Editing Monroe, Washington (section)

==History==

===Origins and establishment of Park Place===

The confluence of the [[Skykomish River|Skykomish]] and [[Snoqualmie River|Snoqualmie]] rivers had originally belonged to the indigenous [[Skykomish people|Skykomish]] tribe, who predominantly occupied the area between modern-day Monroe and [[Index, Washington|Index]].<ref name="Hollenbeck">{{cite book|last1=Hollenbeck |first1=Jan L. |last2=Moss |first2=Madonna |year=1987 |title=A Cultural Resource Overview: Prehistory, Ethnography and History: Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest |publisher=[[United States Forest Service]] |pages=161–163 |oclc=892024380 |url=https://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/005998596 |via=[[HathiTrust]] |access-date=March 6, 2019}}</ref> The confluence itself was known as Tualco ([[Lushootseed]]: {{lang|lut|squa'lxo}}), and a nearby Skykomish village named {{lang|lut|S'dodohobc}} acted as a trade post between several [[Coast Salish]] groups.<ref name="Hollenbeck"/><ref name="HistoryLink">{{cite news |last=Robertson |first=Nellie E. |date=November 23, 2007 |title=Monroe — Thumbnail History |url=https://historylink.org/File/8325 |work=[[HistoryLink]] |access-date=March 6, 2019}}</ref> A separate settlement near modern-day Monroe was used by the S'dodohobc band of the [[Snohomish people]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Cameron |first1=David A. |last2=LeWarne |first2=Charles P. |last3=May |first3=M. Allan |last4=O'Donnell |first4=Jack C. |last5=O'Donnell |first5=Lawrence E. |year=2005 |title=Snohomish County: An Illustrated History |page=23 |publisher=Kelcema Books LLC |location=Index, Washington |isbn=978-0-9766700-0-1 |oclc=62728798}}</ref> The land around the confluence was cleared into a prairie and used to cultivate berries, [[hazelnut]]s, and other plants.<ref name="Taylor">{{cite book |last1=Taylor |first1=Dexter |author2=Monroe Historical Society |year=2013 |title=Early Monroe |pages=7–8 |series=Images of America |publisher=[[Arcadia Publishing]] |location=Charleston, South Carolina |isbn=978-0-7385-9972-4 |oclc=826896466 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kEqvE7OQmZEC |via=Google Books |access-date=March 6, 2019}}</ref> The Skykomish were among the tribes to sign the [[Treaty of Point Elliott]] in 1855, effectively ceding their traditional territories, including the Tualco and confluence areas.<ref name="HistoryLink"/>

The area around modern-day Monroe was surveyed by [[George B. McClellan]] and the [[U.S. Army Corps of Engineers]] during their expedition to find a suitable pass for a railroad across the Cascade Mountains.<ref name="Taylor"/> The Treaty of Point Elliott was not fully ratified until 1859, but the first American settlers had already arrived and claimed [[Adverse possession|squatters rights]] to homestead in the Skykomish Valley. Robert Smallman, an English immigrant, arrived in 1855 and was the first to homestead on the land around modern-day Monroe.<ref name="Taylor"/> He was followed by Henry McClurg, an appointed [[county commissioner]], who settled in the area with his wife Martha in 1860. McClurg later founded the settlement of Park Place in 1864, on a site {{convert|1|mi|km|spell=in}} west of modern-day downtown Monroe.<ref name="HistoryLink"/><ref name="EarlyParkPlace">{{cite book |last=Wojciechowski |first=Bill |year=2015 |title=Early Park Place (1860–1935) |pages=3–10 |publisher=Monroe Historical Society |oclc=947693655}}</ref> Two other settlers arrived in 1860: Salem Woods, who claimed a small prairie to the northeast of Tualco and was later elected county sheriff; and Charles Harriman, a territorial legislator who settled in Park Place.<ref>{{cite book |last=Robertson |first=Nellie E. |year=2004 |title=Monroe: The First Fifty Years, 1860–1910 |page=5 |edition=3rd |publisher=Monroe Historical Society |oclc=70236243}}</ref>

