Marion, Illinois
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Marion is a city in Williamson County, Illinois, United States. The population was 16,035 at the 2000 census. The Population estimated to be around 19,200 November 2006. It is the county seat of Williamson CountyGR6. Marion was named for Francis Marion, the "Swamp Fox" in the Revolutionary War. The County's namesake, Hugh Williamson served as a physician in the same campaign. It is also the home to the first supermax prison in the U.S., United States Penitentiary (USP) Marion. Marion's slogan is "Marion: Hub of the Universe." The most recognizable feature of Marion is the clock tower in the center of the city square that replaced the court house. The tallest building in Marion is First Baptist Church of Marion, with a steeple reaching a height of approximately 105 feet.
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[edit] Historic tornado
On May 29, 1982, one of the most memorable, larger tornadoes in Illinois history, a F-4 (max. wind speeds 207-260 mph), hit the city of Marion, Illinois and Williamson County. Ten people lost their lives and 200 people were left injured after this tornado ripped across a 17-mile stretch. The Shawnee apartment complex was destroyed and the Marion Ford-Mercury sustained heavy automotive damage. This tornado caused between $50.0 million and $500.0 million in damages. Many lives were saved during this event because there was an 8-15 minute advance warning.
[edit] The Marion Cultural and Civic Center
In 2004 the Marion Civic Center was awarded the Frank Lloyd Wright Award - Special Recognition from the American Institute of Architects, Illinois Chapter, at the organization's annual ceremony.The 35,000-square-foot facility, designed by White and Borgognoni Architects, was completed in June 2004. After a 1997 fire destroyed the city's former civic center, the new facility was crafted using parts of the old Orpheum Theater building.
The grand opening of the Orpheum Theatre was on January 2, 1922. Built in the southwest corner of the downtown square, she was the flag ship of a chain of vaudeville and moving picture theaters constructed to tap into the wealth generated by agriculture and mining in Southern Illinois. the Orpheum Theatre sat over 900, and was ornately decorated in a mix of Renaissance and Neoclassical styles, complete with gold leaf, elaborate plasterwork, and a multicolored terra-cotta facade.
The Orpheum was quite successful until the advent of television. Decreasing profits forced the Orpheum to exclusively be a motion picture theater in the mid-1950s and to close in 1971. The City of Marion purchased the building in 1973 with the intent of constructing a parking lot. The Mayor and the City Council reconsidered their plan when they found that their citizenry was in favor of restoring the old theater for use by the community as a cultural and entertainment center.
During the early morning hours, of March 10, 1997, a blaze quickly raced through the Civic Center, and totally gutted the theater, leaving it a smoldering shell after the blaze was put out. The facade of the Orpheum was salvaged, but the remainder of the theater was razed, and in 2000, it was decided that a new Cultural and Civic Center would be built on the site of the old Orpheum and a couple of other demolished neighboring structures.
[edit] Commerce and industry
Marion, Illinois is located at the intersection of Interstate 57 and State Route 13 in southern Illinois. With Interstate 64 just 30 minutes to the North and Interstate 24 only minutes to the South, Marion offers access to several metropolitan areas such as St. Louis, Chicago, Indianapolis, Memphis, and Nashville without the associated "big city" costs.
From quaint antique stores to a regional shopping mall, residents and vistors will find a wide variety of retail products and services from which to choose.
Marion's growth is phenomenal. It has become the fastest growing town south of St. Louis, and one of the fastest growing cities in Illinois. Its location, at the crossroads of Rt.13 and Interstate 57 make it a prime candidate for future growth. One of the largest Wal-Mart Supercenter Stores in the world opened on September 20, 2006. It measures a staggering 206,000 sq. ft in area, with 36 separate departments and over 500 employees. An equally large Menards store opened on The Hill in November, 2006, adding to further development of Marion's newest commercial district. other restaurants, such as McAlester's Deli, Asian Bistro and 17th Street BBQ are also located here, as well as banks, hotels and stores. The most striking attraction to The Hill is still under construction.
This attraction, a new minor-league baseball stadium is set to open Spring 2007. The Southern Illinois Miners will play in the Frontier League beginning in May. Southern Illinois Baseball Group chairman John Simmons deferred official purchase of the team to his wife, Jayne.
Popular local restaurants in Marion include Walt's, Bennie's, The Asian Bistro, 17th Street Bar and Grill (The only 3-time World Champion in BBQ), La Fiesta, and Tequlias, among many others. Easy access to I-57 has made Marion a market of choice for several popular chain restaurants like Applebee's, Red Lobster, and Cracker Barrel.
Former popular restaurants no longer in business include Tony's Steakhouse, and Pulley's. Pulley's served President George W. Bush BBQ.
[edit] Prison
On October 22, 1983, two prison guards were killed in unrelated incidents in the maximum security prison in Marion. The prison was, at the time, the holding place for the Federal Bureau of Prisons' most dangerous prisoners. Despite this, two inmates were able independently to kill their accompanying guards. Relatively lax security procedures allowed a prisoner, while walking down a hall, to turn to the side and approach a particular cell. An accomplice would subsequently unlock his handcuffs with a stolen key and provide him with a knife.
As a result of the incident, the prison in Marion went into "permanent lockdown," and was completely transformed into a "control unit" prison. This penal construction and operation theory, since named supermax (a portmanteau of super and maximum) calls for the keeping of inmates in solitary confinement between twenty-two and twenty-three hours each day, and does not allow congregate dining, exercising, or religious services. These practices are used as administrative measures to keep prisoners under control.
Following the killings, Norman Carlson, then director of the Federal Bureau of Prisons, successfully persuaded the federal government that a more secure type of prison needed to be designed reasoning that there was a need to isolate uncontrollable prisoners from both guards and each other for the sake of security and personal safety. Marion became a model for the subsequent construction of other facilities around the country built specifically as a control unit prison. So far, the only other supermax-only prison in the federal system is the United States Penitentiary Administrative Maximum Facility, in Florence, Colorado.
[edit] Geography
Marion is located at (37.730363, -88.930237)GR1.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 35.0 km² (13.5 mi²). 33.2 km² (12.8 mi²) of it is land and 1.8 km² (0.7 mi²) of it (5.18%) is water.
[edit] Demographics
As of the censusGR2 of 2000, there were 16,035 people, 6,902 households, and 4,341 families residing in the city. The population density was 482.6/km² (1,250.2/mi²). There were 7,555 housing units at an average density of 227.4/km² (589.0/mi²). The Population of Marion Continues to grow rapidly. A special census done earlier this year shows the city population raising by 500 new citizens.
There were 6,902 households out of which 28.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.0% were married couples living together, 12.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.1% were non-families. 33.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.25 and the average family size was 2.86.
In the city the population was spread out with 22.8% under the age of 18, 8.3% from 18 to 24, 26.5% from 25 to 44, 22.5% from 45 to 64, and 20.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 87.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.4 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $30,364, and the median income for a family was $39,275. Males had a median income of $31,520 versus $22,609 for females. The per capita income for the city was $19,073. About 11.2% of families and 14.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 22.9% of those under age 18 and 10.6% of those age 65 or over.
[edit] External links
- Marion Living Magazine
- 1982 Tornado Report
- Maps and aerial photos
- Street map from Google Maps, or Yahoo! Maps, or Windows Live Local
- Satellite image from Google Maps, Windows Live Local, WikiMapia
- Topographic map from TopoZone
- Aerial image or topographic map from TerraServer-USA
- Marion Daily Republican Newspaper
- Marion Chamber of Commerce
- The Hill
