There's not a whole lot to Monroe. It would be a nice place to raise a family, but there's not a lot to DO there, not much of a city to speak of.
Athens is about 20 minutes away. Cheap housing and funky college town vibe. Tons of culture and restaurants and entertainment. (That is where I lived when I worked in Monroe). Probably my favorite city in the whole state! You can find lots of townhomes and apartments there, not as many swim/tennis McMansion communities.
If you want to be closer to Atlanta, you could look into Loganville (right next to Monroe, in Gwinnett County with lots of shopping) or Conyers (a little more country but growing.) You'll find more of the HOA style communities there because they are suburbs of Atlanta. Lots of families.
You could find some good stuff in Barrow County just outside of Athens too.
Great part of the state to live in, honestly! Close to the mountains with the beach not TOO far away (4-5 hours).
If it were ME, I'd choose Athens. The only reason I moved was because I left my Monroe job and jobs in Athens are difficult to get (tons of people go to college there and don't want to leave.)
I'll be happy to answer any more questions you might have!