Park Place and Tualco, located on opposite sides of the Skykomish River, grew with the arrival of more settlers in the 1860s and 1870s.<ref name="EarlyParkPlace"/> A local [[school district]], the second in the county, was established in 1869 by McClurg, and Park Place gained a [[post office]] in 1877 with Woods as [[postmaster]].<ref name="Timeline">{{cite web |date=December 27, 2017 |title=Historic Timeline |url=https://www.monroehistoricalsociety.org/stories/historic-timeline/ |publisher=Monroe Historical Society |access-date=March 6, 2019}}</ref> A [[ferry]] crossing the Skykomish River was established in 1882, several years prior to the start of regular [[steamship]] service on the river as far east as [[Sultan, Washington|Sultan]]. The first roads in the area were surveyed in 1882, including an {{convert|11|mi|km|adj=mid}} [[wagon road]] connecting Park Place to [[Snohomish, Washington|Snohomish]] in the west.{{sfnp|Robertson|2004|pages=10–15}} During the 1880s, settlers in Park Place and Tualco received their first shipment of [[dairy cattle]] and also began planting [[hops]], which would briefly become a [[cash crop]] until the arrival of the [[Phorodon humuli|hop aphid]] and economic panic of the 1890s ruined the harvest.{{sfnp|Robertson|2004|pages=10–15}}

===Renaming and relocation===
[[File:Construction of the Wagner & Wilson Inc mill in Monroe, circa 1900 (INDOCC 1506).jpg|thumb|right|The Wagner and Wilson sawmill, one of the largest in Monroe at the beginning of the 20th century]]

The original Park Place post office and [[general store]] were abandoned and replaced by a new building that opened in 1890. John Vanasdlen, operator of new store, petitioned for the reopening of the post office but was rejected by the [[United States Post Office Department|U.S. Post Office Department]], which only allowed a single-word name for new offices. "Monroe" was chosen by Vanasdlen, with the input of McClurg, to honor of U.S. President [[James Monroe]].<ref name="HistoryLink"/>{{sfnp|Robertson|2004|pages=19–21}} The new post office for Monroe was granted by the U.S. Post Office Department on March 19, 1890.{{sfnp|Wojciechowski|2015|p=10}}

The [[Great Northern Railway (U.S.)|Great Northern Railway]] chose a route over [[Stevens Pass]] in the late 1880s for its transcontinental railroad connecting [[Seattle]] to [[St. Paul, Minnesota]], bringing new development to the Skykomish Valley. Monroe at Park Place was [[plat]]ted in 1890 and gained several new businesses, including a [[blacksmith]], [[grocery store]], a second [[hotel]], and a [[butcher]].{{sfnp|Robertson|2004|pages=19–21}} The final survey for Great Northern in 1891 placed the railroad tracks {{convert|1|mi|km|spell=in}} northeast of Park Place, bypassing the settlement in favor of a straighter alignment to cross the [[Snohomish River]] south of downtown Snohomish.{{sfnp|Robertson|2004|pages=19–21}}

The railroad built a small [[train depot|depot]] named "Wales" on the {{convert|40|acre|ha|adj=mid}} homestead of Jack Stretch, who platted a settlement on the north side of the tracks that he named "Tye City" for Great Northern's locating engineer George Tye.{{sfnp|Robertson|2004|pages=19–21}} Great Northern completed their railroad through the Skykomish Valley in January 1893, following additional work near Snohomish to rebuild a bridge that had been destroyed in a flood.<ref>{{cite news |date=January 7, 1893 |title=Last Nail Driven – The Great Northern Railroad Is Completed |page=1 |work=[[Seattle Post-Intelligencer]] |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/36753692/last_nail_driven_gn/ |via=[[Newspapers.com]] |access-date=October 4, 2019}}</ref> In late 1892 and early 1893, several merchants in Park Place moved their buildings to the south side of Tye City using teams of oxen, horses, and a [[Threshing machine|steam thresher]].{{sfnp|Robertson|2004|pages=23–24}} After the relocation of Vanasdlen's general store and post office, the settlement became known as Monroe.<ref name="Timeline"/>

