Editing Monroe City, Missouri (section)

==Geography==
Monroe City is in the northeast corner of Monroe County, with a small portion extending north into Marion County and a still smaller portion reaching east into Ralls County. U.S. Routes [[U.S. Route 24|24]] and [[U.S. Route 36|36]] split at Monroe City, with US 36 leading west-northwest {{convert|42|mi}} to [[Macon, Missouri|Macon]] and US 24 leading west-southwest {{convert|46|mi}} to [[Moberly, Missouri|Moberly]]. The two highways together lead east {{convert|22|mi}} to [[Hannibal, Missouri|Hannibal]] on the [[Mississippi River]]. US 24 leads through the center of Monroe City as Main Street and 5th Street, while US 36 runs along the northern border of the city as part of the [[Chicago–Kansas City Expressway]].

According to the [[U.S. Census Bureau]], Monroe City has a total area of {{convert|3.06|sqmi|sqkm|2}}, of which {{convert|3.02|sqmi|sqkm|2}} are land and {{convert|0.04|sqmi|sqkm|2}}, or 1.34%, are water.<ref name="CenPopGazetteer2023"/> The city is drained to the north by the headwater tributaries of Sharpsburg Branch, a tributary of the South Fork of the [[North River (Missouri)|North River]], itself a direct tributary of the [[Mississippi River|Mississippi]].

Two remnants of the 8,000-year old prairie are within a {{convert|40|mile||adj=mid| radius}} of Monroe City.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Kite |first=Allison |date=2023-01-03 |title='Everybody can do their part': Naturalists working to reestablish prairies in Missouri |url=https://missouriindependent.com/2023/01/03/everybody-can-do-their-part-naturalists-reestablish-prairies-in-missouri/ |access-date=2023-01-06 |work=Missouri Independent |language=en-US}}</ref>