West Monroe

City of West Monroe
City
Country	United States
State	Louisiana
Parish	Ouachita
Elevation	82 ft (25 m)
Coordinates	32°30′39″N 92°08′24″W / 32.51083°N 92.14°W / 32.51083; -92.14
Area	8.0 sq mi (20.7 km2)
- land	7.7 sq mi (20 km2)
- water	0.2 sq mi (1 km2), 2.5%
Population	13,250 (2000)
Density	1,717.2 /sq mi (663 /km2)
Mayor	Dave Norris
Timezone	CST (UTC-6)
- summer (DST)	CDT (UTC-5)
Postal code	71291, 71292
Area code	318
Location of West Monroe in Louisiana
Location of Louisiana in the United States
Website: http://www.westmonroe.com

West Monroe is a city in Ouachita Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 13,250 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Monroe Metropolitan Statistical Area.

West Monroe is situated on the Ouachita River, just across from the neighboring city of Monroe (pop. 53,107). The two cities are often referred to as the Twin Cities of northeast Louisiana. It was originally named Trenton. Recently there has been an aborning interest in renaming the city Trenton.

Geography

West Monroe is located at 32°30′39″N 92°8′24″W / 32.51083°N 92.14°W / 32.51083; -92.14 (32.510844, -92.140048)^[1].

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 8.0 square miles (20.6 km²), of which, 7.7 square miles (20.0 km²) of it is land and 0.2 square miles (0.6 km²) of it (3.14%) is water.

People in West Monroe often make it a point to note that they are from West Monroe and not Monroe, because West Monroe is a separate municipality from Monroe.

Demographics

As of the census^[2] of 2000, there were 13,250 people, 5,734 households, and 3,457 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,717.2 people per square mile (662.7/km²). There were 6,312 housing units at an average density of 818.1/sq mi (315.7/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 74.42% White, 23.46% African American, 0.29% Native American, 0.30% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 0.48% from other races, and 1.00% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.48% of the population.

There were 5,734 households out of which 26.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 38.5% were married couples living together, 17.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.7% were non-families. 34.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.25 and the average family size was 2.90.

In the city the population was spread out with 23.8% under the age of 18, 10.9% from 18 to 24, 26.9% from 25 to 44, 20.2% from 45 to 64, and 18.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 83.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 79.6 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $27,522, and the median income for a family was $35,348. Males had a median income of $28,231 versus $22,533 for females. The per capita income for the city was $16,803. About 15.6% of families and 21.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 36.1% of those under age 18 and 13.1% of those age 65 or over.

Notable people

• Chris Elrod, Christian comedian and writer
• Chuck Finley, Major League Baseball pitcher; California Angels, Cleveland Indians, St. Louis Cardinals
• Andy Griggs, country singer
• James D. Halsell, astronaut; space shuttle pilot
• Bradie James, NFL linebacker for the Dallas Cowboys who played football at Louisiana State University, Wossman High School, before transferring to West Monroe High School
• Lloyd E. Lenard (1922-2008), businessman, author, and pioneer of the Republican Party in Louisiana^[3]
• Webb Pierce, Country Music Hall of Fame member
• Andrew Whitworth, NFL offensive guard for the Cincinnati Bengals who played football at Louisiana State University and West Monroe High School

Kenny Hearne Actor/Comedian

Government

The current mayor is Dave Norris.

References

1. ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2000 and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2005-05-03. http://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/gazette.html. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 
2. ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 
3. ^ Legacy.com Secure Server

External links

• City of West Monroe
• Monroe-West Monroe Convention & Visitors Bureau

v • d • e Municipalities and communities of Ouachita Parish, Louisiana Parish seat: Monroe Cities Monroe | West Monroe Towns Richwood | Sterlington CDPs Brownsville-Bawcomville | Claiborne | Swartz Unincorporated community Calhoun