Marion, Indiana

Marion from the air, looking southwest.

Marion (IPA: ) is a city in Grant County, Indiana, United States. The population was 31,320 at the 2000 census. The city is the county seat of Grant County. It is named for Francis Marion, a Brigadier General from South Carolina in the American Revolutionary War.

Since 2003, former Olympic skater Wayne Seybold has been Marion's mayor.

Geography

Marion is located at (40.549140, -85.664681), along the Mississinewa River.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 34.6 km² (13.3 mi²). 34.4 km² (13.3 mi²) of it is land and 0.1 km² (0.04 mi²) of it (0.30%) is water.

Demographics

VA hospital campus (left) south of Marion's downtown.

As of the census of 2000, there were 31,320 people, 12,462 households, and 7,626 families residing in the city. The population density was 909.2/km² (2,355.5/mi²). There were 13,820 housing units at an average density of 401.2/km² (1,039.4/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 79.64% White, 15.57% African American, 0.47% Native American, 0.68% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 1.43% from other races, and 2.18% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.60% of the population.

There were 12,462 households out of which 27.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.1% were married couples living together, 14.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.8% were non-families. 33.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.30 and the average family size was 2.91.

In the city the population was spread out with 23.3% under the age of 18, 12.5% from 18 to 24, 26.0% from 25 to 44, 21.3% from 45 to 64, and 17.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 88.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.1 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $30,440, and the median income for a family was $37,717. Males had a median income of $30,258 versus $23,467 for females. The per capita income for the city was $16,378. About 12.6% of families and 16.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 23.8% of those under age 18 and 11.3% of those age 65 or over.

History

In December of 1812, just north of the current city of Marion, the Battle of the Mississinewa took place as an expeditionary force sent by William Henry Harrison against the Miami villages. This event today is annually reenacted by the current residents of Grant County and many reenactors and enthusiasts from different areas of the United States and Canada.

One of Marion's darker moments in history was the last organized lynching in the American north. On August 7, 1930, an estimated 10,000 residents of Marion and surrounding areas gathered at the city jail. Inside were three young African-American men accused of raping a Caucasian woman and killing her boyfriend. The boys, Thomas Shipp, Abram Smith, and James Cameron, were dragged from the jail and severely beaten. Shipp, and Smith were eventually hung, but Cameron's life was spared. Until his death, Cameron had been an influential activist for African-American rights; Cameron was the founder of America's Black Holocaust Museum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.David Bradley, "Anatomy of a Murder", The Nation, June 12, 2006, p. 32-36.

Features

Marion is home to the Marion campus of the VA's Northern Indiana Healthcare System (formerly the Marion VA Hospital).

Marion has one daily newspaper, the Chronicle-Tribune. Marion has three radio stations: WBAT (1400 AM), WMRI (860 AM) and WXXC (106.9 FM). Another radio station, WCJC (99.3 FM) is licensed to nearby Van Buren.

Marion holds a reenactment of the battle of Mississinewa 1812 every year in October.

Marion also holds the Christmas City Walkway of Lights sponsored by many local businesses.

Marion High School won the Indiana High School Athletic Association boys basketball tournament in 1985, 1986 and 1987 matching the feat of Franklin High School who won the tourney from 1920-1922. Marion High School has a total of 7 state championships in boys basketball, second only to Muncie Central's 8.

Marion is home to the Mississinewa Valley Band community band.

Marion is home to the World Gospel Mission, a Christian missionary organization.

Famous Marionites

*James Dean, actor
*Zach Randolph, professional basketball player, Portland Trail Blazers
*Willis van Deventer, former Supreme Court Justice, one of the Four Horsemen (Supreme Court)
*Kenesaw Mountain Landis, First Commissioner of Baseball
*Caleb Blood Smith, former Secretary of the Interior
*George Washington Steele, Indiana Congressman and first governor of the Oklahoma Territory
*Chad Curtis, former professional baseball player
*Jeff King, former professional baseball player
*Stretch Murphy, Hall of Fame basketball player

Education

Colleges/Universities

Marion is the home of Indiana Wesleyan University, as well as a campus of the Indiana Business College and IVY Tech.

Marion, Indiana: Encyclopedia BETA

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