Marion Center, Pennsylvania facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Marion Center, Pennsylvania
Borough
Location of Marion Center in Indiana County, Pennsylvania.
Marion Center, Pennsylvania Location in Pennsylvania Show map of Pennsylvania Marion Center, Pennsylvania Location in the United States Show map of the United States
Country	United States
State	Pennsylvania
County	Indiana
Settled	1841
Incorporated	1869
Government
• Type	Borough Council
Area
• Total	0.74 sq mi (1.92 km2)
• Land	0.74 sq mi (1.92 km2)
• Water	0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2)
Elevation	1,283 ft (391 m)
Population  (2010)
• Total	451
• Estimate  (2019)	418
• Density	562.58/sq mi (217.18/km2)
Time zone	UTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-4 (EDT)
Zip code	15759
Area code(s)	724, 878
FIPS code	42-47472

Marion Center is a small town, also called a borough, in Indiana County, Pennsylvania, United States. In 2010, about 451 people lived there. It's a quiet place with a rich history.

History of Marion Center

How Marion Center Began

The town of Marion Center was first planned out by a man named John Park in 1841. He named it Marion after a famous hero from the American Revolutionary War, General Francis Marion. The very first advertisements for land lots in Marion Center appeared in a newspaper called the Indiana Register on September 1, 1841.

Marion Center officially became a borough in June 1869. For a while, its post office had a different name, "Brady Post Office." But on December 26, 1890, both the town and the post office were finally called Marion Center.

Trains and Community Life

In the early 1900s, trains became a big part of life in Marion Center. A railway company bought the Buffalo, Rochester, and Pittsburgh Railway. Train tracks were laid near Marion Center in 1902, and trains started running through the town by April 1903. The first passenger train arrived on May 3, 1904. These trains helped people travel and goods move in and out of the town. The last train, known as the Hoodlbug, left Marion Center on June 10, 1950.

Marion Center was a lively place in the late 1800s and early 1900s. There were two hotels on Main Street. The Hotel Marion, built in 1879, had 15 rooms. The Mahoning House was another hotel that opened in 1904. The town also had a dentist's office, a pharmacy, and several stores, including a large general store.

Schools in Marion Center

Education has always been important in Marion Center. In the early 1900s, a summer school called a normal school operated in the borough. Students could take a 12-week course to learn how to become teachers. If they passed an exam, they could teach in local schools.

The very first school in Marion Center was a log building built in 1834. It later burned down. A second school was built on the same spot in 1848, and a third in the 1860s. This site later became home to the area's high school from 1916 to 1929. Today, this spot is a public park named after a local artist, Linton Park.

Geography of Marion Center

Location and Area

Marion Center is located at 40°46′11″N 79°2′57″W / 40.76972°N 79.04917°W / 40.76972; -79.04917. It has a zip code of 15759 and is part of area code 724.

The United States Census Bureau says that Marion Center covers about 0.8 square miles (2.1 square kilometers) of land. There is no water area within the borough limits.

Streets and Connections

Pennsylvania Route 403 runs right through the middle of Marion Center. It enters the town from the south and becomes Manor Street. Then it turns west onto Main Street. This route ends just west of the borough at U.S. Route 119. The two main streets, Manor Street (north-south) and Main Street (east-west), cross each other.

Marion Center is connected to nearby villages like Deckers Point, Dixonville, and Rochester Mills by different roads. While U.S. Route 119 doesn't go through Marion Center, it connects the town to larger areas like Indiana to the south and Punxsutawney to the north.

Waterways

A small stream, which is a branch of Pine Run, flows through Marion Center. It generally runs from east to west. This stream has two smaller streams that flow into it. All these small waterways usually have water in them all year round. Pine Run eventually connects to Crooked Creek, which then flows into the Allegheny River about five miles (8 km) south of Marion Center.

Population of Marion Center

According to the census of 2010, Marion Center had 451 people living there. There were 173 households, which are groups of people living together, and 129 families. The town had about 605 people per square mile.

Most of the people in Marion Center were White (98.9%). A small number were African American, Asian, or American Indian.

Many households (41%) had children under 18 living with them. About 58.4% of households were married couples. The average household had about 2.61 people.

The population was spread out by age. About 31.9% of the people were under 19 years old. About 11.5% were 65 years or older. The average age in the town was 37 years. Slightly more than half of the population (53.7%) were female.

Education in Marion Center

Marion Center is part of the Marion Center Area School District. The high school, called Marion Center Area High School, and the elementary school, W.A. McCreery Elementary School, are located just west of the borough. There are no colleges or universities directly within the town itself.

Images for kids

• 

  Map of Buffalo, Rochester, and Pittsburgh Railway, 1907. Marion Center is located in the spur to the right of Pittsburgh just south of the Indiana Junction.

• 

  Main Street in Marion Center as viewed from US 119. Marion Center Area High School is located on the left and the East Mahoning Community Park is on the right.

See also

In Spanish: Marion Center (Pensilvania) para niños