Marion, Virginia

Marion is one of only a select few towns^{[citation needed]} to receive designation as an official Virginia Main Street Community and National Main Street Community, and features an attractive and vibrant downtown.^[who?] The nationally-syndicated bluegrass music program "Song of the Mountains" originates from the stage of the restored 1929 Lincoln Theatre, and the companion General Francis Marion Hotel, just up Main Street, has also been completely restored and serves the town as a AAA Three-Diamond "boutique hotel". Marion features local artists, fine arts and musicians, at downtown eateries and shops for the town's ArtWalk, held on the second Friday of each month May through December.

1 Geography
2 Demographics
3 Trivia
4 References
5 External links

[edit] Geography

Marion is located at 36°50′13″N, 81°30′59″W (36.836953, -81.516483)^[4].

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.

[edit] Demographics

As of the census^[1] 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/sq mi (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 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 , 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 median income for a household in the town was $25,609, and the median income for a family was $34,257. Males had a median income of $27,960 versus $22,027 for females. The per capita income for the town was $16,372. About 13.2% of families and 18.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 17.2% of those under age 18 and 17.9% of those age 65 or over.

[edit] Trivia

Sherwood Anderson (1876-1941), American author of the celebrated novel Winesburg, Ohio, is buried at Round Hill Cemetery in Marion. His grave marker reads, Life not death is the great adventure.'[1]

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

Marion is known for being the birthplace of the flavor of Mountain Dew, the soft drink, but the actual drink was created in Knoxville, Tennessee. ^[5]

In 1965, after graduating from Alvin High School, one of Major League Baseball's Hall of Famer 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 he was pitching in the major leagues, debuting with the Mets in 1968.

Resident Steve "Chicken" Morris was a contestant on Survivor: China. He was the first contestant voted out.

As well as being the gateway for Hungry Mother State Park, Marion is the home to the historic Lincoln Theater, one of only three remaining Mayan revival theaters in America.