Monroe County | |
|---|---|
 Monroe County Courthouse in Stroudsburg in November 2009 | |
 Seal | |
 Location within the U.S. state of Pennsylvania | |
 Pennsylvania's location within the U.S. | |
| Coordinates: 41°04′N 75°20′W / 41.06°N 75.34°W | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Pennsylvania |
| Founded | April 1, 1836 |
| Named for | James Monroe[1] 270 |
| Seat | Stroudsburg |
| Largest township | Coolbaugh Township |
| Area | |
• Total | 617 sq mi (1,600 km2) |
| • Land | 608 sq mi (1,570 km2) |
| • Water | 9.0 sq mi (23 km2) 1.5% |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 168,327  |
| • Density | 270/sq mi (100/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−5 (Eastern) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−4 (EDT) |
| Congressional districts | 7th, 8th |
| Website | http://www.monroecountypa.gov |
Monroe County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 168,327.[2] Its county seat is Stroudsburg.[3] The county is part of the Northeast Pennsylvania region of the state.[a] The county was formed from sections of Northampton and Pike counties on April 1, 1836.[4] It was named in honor of James Monroe, the fifth president of the United States. The county borders Northampton County and the Lehigh Valley to its south, Pike and Wayne counties to its north, Carbon and Luzerne counties to its west, and the Delaware River and Warren County, New Jersey to its east. It is part of the New York metropolitan area, but also receives media from the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre and Philadelphia radio and television markets.
In the late 20th and early 21st centuries, Monroe County was one of the fastest-growing counties in Pennsylvania, largely due to Pocono Mountain-related tourism and partly due to an influx residents from New York City and its metropolitan area who sought a lower cost of living while still being close enough to commute to the city.[5] The population increased by over 70% from 1990 to 2010, and the commercial and retail sectors expanded significantly, although population growth has since slowed.
The county is home to East Stroudsburg University.
The Lehigh River, a 109-mile-long (175 km) tributary of the Delaware River, flows southward through Monroe County and then into the Lehigh Valley, where it joins the Delaware River in Easton, Pennsylvania.
- ^ Gannett, Henry (1905). The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States. U.S. Government Printing Office. p. 212.
- ^ "Census - Geography Profile: Monroe County, Pennsylvania". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved December 18, 2022.
- ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
- ^ "Monroe County, Pennsylvania" (PDF). monroecountypa.gov. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 9, 2022. Retrieved November 27, 2018.
- ^ "This town has America's lousiest commute". www.cbsnews.com. April 12, 2017. Retrieved December 10, 2021.
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