Marion, Virginia

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Marion, VA


Founded	1849
State	Virginia
County	Smyth
Mayor	David Helms
http://www.marionva.org/

Marion is a town in Smyth County, Virginia, United States. The population was 6,349 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Smyth County^GR6.

1 Geography
2 Demographics
3 Trivia
4 External links

[edit] Geography

Marion is located at 36°50′13″N, 81°30′59″W (36.836953, -81.516483)^GR1.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 10.7 km² (4.2 mi²), all land.

[edit] Demographics

As of the census^GR2 of 2000, there were 6,349 people, 2,647 households, and 1,614 families residing in the town. The population density was 590.7/km² (1,528.3/mi²). There were 2,865 housing units at an average density of 266.6/km² (689.6/mi²). The racial makeup of the town was 91.98% White, 5.94% African American, 0.24% Native American, 0.52% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.38% from other races, and 0.93% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.13% of the population.

There were 2,647 households out of which 24.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.6% were married couples living together, 14.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.0% were non-families. 36.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 19.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.13 and the average family size was 2.76.

In the town the population was spread out with 19.4% under the age of 18, 9.7% from 18 to 24, 26.0% from 25 to 44, 24.2% from 45 to 64, and 20.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 88.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.2 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $25,609, and the median income for a family was $34,257. Males had a median income of $27,960 versus $22,027 for females. The per capita income for the town was $16,372. About 13.2% of families and 18.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 17.2% of those under age 18 and 17.9% of those age 65 or over.

[edit] Trivia

Sherwood Anderson (1876-1941), American author of the celebrated novel Winesburg, Ohio, is buried at Round Hill Cemetery in Marion. Click on the link below for an image of his grave marker with the inscription, "LIFE NOT DEATH IS THE GREAT ADVENTURE." http://spec.lib.vt.edu/imagebase/civilwar/full/LHDAVIS0001.jpg [Credit: Virginia Polytechnic Institute]

The town is named for American Revolutionary War officer Francis Marion.

Marion College, a two-year Lutheran women's college, operated here from 1873 to 1967. Marion Hall, constructed in 1968 and named in honor of Marion College, is a women's residence hall at Roanoke College.

Marion is known for being the birthplace of Mountain Dew, the soft drink.

In 1965, after graduating from Alvin High School, one of Major League Baseball's Hall of Famer pitchers Nolan Ryan signed a professional baseball contract with the New York Mets, and was assigned to a minor league team in the Appalachian League called the Marion Mets (1965-1976) in Marion, Virginia. Three years later he was pitching in the major leagues, debuting with the Mets in 1968.