Monroe County is a county in Missouri, United States, drained by the Salt River and home to part of Mark Twain Lake, in the northeastern part of the state. It had a population of 8,666 at the 2020 census and covers 670 square miles (1,700 km2) centred near 39°30′N 92°00′W.
Paris is the county seat, and its postal code is 65275. The county contains two cities, three villages, one census-designated place and about a dozen unincorporated communities, organised into ten civil townships. Monroe County observes Central time.
Towns & Villages in Monroe County
Monroe County has two incorporated cities (Monroe City and Paris, the county seat), three villages (Holliday, Madison and Stoutsville), one census-designated place (Middle Grove) and roughly a dozen unincorporated communities and rural crossroads. «CDP» below means census-designated place, an unincorporated but Census Bureau-recognised community; «Unincorp.» covers everything else without its own municipal government.
| Place | Type | Township | Pop. | ZIP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ash | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Buzzards Roost | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Clapper | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Duncans Bridge | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Evansville | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Florida | Unincorp. | Jefferson | — | — |
| Fowkes | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Goss | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Granville | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Holliday | Village | — | — | 65258 |
| Indian Creek | Unincorp. | Indian Creek | — | — |
| Leich Ford | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Madison | Village | — | — | 65263 |
| Middle Grove | CDP | — | — | — |
| Monroe City | City | — | 2,442 | 63456 |
| North Fork | Unincorp. | South Fork | — | — |
| Paris | City · seat | — | 1,190 | 65275 |
| Santa Fe | Unincorp. | — | — | 65282 |
| Stoutsville | Village | — | — | 65283 |
| Strother | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Tulip | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Victor | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Woodlawn | Unincorp. | Woodlawn | — | — |
Townships
Monroe County is divided into ten civil townships, which handle local road maintenance and historically served as election and assessment districts. Precise township-level population figures are not published separately from the county total, so they are omitted below.
| Township | Pop. (2020) | Main settlements |
|---|---|---|
| Clay | — | — |
| Indian Creek | — | Indian Creek |
| Jackson | — | — |
| Jefferson | — | Florida |
| Marion | — | — |
| Monroe | — | — |
| South Fork | — | Ash, North Fork |
| Union | — | — |
| Washington | — | — |
| Woodlawn | — | Woodlawn |
ZIP Codes
- 63456 — Monroe City
- 65258 — Holliday
- 65263 — Madison
- 65275 — Paris (also serves Middle Grove and Granville)
- 65282 — Santa Fe
- 65283 — Stoutsville
Smaller unincorporated places such as Ash, Clapper, Evansville, Florida, Indian Creek and Woodlawn have no post office of their own and use the ZIP code of the nearest larger town.
Geography
Monroe County sits on gently rolling glaciated plains in northeastern Missouri, drained chiefly by the Salt River and its Middle Fork and South Fork tributaries. Clarence Cannon Dam, completed in 1983 on the Salt River, backs up Mark Twain Lake along the county’s eastern edge, a reservoir shared with neighboring Ralls County that supplies flood control, drinking water and recreational fishing and boating. Of the county’s 670 square miles, 648 square miles are land and 23 square miles (3.4 percent) are water.
Monroe County borders five other Missouri counties: Shelby County to the north, Marion County to the northeast, Ralls County to the east, Audrain County to the south, and Randolph County to the west.
Demographics
Monroe County had 8,666 residents at the 2020 census, giving a density of about 13 people per square mile of land. Monroe City, with 2,442 residents, is the largest community, followed by the county seat, Paris, with 1,190. Median household income in the county runs below the Missouri median of $68,545, reflecting the county’s rural, agriculture-based economy.
Economy & Local Life
Row-crop and livestock farming anchor the county’s economy, with corn, soybeans and cattle the dominant enterprises across its rolling farmland. Monroe City, the county’s commercial center, is home to light manufacturing and the county’s largest school district, Monroe City R-1. Mark Twain Lake and the surrounding Mark Twain State Park draw seasonal tourism, boating and fishing traffic. Paris hosts the Monroe County Fair each summer, a longtime community gathering built around 4-H and FFA livestock shows.
History
Monroe County was organized on January 6, 1831, carved from Ralls County and named for James Monroe, the fifth president of the United States. Like much of the Boonslick and Salt River country, it was settled largely by migrants from Kentucky, Virginia and Tennessee who brought slaveholding agriculture with them, and the county’s antebellum economy and politics were shaped by that Upper South heritage.
The county’s best-known native is Samuel Langhorne Clemens — Mark Twain — born in the small community of Florida on November 30, 1835. The two-room cabin where he was born is preserved at the Mark Twain Birthplace State Historic Site, now overlooking Mark Twain Lake near the site of the original village, most of which was submerged when the lake was impounded in the early 1980s.
Getting There
U.S. Route 24 crosses Monroe County east-west through Paris and Monroe City, and Missouri Route 15 runs north-south through the county. Missouri Route 154 links Paris to points east toward Hannibal.
- Hannibal — 25 miles northeast
- Columbia — 50 miles southwest
- Mexico — 30 miles south
- Moberly — 25 miles west
The nearest commercial airport is Columbia Regional Airport (COU), roughly 50 miles southwest of Paris.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Monroe County, Missouri?
It is in the northeastern part of the state, between Hannibal and Columbia, drained by the Salt River and bordered by Mark Twain Lake.
What is the population of Monroe County?
Monroe County had a population of 8,666 at the 2020 census.
How big is Monroe County, Missouri?
The county covers 670 square miles (1,700 km2), of which 648 square miles are land and 23 square miles are water.
What is the county seat of Monroe County?
Paris is the county seat.
How many towns are in Monroe County?
The county has two cities (Monroe City and Paris), three villages (Holliday, Madison and Stoutsville), one census-designated place (Middle Grove) and about a dozen smaller unincorporated communities.
What ZIP codes are in Monroe County?
Monroe County uses six ZIP codes: 63456 (Monroe City), 65258 (Holliday), 65263 (Madison), 65275 (Paris), 65282 (Santa Fe) and 65283 (Stoutsville).
Where was Mark Twain born?
Mark Twain (Samuel Clemens) was born in Florida, an unincorporated community in Monroe County’s Jefferson Township, on November 30, 1835.
More counties in this state: Towns and villages in Missouri.