The completion of the railroad attracted lumber operations to the Monroe area, boosted by the opening of the first [[wood shingle|shingle]] mill in 1894 and the first [[sawmill]] on Woods Creek in 1897. A bridge across the Skykomish River was opened in 1894 to replace the ferry and the town's first church was established two years later.<ref name="Timeline"/> The county government chose a {{convert|40|acre|ha|adj=mid}} site north of Monroe for a 20-bed [[poor farm]] at the modern-day site of the [[Evergreen State Fair]]grounds; it later became the [[Valley General Hospital]].{{sfnp|Wojciechowski|2015|p=22}} A [[cooperative]] of Monroe-area farmers built the city's first [[creamery]] in 1895, which was destroyed in a fire four years later and later rebuilt. By the end of the decade, Monroe had also gained a new school building, [[telephone]] service, a local [[newspaper]], a full-time doctor, and paved [[sidewalk]]s.{{sfnp|Robertson|2004|pages=29–33}}

===Incorporation and new industries===
[[File:Carnation Condensery Stack - Monroe, WA.jpg|thumb|upright=0.8|The freestanding Carnation Condensery Stack, constructed for a [[condensed milk]] plant that closed in 1928 and burned in a fire in 1944]]

On the morning of September 16, 1901, a fire started at the [[Independent Order of Odd Fellows|Odd Fellows]] community hall and spread to nearby buildings, destroying the only complete [[city block|block]] of businesses in Monroe.<ref>{{cite news |date=September 19, 1901 |title=The Old, Old Story: The Fire Fiend Comes and Finds Easy Work–The Principal Block of Business Houses Destroyed–The Insurance Light |page=1 |work=The Monroe Monitor |url=http://mhs.stparchive.com/Archive/MHS/MHS09191901p01.php |via=Monroe Historical Society |access-date=October 6, 2019 |archive-date=October 7, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191007054550/http://mhs.stparchive.com/Archive/MHS/MHS09191901p01.php |url-status=dead }}</ref> The fire caused an estimated $8,100 in damage ({{Inflation|US-GDP|8100|1901|fmt=eq|r=-3}} dollars),{{inflation-fn|US-GDP}} but the businesses and buildings were rebuilt and within two years a permanent [[fire department]] was established.<ref name="HistoryLink"/>{{sfnp|Robertson|2004|pages=42–44}} Monroe was [[municipal incorporation|incorporated]] as a [[City government in Washington (state)|fourth-class town]] on December 20, 1902, following an 88–37 vote in favor.{{sfnp|Robertson|2004|page=49}}<ref>{{cite news |date=December 25, 1902 |title=Incorporated: Monroe Gives Large Majority for Home Government—Entire Citizens Ticket Elected |page=1 |work=The Monroe Monitor |url=http://mhs.stparchive.com/Archive/MHS/MHS12251902p01.php |via=Monroe Historical Society |access-date=October 6, 2019 |archive-date=October 7, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191007055747/http://mhs.stparchive.com/Archive/MHS/MHS12251902p01.php |url-status=dead }}</ref> At the time of incorporation, the area around Monroe had over 900 residents, five general stores, eight saloons, six restaurants, four sawmills, and five shingle mills.{{sfnp|Robertson|2004|pages=51, 63}} A new [[town hall]] building was completed in November 1908, costing $7,000 ({{Inflation|US-GDP|7000|1908|fmt=eq|r=-3}} dollars){{inflation-fn|US-GDP}} and paid for using a saloon license tax; the building now serves as the home of a local history [[museum]].<ref>{{cite news |last=Smith |first=Debra |date=November 30, 2008 |title=Monroe's old City Hall turns 100 |url=https://www.heraldnet.com/news/monroes-old-city-hall-turns-100/ |work=[[The Everett Herald]] |access-date=October 6, 2019}}</ref>

The new town government granted a [[tap water|municipal water]] franchise to a private company in 1903, sparking a conflict with local [[water company|water companies]]. A competing water company unsuccessfully sued the town for franchise rights, but later acquired the original franchised company to operate Monroe's water. The town government proposed to acquire the system through a buyout, but their offers were rejected. A separate gravity water system was constructed by the town in 1923 that bankrupted the private system.{{sfnp|Robertson|2004|pages=55–59}} The town government also granted franchises to private companies for [[electricity]] and a [[hospital]] in 1903.{{sfnp|Robertson|2004|page=67}} Monroe gained a new road to Snohomish in 1904, which was followed a year later by a new bridge over the Skykomish River on Lewis Street (now [[Washington State Route 203|State Route 203]]).{{sfnp|Robertson|2004|pages=71, 77}}

