Marion, Indiana

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Marion from the air, looking southwest.

Marion is a city located in central Indiana. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 31,320. The city is the county seat of Grant County⁶. It is named for Francis Marion, a Brigadier General from South Carolina in the American Revolutionary War.

The city is the birthplace of James Dean, as well as the birthplace of Jim Davis, the cartoonist of the comic strip Garfield.

1 Geography
2 Demographics
3 History
4 Features
5 Education
- 5.1 Colleges/Universities
6 External links

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Geography

Marion is located at 40°32'57" North, 85°39'53" West (40.549140, -85.664681)¹, 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 is water. The total area is 0.30% water.

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Demographics

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

As of the census² of 2000, there are 31,320 people, 12,462 households, and 7,626 families residing in the city. The population density is 909.2/km² (2,355.5/mi²). There are 13,820 housing units at an average density of 401.2/km² (1,039.4/mi²). The racial makeup of the city is 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. 3.60% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.

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

In the city the population is 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 are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 36 years. For every 100 females there are 88.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 84.1 males.

The median income for a household in the city is $30,440, and the median income for a family is $37,717. Males have a median income of $30,258 versus $23,467 for females. The per capita income for the city is $16,378. 16.9% of the population and 12.6% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 23.8% of those under the age of 18 and 11.3% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.

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History

In 1812, just north of Marion, the Battle of the Mississinewa took place in December of 1812 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 is for being the location for the last organized lynching in the American north. In 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. Since that time, Cameron has continued to be an influential activist for African-American rights. Cameron is the founder of the Black Holocaust Museum. [1]

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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), WGOM (860 AM) and WMRI (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.

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