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Web site offers good, but not complete, look at city of Monroe
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MONROE - A Web site called City Town Info has some interesting information about Monroe.

Patty James, executive director of the Monroe Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said the site is "fairly good, but not complete."

"They are compiling information from public records," James said. "But not everyone knows where to get those."

Having the information available in one spot makes it easier.

James said the information matches that found at other sites, but being more complete is a huge project.

"Nothing looks wrong, but missing, yes," James said.

For instance, she noted the Blackhawk Technical College branch in Monroe is not listed, but the cosmetology school is. And she said Super 8 Motel is listed, but not AmericInn or the Gasthaus.

Hard-to-find information, such as a 17-minute commute time for Monroe employees, she said is accurate.

Some information on the site is compared to cities of similar size in the nation, and to state averages. It shows Monroe in the top 4 percent among cities of similar size in violent crimes, and in the top 8 percent in walking and biking to work.

The nice thing about the site is that it is compiled by real people hired to do the job, and not just a search engine, James adds.

With over 50,000 pages, the site includes information on more than 20,000 U.S. communities, colleges, and careers. It lists information on population, housing, transportation, jobs, mortgages/real estate, commuting and more.

Graphics help make raw information more understandable.

Visitors can find cities similar to the one they are studying, or change controls to custom-match their desires.

Original articles and featured studies provide insights into careers, education and lifestyles, real estate, mortgage and more in U.S. cities and towns.

Online since April 2005, the site is referenced by hundreds of libraries, colleges/universities, government Web sites and by local and national media, indicating its reliability as a trusted online resource.

The site, www.citytowninfo.com, is financed by advertisements, and information is free to visitors.