Marion, Virginia

Town of Marion, Virginia
Town
The Lincoln Theatre in Marion, Virginia.
Seal
Motto(s):  America's Coolest Hometown
Marion Location in the Commonwealth of Virginia Marion Marion (the United States) Show map of VirginiaShow map of the United StatesShow all
Coordinates: 36°50′N 81°31′W / 36.833°N 81.517°W / 36.833; -81.517Coordinates: 36°50′N 81°31′W / 36.833°N 81.517°W / 36.833; -81.517
Country	United States
State	Virginia
County	Smyth
Government
• Mayor	David Helms
Area [1]
• Town	4.16 sq mi (10.76 km2)
• Land	4.13 sq mi (10.69 km2)
• Water	0.03 sq mi (0.08 km2)
Population  (2010)
• Town	6,350
• Estimate  (2020)[2]	5,955
• Density	1,347.31/sq mi (520.25/km2)
• Metro	Approximately 15,500 total population
Time zone	UTC−5 (EST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
ZIP code	24354
Area code(s)	276
FIPS code	51-49464[3]
GNIS feature ID	1498513[4]
Website	www.marionva.org

Marion is a town in and the county seat of Smyth County, Virginia, United States. Conveniently positioned upon Interstate 81, Marion is easily accessible. Located in the Blue Ridge portion of the Southern Appalachian mountains in Southwest Virginia, the general Marion area is well known for its scenic beauty.^[5] The town is named for American Revolutionary War officer Francis Marion. The town limits had a population of approximately 6,000, per 2020 Census estimates. However, an additional 9,000 residents in unincorporated Smyth County have Marion mailing addresses, giving the Marion, VA ZIP code (24354) a population of over 15,000, which is about half of the county's total population.

Tourism[]

Marion is one of a few towns to be designated as an official Virginia Main Street Community and National Main Street Community. The Lincoln Theatre, a meticulously renovated Art-Deco Mayan Revival-style performing arts center in Marion, is the home of the nationally syndicated bluegrass music program Song of the Mountains. The General Francis Marion Hotel has been completely restored. It is a boutique hotel that has received an AAA Three-Diamond ranking. The town hosts a monthly ArtWalk with local artists and musicians, held on the second Friday of each month in May through December.

Geography[]

Marion, Virginia is notorious for being the location of two large side-by-side ground storage water tower tanks, which are separately labeled "HOT" (in red letters) and "COLD" (in blue). The landmarks, positioned just off of Marion exit 47, are visible to both north and south bound Interstate 81 traffic lanes.

Marion is located at

36°50′N 81°31′W / 36.833°N 81.517°W / 36.833; -81.517 (36.8370, −81.5165).^[6]

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

Marion is home to world renowned Hungry Mother State Park.

Marion holds the state record low for the month of May at 15 degrees and the second lowest recorded April temperature in the state at 10.

Marion is also located approximately halfway between Nashville and Washington, DC

Demographics[]

Historical population
Census	Pop.		%±
1860	445		—
1870	368		−17.3%
1880	919		149.7%
1890	1,651		79.7%
1900	2,045		23.9%
1910	2,727		33.3%
1920	3,253		19.3%
1930	4,156		27.8%
1940	5,177		24.6%
1950	6,982		34.9%
1960	8,385		20.1%
1970	8,158		−2.7%
1980	7,287		−10.7%
1990	6,858		−5.9%
2000	6,500		−5.2%
2010	6,350		−2.3%
2020 (est.)	5,955	[2]	−6.2%
source:[7]

As of the census^[3] of 2000, there were 6,349 people, 2,647 households, and 1,614 families residing in the town. The population density was 1,528.3 people per square mile (590.7/km²). There were 2,865 housing units at an average density of 689.6 per square mile (266.6/km²). 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 current (2020) median income for a household in the town is $52,652.

History[]

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

Sherwood Anderson (1876-1941), the well-known American author who strongly influenced the style of writing in the United States between World Wars I and II, was a Marion, Virginia resident for several years, and is buried in the town's Round Hill Cemetery. His writing greatly influenced and impacted other notable authors such as Ernest Hemingway and William Faulkner, both of whom owe the first publication of their books directly to his efforts.

William Pat Jennings (August 20, 1919 - August 2, 1994) 28th Clerk of the United States House of Representatives. ^[8]

Marion is known for being the birthplace of the soft drink Mountain Dew, but the original drink was created in Knoxville, Tennessee.^[9] Although Mountain Dew was first marketed under that name in Knoxville, the original soft drink's formula changed drastically from Knoxville's formula to the syrup mixture that constitutes today's drink. In 1961, the rights to Mountain Dew were purchased by the Marion-based Tip Corporation. The Mountain Dew flavor was reworked by Marion resident William H. "Bill" Jones. Due to the success of the revised formulation, the Pepsi Corporation purchased the Tip Corporation in 1964.^[10][11] Marion also hosted the Mountain Dew Festival for more than 50 years.^[12]

In 1965, after graduating from Alvin High School, one of Major League Baseball's Hall of Fame 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 Ryan pitched in the major leagues, debuting with the Mets in 1968.

Another notable Major League Baseball pitcher, relief pitcher William E. "Billy" Wagner, has close ties to Marion. Billy Wagner was born in Marion, Virginia on July 25, 1971, spent the majority of his youth as a Marion resident, and continues to possess many relatives who reside in town. The seven time All-Star is one of only six relief pitchers in Major League Baseball history to accumulate a career (1995-2010) total of 400 or more saves.

In 2014 Marion, Virginia officially became the home of the Emory and Henry College School of Health Sciences, located primarily in the former Smyth County Community Hospital building.

Katherine Johnson (also known as Katherine Goble, August 26, 1918 – February 24, 2020), an American NASA mathematician whose calculations were crucial to the success of US crewed spaceflights, began her distinguished career by accepting her first job as a teacher at a black public school (The Carnegie school) in Marion in 1937. Her many accolades included the Presidential Medal of Freedom, awarded to her by President Barack Obama in 2015, and the portrayal of her by Taraji P. Henson as a lead character in the 2016 film Hidden Figures.

Back of the Dragon, which has quickly grown into one of the premier riding roads for motorcycles and sports cars in the nation, begins in Marion, Virginia, ending at the town of Tazewell, VA. The 32 mile route, which crosses 3 mountains, boasts approximately 435 curves, over 3,500 feet in elevation, and remarkably picturesque scenery.

R. T. Greer and Company, Henderson Building, Hotel Lincoln, Hungry Mother State Park Historic District, Lincoln Theatre, Marion Historic District, Marion Male Academy, Norfolk & Western Railway Depot, Preston House, and the Abijah Thomas House are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.^[13]

Climate[]

The climate in this area has mild differences between highs and lows, and there is adequate rainfall year-round. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Marion has a humid subtropical, abbreviated "Cfb" on climate maps.^[14]

References[]