Monroe County (Ohio)

Monroe County is a county located in the U.S. state of Ohio. As of the 2010 census, the population was 14,642, making it the second-least populous county in Ohio. Its county seat is Woodsfield. The county was created in 1813 and later organized in 1815.HistoryMonroe County was formed on January 28, 1813 from portions of Belmont, Guernsey and Washington counties. It was named after James Monroe, the U.S. Secretary of State when the county was formed, and later fifth President of the United States.On or about December 20, 2011, Exxon Mobil Corp., a New Jersey petroleum company, via its subsidiary XTO Energy, acquired 20,056 acres of Monroe County Utica Shale gas leases from Beck Energy.GeographyAccording to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of, of which is land and (0.4%) is water.Adjacent countiesBelmont County (north)Marshall County, West Virginia (northeast)Wetzel County, West Virginia (east)Tyler County, West Virginia (southeast)Washington County (south)Noble County (west)