towns and Villages in Monroe County

Monroe County has several cities, villages, and smaller communities.

A sign welcoming travelers to Monroe County on Interstate 90.

Cities to Explore

• Sparta (This is the county seat!)
• Tomah

Villages to Visit

• Cashton
• Kendall
• Melvina
• Norwalk
• Oakdale
• Warrens
• Wilton
• Wyeville

Towns in the County

Towns are usually larger areas that include smaller communities.

• Adrian
• Angelo
• Byron
• Clifton
• Glendale
• Grant
• Greenfield
• Jefferson
• La Grange
• Lafayette
• Leon
• Lincoln
• Little Falls
• New Lyme
• Oakdale
• Portland
• Ridgeville
• Scott
• Sheldon
• Sparta
• Tomah
• Wellington
• Wells
• Wilton

Smaller Communities

These are places that are not cities or villages but are still recognized communities:

• Cataract (a census-designated place)
• Tunnel City (a census-designated place)
• Angelo (unincorporated)
• Clifton (unincorporated)
• Farmers Valley (unincorporated)
• Four Corners (unincorporated)
• Glendale (unincorporated)
• Jacksonville (unincorporated)
• Kirby (unincorporated)
• Leon (unincorporated)
• Norway Ridge (unincorporated)
• Oil City (unincorporated)
• Portland (unincorporated)
• Raymore (unincorporated)
• Ridgeville (unincorporated)
• St. Mary's (unincorporated)
• Scotts Junction (unincorporated)
• Shennington (unincorporated)
• Spring Bank Park (unincorporated)
• Valley Junction (unincorporated)

Monroe County's Economy

The economy in Monroe County is supported by various businesses and organizations that provide many jobs for the people living there.

A large Walmart distribution center in Tomah, Wisconsin.

The Toro plant in Tomah, Wisconsin.

Top Employers

Here are some of the biggest employers in Monroe County:

• Tomah VA Medical Center (a hospital for veterans)
• Department of Defense (part of the U.S. government)
• Walmart distribution center (a large warehouse for Walmart stores)
• Toro (a company that makes lawn and garden equipment)
• County of Monroe (the local government)
• Northern Engraving
• Century Foods
• Cardinal Glass Industries
• Wal-Mart stores (the retail stores)
• Tomah Memorial Hospital

Images for kids

• 

  The Monroe County Courthouse in Sparta.

See also

In Spanish: Condado de Monroe (Wisconsin) para niños