Monroe County, Missouri

Monroe County, Missouri
The Monroe County Courthouse in Paris
Location in the U.S. state of Missouri
Missouri's location in the U.S.
Founded	January 6, 1831
Named for	James Monroe
Seat	Paris
Largest city	Monroe City
Area
• Total	670 sq mi (1,735 km2)
• Land	648 sq mi (1,678 km2)
• Water	23 sq mi (60 km2), 3.4%
Population (est.)
• (2015)	8,583
• Density	14/sq mi (5/km²)
Congressional district	6th
Time zone	Central: UTC-6/-5

Monroe County is a county located in the northeastern portion of the U.S. state of Missouri. As of the 2010 census, the population was 8,840. Its county seat is Paris.

The county was organized January 6, 1831 and named for James Monroe, fifth President of the United States.

Monroe County was one of several along the Missouri River settled by migrants from the Upper South, especially Kentucky and Tennessee. They brought slaves and slaveholding traditions with them, and quickly started cultivating crops similar to those in Middle Tennessee and Kentucky: hemp and tobacco. They also brought characteristic antebellum architecture and culture. The county was considered at the heart of what was called Little Dixie.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 670 square miles (1,700 km²), of which 648 square miles (1,680 km²) is land and 23 square miles (60 km²) (3.4%) is water.

As of the census of 2010, there were 8,840 people, 3,656 households, and 2,566 families residing in the county. The population density was 14 people per square mile (6/km²). There were 4,565 housing units at an average density of 7 per square mile (3/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 94.66% White, 3.83% Black or African American, 0.41% Native American, 0.12% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.16% from other races, and 0.78% from two or more races. Approximately 0.56% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 24.7% were of German, 23.2% American, 14.2% English and 11.8% Irish ancestry.