Marion, Virginia
Encyclopedia
Marion is a town in Smyth County
, Virginia
, United States
. The population was 5,968 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat
of Smyth County
. The town is named for American Revolutionary War
officer Francis Marion
.
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 also been completely restored and serves the town as a AAA Three-Diamond boutique hotel. The town also hosts ArtWalk with local artists and musicians, held on the second Friday of each month May through December.
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 near 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.
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 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.
, 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 Mountain Dew
, the soft drink, but the actual drink was created in Knoxville, Tennessee
. 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; that mixture was formulated in Marion. Therefore, the trademarked name Mountain Dew can be credited to Knoxville, but the actual drink is really a product of Marion. Marion also used to host the mountain dew festival for over 50 years until recently 4 years ago the school got a new band director.
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.
(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." The house he shared with his wife, Eleanor Copenhaver Anderson, known as "Rosemont" was torn down to build a new fire station.
Bill Jones invented the soft drink Mountain Dew in Marion.
Resident Steve "Chicken" Morris was a contestant on Survivor: China
. He was the first contestant voted out.
Smyth County, Virginia
As of the census of 2000, there were 33,081 people, 13,493 households, and 9,607 families residing in the county. The population density was 73 people per square mile . There were 15,111 housing units at an average density of 33 per square mile...
, Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The population was 5,968 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat
County seat
A county seat is an administrative center, or seat of government, for a county or civil parish. The term is primarily used in the United States....
of Smyth County
Smyth County, Virginia
As of the census of 2000, there were 33,081 people, 13,493 households, and 9,607 families residing in the county. The population density was 73 people per square mile . There were 15,111 housing units at an average density of 33 per square mile...
. The town is named for American Revolutionary War
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
officer Francis Marion
Francis Marion
Francis Marion was a military officer who served in the American Revolutionary War. Acting with Continental Army and South Carolina militia commissions, he was a persistent adversary of the British in their occupation of South Carolina in 1780 and 1781, even after the Continental Army was driven...
.
Tourism
Marion is one of only a few towns to receive designation as an official Virginia Main Street Community and National Main Street Community. The Lincoln Theatre (www.thelincoln.org), a meticulously renovated Art-Deco Mayan RevivalMayan Revival
The Mayan Revival is a modern architectural movement, primarily of the 1920s and 30s, that drew inspiration from the architecture and iconography of pre-Columbian Mesoamerican cultures.- Origins :...
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 also been completely restored and serves the town as a AAA Three-Diamond boutique hotel. The town also hosts ArtWalk with local artists and musicians, held on the second Friday of each month May through December.
Geography
Marion is located at 36°50′N 81°31′W (36.8370, -81.5165).According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the town has a total area of 4.2 square miles (10.7 km²), all of it land.
Marion is near Hungry Mother State Park
Hungry Mother State Park
Hungry Mother State Park in southwestern Virginia is noted for its woodlands and lake. Easily accessible from Interstate 81, this park has folklore and history, swimming, camping, cabin rentals, boat rentals, hiking and the park system’s first conference center, Hemlock Haven.Much of the land for...
.
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.
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 6,349 people, 2,647 households, and 1,614 families residing in the town. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
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
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, 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
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
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
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
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.
History
Marion CollegeMarion College, Virginia
Marion College was a Lutheran junior women's college that operated in Marion, Virginia from 1873 to 1967.Roanoke College, a sister Lutheran college, adopted Marion's alumnae and maintains their records. Marion's alumnae have a reunion every other year on the Roanoke campus...
, a two-year Lutheran women's college
Women's college
Women's colleges in higher education are undergraduate, bachelor's degree-granting institutions, often liberal arts colleges, whose student populations are composed exclusively or almost exclusively of women...
, 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
Roanoke College
Roanoke College is an private, coeducational, four-year liberal-arts college affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. The college is located in Salem, Virginia, a suburban independent city adjacent to Roanoke, Virginia...
.
Marion is known for being the birthplace of Mountain Dew
Mountain Dew
Mountain Dew is a citrus-flavored carbonated soft drink brand produced and owned by PepsiCo. The original formula was invented in the 1940s by Tennessee beverage bottlers Barney and Ally Hartman and was first marketed in Marion, VA, Knoxville and Johnson City, Tennessee. A revised formula was...
, the soft drink, but the actual drink was created in Knoxville, Tennessee
Knoxville, Tennessee
Founded in 1786, Knoxville is the third-largest city in the U.S. state of Tennessee, U.S.A., behind Memphis and Nashville, and is the county seat of Knox County. It is the largest city in East Tennessee, and the second-largest city in the Appalachia region...
. 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; that mixture was formulated in Marion. Therefore, the trademarked name Mountain Dew can be credited to Knoxville, but the actual drink is really a product of Marion. Marion also used to host the mountain dew festival for over 50 years until recently 4 years ago the school got a new band director.
In 1965, after graduating from Alvin High School, one of Major League Baseball's Hall of Famer pitchers, Nolan Ryan
Nolan Ryan
Lynn Nolan Ryan, Jr. , nicknamed "The Ryan Express", is a former Major League Baseball pitcher. He is currently principal owner, president and CEO of the Texas Rangers....
, signed a professional baseball contract with the New York Mets
New York Mets
The New York Mets are a professional baseball team based in the borough of Queens in New York City, New York. They belong to Major League Baseball's National League East Division. One of baseball's first expansion teams, the Mets were founded in 1962 to replace New York's departed National League...
, and was assigned to a minor league team in the Appalachian League
Appalachian League
The Appalachian League is a Rookie-class minor league that began play in 1937 with one year of inactivity in 1956. From 1937 to 1962, it was a Class D League. Teams are located in the Appalachian regions of Virginia, North Carolina, West Virginia and Tennessee...
called the Marion Mets
Marion Mets
The Marion Mets were a minor league baseball team based in Marion, Virginia that played in the Appalachian League from 1965 to 1976. They were affiliated with the New York Mets and played their home games at the Marion High School baseball field....
(1965–1976) in Marion, Virginia. Three years later he was pitching in the major leagues, debuting with the Mets in 1968.
Notable residents
Sherwood AndersonSherwood Anderson
Sherwood Anderson was an American novelist and short story writer. His most enduring work is the short story sequence Winesburg, Ohio. Writers he has influenced include Ernest Hemingway, William Faulkner, John Steinbeck, J. D. Salinger, and Amos Oz.-Early life:Anderson was born in Clyde, Ohio,...
(1876–1941), American author of the celebrated novel Winesburg, Ohio
Winesburg, Ohio
Winesburg is an unincorporated community in southwestern Paint Township, Holmes County, Ohio, United States. The town sits on the crest of a hill in the Amish country of Ohio, with a quaint downtown containing antique shops. It lies along U.S. Route 62....
, is buried at Round Hill Cemetery in Marion. His grave marker reads, "Life not death is the great adventure." The house he shared with his wife, Eleanor Copenhaver Anderson, known as "Rosemont" was torn down to build a new fire station.
Bill Jones invented the soft drink Mountain Dew in Marion.
Resident Steve "Chicken" Morris was a contestant on Survivor: China
Survivor: China
Survivor: China is the fifteenth season of the American CBS competitive reality television series Survivor. The premiere aired September 20, 2007. