Monroe county was established in 1816, two years before Illinois became a state. It is named for James Monroe, the 5th President of the United States (1816-24) who is most noted for authoring the "Monroe Doctrine".
The county is located in southwestern Illinois on the banks of the Mississippi River and is heavily influenced by its proud German heritage. It features an array of wineries as well as natural wonders such as Mammouth Cave, originally opened to the public for the St Louis World's Fair in 1904.
The county seat is Waterloo and the county population on July 1, 1999, was 27,289, an increase of 4,867 over the 1990 census.
For information on county government, contact the National Association of Counties Web site.
Additional information is available at these pages:
