Marion, Mississippi

Coordinates: 32°25′20″N 88°38′50″W / 32.42222°N 88.64722°W / 32.42222; -88.64722
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Marion, Mississippi
Marion Town Hall and police station
Marion Town Hall and police station
FIPS code
28-45160
GNIS feature ID0673135
Websitewww.marionms.org

Marion is a town in Lauderdale County, Mississippi, United States. It is a northeastern suburb of Meridian, the county seat. The population of Marion was 1,479 at the 2010 census.[2]

History

The town was named for

Reconstruction. Prior to the war, Marion was a prosperous town inhabited by numerous planters and enslaved African Americans. In 1840, it had a drugstore, two blacksmith shops, six dry goods stores, and two academies (one for girls and another for boys). It also had at least one newspaper, the Lauderdale Republican.[4]

In 1850, Congress donated land to Alabama and Mississippi in order to build the Mobile & Ohio Railroad, which bypassed Marion and constructed a station two miles to the southwest in a village called McLemore's Old Field (now the city of Meridian).[4] During the 1850s, land values in Lauderdale County increased by 176 percent, which allowed many non-slaveholding whites to purchase slaves to grow cotton, build roads, and clear the surrounding forests for cultivation. By 1860, Lauderdale County's enslaved population had more than doubled—a fact that fed support for secessionism after the election of Abraham Lincoln.[4] On February 16, 1864, U.S. Army forces commanded by General William T. Sherman raided Marion and destroyed the railroad connecting it to Meridian.[4] In 1870, voters opted to move the county seat from Marion to Meridian, which had expanded rapidly since the end of the Civil War.[4]

Geography

Marion is located in central Lauderdale County at 32°25′20″N 88°38′50″W / 32.42222°N 88.64722°W / 32.42222; -88.64722 (32.422182, -88.647323).[5] It is bordered to the north, west, and south by the city of Meridian. Downtown Meridian is 5 miles (8 km) to the southwest via Dale Drive. U.S. Route 45 passes through the east side of Marion on a four-lane bypass that continues south around Meridian. The bypass ends at the northeast corner of Marion, and US 45 continues north-northeast from there 83 miles (134 km) to Columbus.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 2.9 square miles (7.6 km2), of which 0.01 square miles (0.02 km2), or 0.27%, are water.[6] Sowashee Creek forms the eastern boundary of the town and flows southwest through Meridian to join Okatibbee Creek, part of the Chickasawhay River and ultimately the Pascagoula River watershed.

Demographics

Historical population
CensusPop.Note
1880347
1980771
19901,35976.3%
20001,305−4.0%
20101,47913.3%
20201,75118.4%
U.S. Decennial Census[7]

2020 census

Marion Racial Composition[8]
Race Num. Perc.
White
684 39.06%
Black or African American
922 52.66%
Asian
40 2.28%
Pacific Islander
2 0.11%
Other/Mixed
44 2.51%
Latino
59 3.37%

As of the

2020 United States Census
, there were 1,751 people, 667 households, and 436 families residing in the town.

2000 census

As of the

Latino
of any race were 1.69% of the population.

There were 468 households, out of which 42.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 37.2% were married couples living together, 28.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.6% were non-families. 25.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.50 and the average family size was 3.00.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 28.4% under the age of 18, 11.3% from 18 to 24, 27.4% from 25 to 44, 16.6% from 45 to 64, and 16.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 31 years. For every 100 females, there were 70.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 62.3 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $26,413, and the median income for a family was $28,438. Males had a median income of $27,778 versus $17,303 for females. The

poverty line
, including 50.1% of those under age 18 and 20.5% of those age 65 or over.

Climate

The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the

Köppen Climate Classification system, Marion has a humid subtropical climate, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.[10]

Notable people

References

  1. ^ "2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 24, 2022.
  2. ^ "Total Population: 2010 Census DEC Summary File 1 (P1), Marion town, Mississippi". data.census.gov. U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved March 31, 2020.
  3. ^ "Profile for Marion, Mississippi". ePodunk. Retrieved May 26, 2010.
  4. ^ .
  5. ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. February 12, 2011. Retrieved April 23, 2011.
  6. ^ "U.S. Gazetteer Files: 2019: Places: Mississippi". U.S. Census Bureau Geography Division. Retrieved March 31, 2020.
  7. ^ "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
  8. ^ "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved December 8, 2021.
  9. ^ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
  10. ^ Climate Summary for Marion, Mississippi
  11. ^ Gibbons, Charlie. "Oscar Lee Gray". Encyclopedia of Alabama. Alabama Humanities Alliance. Retrieved December 9, 2022.

External links