The state government chose Monroe as the site of the state's second [[reformatory]] in 1907, ahead of competing bids from [[Arlington, Washington|Arlington]] and Sultan.<ref>{{cite news |date=May 10, 1907 |title=Monroe Gets Reformatory |page=1 |work=The Monroe Monitor |url=http://mhs.stparchive.com/Archive/MHS/MHS05101907p01.php |via=Monroe Historical Society |access-date=October 6, 2019 |archive-date=October 7, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191007064148/http://mhs.stparchive.com/Archive/MHS/MHS05101907p01.php |url-status=dead }}</ref> The first inmate at the facility's temporary buildings in August 1908; construction of a permanent building, now part of the [[Monroe Correctional Complex]], began in May 1910 and was completed later that year at a cost of $1.5&nbsp;million (equivalent to ${{Inflation|US-GDP|1.5|1910}}&nbsp;million in {{Inflation-year|US-GDP}} dollars).{{inflation-fn|US-GDP}}{{sfnp|Robertson|2004|pages=99–100}} The [[Pacific Coast Condensed Milk Company]] opened a [[Condensed milk|milk condensery]] in Monroe on August 29, 1908, serving 2,000 visitors on "Condenser Day".<ref>{{cite news |date=September 4, 1908 |title=Condenser Day is a Splendid Affair |page=1 |work=The Monroe Monitor |url=http://mhs.stparchive.com/Archive/MHS/MHS09041908p01.php |via=Monroe Historical Society |access-date=October 7, 2019 |archive-date=October 8, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191008043331/http://mhs.stparchive.com/Archive/MHS/MHS09041908p01.php |url-status=dead }}</ref> The plant was the largest producer of Carnation brand condensed milk and brought the city's population to 2,500 within two years of opening.<ref name="Times-Milk">{{cite news |last=Schuster |first=Chad |date=October 23, 2005 |title=Milk fueled growth spurt in Cascade foothills city |page=G5 |url=http://old.seattletimes.com/html/realestate/2002582973_neighborhood23.html |work=The Seattle Times |access-date=October 7, 2019}}</ref><ref name="Herald-Missing">{{cite news |last=Muhlstein |first=Julie |date=March 22, 2019 |title=A mansion and a 'poor farm' are among Monroe's missing places |url=https://www.heraldnet.com/news/a-mansion-and-a-poor-farm-are-among-monroes-missing-places/ |work=The Everett Herald |access-date=September 29, 2019}}</ref> Within a year, the plant was producing {{convert|250,000|lbs|kg}} of condensed milk per day;<ref>{{cite news |last=Tallman |first=S. E. |date=April 23, 1909 |title=Monroe in a Nutshell |page=1 |work=Monroe Monitor-Transcript |url=http://mhs.stparchive.com/Archive/MHS/MHS04231909p01.php |via=Monroe Historical Society |access-date=October 7, 2019 |archive-date=October 8, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191008043332/http://mhs.stparchive.com/Archive/MHS/MHS04231909p01.php |url-status=dead }}</ref> the Carnation condensery was later closed in 1928 and destroyed in a fire on March 23, 1944.<ref name="Herald-Missing"/>

