MONROE — City leaders say open land, location and a hometown feel propelled Monroe to be the fastest growing city in the region.

Monroe grew from 7,133 people in 2000 to 12,442 people in 2010, an increase of 74.4 percent, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

The decade before, the city, situated around the interchange of Interstate 75 and Ohio 63, grew by 59.7 percent in Butler County, according to data from Ohio Department of Development.

The next fastest growing places in Butler and Warren counties were Liberty Twp., which grew 63.3 percent; South Lebanon, which grew 62.10 percent; and Lemon Twp., which grew 61.20 percent, according to the Census.

“Monroe just had better opportunities for people to move in,” said Robert Routson, Monroe mayor for six years.

The biggest change in Monroe the past 10 years, Routson said, is the number of houses. Before 2000, the city annexed some of Lemon Twp. and turned agricultural land to residential, setting up room to build, he said.

He said he used to know everyone in town, but now there are too many people. The city had 4,896 total housing units last year, according to the Census.

And there’s room left, with three neighborhoods still to be built. By the next census, Monroe could have 15,000 to 20,000 people, Routson said.

“We could almost double in size in the next 10 years,” he said.

Councilman Bob Kelley said the city is attractive because it’s friendly and has a small town feel away from the highway. At the park, people watch out for each other’s kids, he said.

“For years, I’ve been saying Monroe’s going to be the next great place to go and in the past few years, it’s starting to come to fruition,” said Kelley who’s lived in Monroe about 23 years.

Mike Juengling, Butler County director of development, said the growth in Monroe and Liberty Twp., the fastest growing township in the county, can be explained by their locations next to Interstate 75.

Contact this reporter at (513) 705-2551 or clevingston@coxohio.com.