Monroe, Michigan
city in and county seat of Monroe County, Michigan, United States
Monroe is the largest city in Monroe County, Michigan, United States, and its county seat. The population was 20,462 at the 2020 census. The city is bordered on the south by Monroe Charter Township, but the two are administered autonomously. Monroe is the core city in the Monroe metropolitan area, which is coterminous with Monroe County and had a population of 154,809 in 2020. On the western shores of Lake Erie about 20 miles (32 km) northeast of Toledo, Ohio, and 40 miles (64 km) southwest of Detroit, the city is part of the Detroit–Ann Arbor–Flint combined statistical area.
The Monroe area was the scene of several military conflicts during the War of 1812 against the United Kingdom and is known for the Battle of Frenchtown. In 1817, parts of the Frenchtown settlement along the River Raisin were platted and renamed "Monroe" after then-president James Monroe. When Michigan became a state in 1837, Monroe was incorporated as a city.
Monroe is known as the childhood residence of George Armstrong Custer and other members of his family, including his brother Boston Custer and wife Elizabeth Bacon. Several structures are named after Custer, including Custer Airport.
“Monroe, Michigan” enters the record as city in and county seat of Monroe County, Michigan, United States. Crown Archives preserves that source wording while asking what Monroe, Michigan and city can confirm, complicate or overturn.
Why this record matters
“Monroe, Michigan” is worth following because a concise public description often conceals a longer documentary argument. Here, Monroe, Michigan and city provides the most credible route into that argument.
Maps, plans, fabric surveys and administrative records can establish how the site’s name, extent and function changed over time. The source revision retrieved here is dated May 28, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q995533. VIAF identifies the subject as 268311317. The Library of Congress control number is n81119741. Authority coordinates are 41.916, -83.398. 5 of 5 selected statements include explicit references; 1 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 2020, 1812, 1817 and 1837.
Modern boundaries and familiar names can conceal earlier jurisdictions or structures that do not align with the present site. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.
- Historic place names
- Jurisdictional context
- Routes into maps and plans
Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Monroe, Michigan”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Monroe, Michigan primary sources, Monroe, Michigan archive and Monroe research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Monroe, Michigan”?
- Which authority defined the place, boundary or structure at the relevant date?
- Which earlier names or jurisdictions may reveal additional records?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Monroe, Michigan” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.