By the early 1910s, Monroe and the Cherry Valley were home to seven school districts serving rural communities in the surrounding area. A union [[high school]] was proposed to serve the students graduating from the seven districts and was opened on September 1, 1911.{{sfnp|Robertson|2004|pages=117–118}} A new train depot was constructed by the Great Northern Railway in 1909 to serve the mainline as well as a branch line traversing the Snoqualmie Valley that was opened two years later by the [[Milwaukee Road]].<ref>{{cite news |date=April 23, 1909 |title=Valley Trolley Now Assured |page=1 |work=Monroe Monitor-Transcript |url=http://mhs.stparchive.com/Archive/MHS/MHS04231909p01.php |via=Monroe Historical Society |access-date=October 7, 2019 |archive-date=October 8, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191008043332/http://mhs.stparchive.com/Archive/MHS/MHS04231909p01.php |url-status=dead }}</ref>{{sfnp|Robertson|2004|page=121}} The local timber industry declined and was replaced by a larger reliance on agriculture, namely dairy, vegetable, and [[berry]] farms on the logged-off lands around Monroe.{{sfnp|Taylor|Monroe Historical Society|2013|pages=40–41}}<ref>{{cite news |last=Darwin |first=L. H. |date=May 24, 1912 |title=City of Monroe in Very Fertile Region |page=19 |work=The Seattle Times}}</ref> One of the largest farms in the area was a {{convert|2,000|acre|ha|adj=mid}} [[lettuce]] farm and [[meat-packing]] plant owned by [[Charles Frye (meatpacker)|Charles Frye]], later the benefactor of the [[Frye Art Museum]] in Seattle.<ref>{{cite web |last=Tate |first=Cassandra |date=March 3, 2002 |title=Frye Art Museum (Seattle) |url=https://www.historylink.org/File/3711 |work=HistoryLink |access-date=October 7, 2019}}</ref>

===Civic projects and fairs===

During the 1920s, several of the larger industrial employers in Monroe expanded their operations and attracted new businesses to the area, including an early [[radio station]].<ref>{{cite book |last=Robertson |first=Nellie E. |year=2002 |title=Monroe: The Next Thirty Years, 1911–1940 |pages=76, 80 |edition=1st |publisher=Monroe Historical Society |oclc=50470732}}</ref> The county government opened a new 100-bed hospital on the poor farm complex in 1925 at a cost of $92,000 (equivalent to ${{formatprice|{{Inflation|US-GDP|92000|1925|r=-3}}}} in {{Inflation-year|US-GDP}} dollars){{inflation-fn|US-GDP}} to provide services to local residents.{{sfnp|Robertson|2002|page=86}} By the end of the decade, the town had gained new churches, a new [[masonic hall]], a larger condensery plant, and a [[movie theater]].<ref name="Timeline"/> A [[greenhouse]] operated by the Great Northern Railway was established in 1926 to supply passengers and decorate trains with fresh flowers. The complex later expanded to include ten greenhouses, but were demolished in 1962.{{sfnp|Robertson|2002|page=98}}

At the onset of the [[Great Depression]] in 1929, several lettuce farms in the Monroe area had folded and been acquired by the Frye Company, which provided employment through the decade for 1,000 residents.<ref name="HistoryLink"/> The farm was foreclosed in the late 1930s by a subsidiary of Great Northern after lettuce prices had declined.{{sfnp|Robertson|2002|page=103}} Service organizations in the town ran charity assistance programs for unemployed residents and their families, raising money from large employers to fund food and clothing donations.{{sfnp|Robertson|2002|page=112}} The [[Works Progress Administration]] (WPA) began civic improvement projects around Monroe in 1933, including repairs to damage caused by a major flood in February 1932.{{sfnp|Robertson|2002|pages=116–118}} The WPA also funded road improvements and a new [[middle school]] with a small [[auditorium]] that is now home to the Wagner Performing Arts Center.{{sfnp|Robertson|2002|pages=137–138}}

