Marion, Mississippi facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Marion, Mississippi
Town
Marion Town Hall and police station
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Location of Marion, Mississippi
Marion, Mississippi Location in the United States
Country	United States
State	Mississippi
County	Lauderdale
Area
• Total	3.62 sq mi (9.38 km2)
• Land	3.61 sq mi (9.36 km2)
• Water	0.01 sq mi (0.02 km2)
Elevation	367 ft (112 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	1,751
• Density	484.50/sq mi (187.07/km2)
Time zone	UTC-6 (Central (CST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP code	39342
Area code(s)	601
FIPS code	28-45160
GNIS feature ID	0673135

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.

History

The town was named for Francis Marion, a military leader known as the "Swamp Fox". Marion was Lauderdale County's seat from its founding to 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.

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). 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. On February 16, 1864, U.S. Army forces commanded by General William T. Sherman raided Marion and destroyed the railroad connecting it to Meridian. In 1870, voters opted to move the county seat from Marion to Meridian, which had expanded rapidly since the end of the Civil War.

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). 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. 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

2020 census

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

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.

Notable people

• Oscar Lee Gray, member of the United States House of Representatives from 1915 to 1919

See also

In Spanish: Marion (Misisipi) para niños