The local [[The National Grange of the Order of Patrons of Husbandry|granges]] of the Monroe area began organizing [[agricultural fair]]s and [[parade]]s in the 1930s on a semi-regular basis.{{sfnp|Robertson|2002|pages=137–138}} The county also had its own regular fair that was hosted in Snohomish and [[Granite Falls, Washington|Granite Falls]] until the 1920s.<ref name="Herald-Fairs">{{cite news |last1=Arnold |first1=Justin |last2=Nohara |first2=Yoshiaki |date=July 27, 2008 |title=100? Evergreen State Fair's age doesn't add up, some buffs say |url=https://www.heraldnet.com/news/100-evergreen-state-fairs-age-doesnt-add-up-some-buffs-say/ |work=The Everett Herald |access-date=October 13, 2019}}</ref> The granges hosted the first Cavalcade of the Valleys in 1941, which was followed by the Snohomish County Fair at the poor farm grounds in 1946. The event was renamed the Evergreen State Fair in 1949 and has been hosted annually in Monroe ever since.<ref name="Herald-Fairs"/><ref name="MHS-Fair">{{cite web |last=Wojciechowski |first=Bill |date=November 18, 2013 |title=The Fair |url=http://www.monroehistoricalsociety.org/stories/the-fair/ |publisher=Monroe Historical Society |access-date=October 7, 2019}}</ref> The fairgrounds were bisected by [[U.S. Route 2 in Washington|U.S. Route 2]], the successor to an earlier highway across Stevens Pass, which opened in 1949.<ref name="MHS-Fair"/><ref>{{cite news |date=August 28, 1949 |title=Four-Year-Old Fair 'Grows Up' This Year |page=14 |work=The Seattle Times}}</ref>

Following the Great Depression and [[World War II]], Monroe's economy became more reliant on agriculture and smaller industries.<ref name="Times-1949">{{cite news |date=January 30, 1949 |title=Monroe Practices Economy in Administration |pages=2, 6 |work=The Seattle Times}}</ref> A [[frozen food]] processing facility was located in Monroe until 1958 and was later replaced with a [[seafood]] processor.<ref name="HistoryLink"/> By 1949, the local government had twice rejected proposals to become a third-class city because of the increased operating costs needed; it also lacked a full-time fire department.<ref name="Times-1949"/> The Valley General Hospital was established in 1961 to replace the county-run general hospital on the poor farm complex.<ref name="Timeline"/> A [[1965 Puget Sound earthquake|major earthquake]] struck the [[Puget Sound region]] on April 29, 1965, causing severe damage to the original [[Monroe High School (Washington)|Monroe High School]] and its annex.<ref>{{cite news |date=May 6, 1965 |title=Quake Hurts High School, Aid Monies Being Sought |page=1 |work=The Monroe Monitor |url=http://mhs.stparchive.com/Archive/MHS/MHS05061965P01.php |via=Monroe Historical Society |access-date=October 13, 2019 |archive-date=October 14, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191014052326/http://mhs.stparchive.com/Archive/MHS/MHS05061965P01.php |url-status=dead }}</ref> The high school campus was demolished and replaced by a new building that opened in October 1968 and served the city until the modern campus was built in 1999.<ref name="Timeline"/> Great Northern was consolidated into the [[Burlington Northern Railroad]] in 1970, and the Monroe train depot was demolished in October of that year.{{sfnp|Taylor|Monroe Historical Society|2013|page=93}}

===Suburban growth===

[[Washington State Route 522|State Route 522]], a new state highway connecting Monroe to [[Bothell, Washington|Bothell]], was opened to traffic on February 10, 1965.<ref>{{cite news |last=Sterling |first=E. M. |date=February 11, 1965 |title=Monroe Objects to Traffic From New Bothell Road |page=19 |work=The Seattle Times}}</ref> The easier car access made Monroe into a [[bedroom community]] for Everett, Seattle, and the [[Eastside (King County, Washington)|Eastside]] region, with new suburban [[subdivision (land)|subdivision]]s being built around the city and [[annexation|annexed]] by the end of the decade.<ref>{{cite news |last=Moody |first=Dick |date=June 5, 1966 |title=Monroe, a Residential City, Hopes to Remain That Way |page=34 |work=The Seattle Times}}</ref> A new state prison, the [[Twin Rivers Corrections Center]], was opened in 1984 and brought new jobs to the area despite opposition from residents.<ref>{{cite news |last=Bergsman |first=Jerry |date=March 21, 1984 |title=The prison comes to Monroe |page=G1 |work=The Seattle Times}}</ref>

The former Frye lettuce farm in western Monroe was sold in the late 1980s to an Eastside-based [[real estate developer]], which proposed the "Fryelands" residential and industrial neighborhood.<ref name="PSBJ-1997">{{cite news |last=Epes |first=James |date=February 23, 1997 |title=Monroe's doctrine embraces growth |url=https://www.bizjournals.com/seattle/stories/1997/02/24/focus2.html |work=[[Puget Sound Business Journal]] |access-date=March 6, 2019}}</ref> The Fryelands industrial park, once proposed for a [[Boeing 777]] parts facility,<ref>{{cite news |last1=Lane |first1=Polly |last2=Gwinn |first2=Mary Ann |date=December 4, 1990 |title=Monroe targeted for Boeing plant |page=C1 |work=The Seattle Times}}</ref> was developed adjacent to another industrial park that was opened a decade earlier.<ref name="PSBJ-1997"/> The residential component of the development sold out in 1993 and began construction that year alongside other subdivisions in western Monroe.<ref>{{cite news |last=Alexander |first=Karen |date=February 8, 1993 |title=Homes at Monroe site sell fast |page=C2 |work=The Seattle Times}}</ref><ref name="Times-Shudder">{{cite news |last=Clutter |first=Stephen |date=February 14, 1997 |title=Some folks shudder as Monroe booms |page=A1 |work=The Seattle Times}}</ref> As part of mitigation for the Fryelands project, an [[artificial lake]] named Lake Tye was created to provide [[wetlands]] and a park for residents.<ref>{{cite web |date=September 26, 2017 |title=Lake Tye Park Community Process Presentation |page=3 |url=https://www.monroewa.gov/DocumentCenter/View/4937/Preliminary-Concepts-Presentation-to-City-Council-Park-Board-September-26 |publisher=Monroe City Council |access-date=October 28, 2019}}</ref> Between 1990 and 2000, the population of the city doubled to over 13,000.<ref name="PI-Transition">{{cite news |last=Iwasaki |first=John |date=June 6, 1998 |title=This fair ground holds a city in transition |page=D1 |work=[[Seattle Post-Intelligencer]]}}</ref>

The increased residential development in Monroe caused worsened congestion on State Route&nbsp;522, which was named one of the most dangerous highways in the United States.<ref>{{cite news |last=Johnston |first=Steve |date=October 26, 1995 |title=Highway 522: It's nothing to brag about |page=B3 |url=https://archive.seattletimes.com/archive/19951026/2148955/highway-522-its-nothing-to-brag-about |work=The Seattle Times |access-date=October 28, 2019}}</ref> The state government began a widening and safety improvement program in 1995 that has continued since then, gradually building four-lane sections for the highway and upgrading the remaining two-lane sections.<ref>{{cite news |last=Nohara |first=Yoshiaki |date=May 20, 2007 |title=Help for 'Highway of Death' |url=http://www.heraldnet.com/news/help-for-highway-of-death/ |work=The Everett Herald |access-date=October 28, 2019}}</ref> During the 1990s and 2000s, several large [[strip mall]]s and [[big-box store]]s were built along U.S. Route&nbsp;2 north of downtown. The North Kelsey development in the early 2010s brought a controversial [[Walmart]] to Monroe, which was challenged by neighborhood activists for violating the city's plans for a pedestrian-friendly retail neighborhood.<ref>{{cite news |date=February 9, 2012 |title=Monroe shifts gears, vision for development of the N. Kelsey property |url=https://www.heraldnet.com/news/monroe-shifts-gears-vision-for-development-of-the-n-kelsey-property/ |work=The Everett Herald |access-date=October 7, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Dominguez |first=Alejandro |date=January 4, 2012 |title=Judge clears away challenges to Walmart store in Monroe |url=https://www.heraldnet.com/news/judge-clears-away-challenges-to-walmart-store-in-monroe/ |work=The Everett Herald |access-date=October 7, 2019}}</ref> Since 2000, the Downtown Revitalization and Enhancement Association of Monroe (DREAM) has sponsored revitalization projects in downtown Monroe to preserve the city's main street.<ref>{{cite news |last=Rolph |first=Amy |date=January 7, 2010 |title=Development help for downtowns may end |url=http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20100107/NEWS01/701079951 |work=The Everett Herald |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100110075415/http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20100107/NEWS01/701079951 |archive-date=January 10, 2010 |access-date=October 18, 2019}}</ref> More recent development in Monroe has been concentrated in the northern hills, which were annexed into the city in the 2000s.<ref name="PI-Transition"/>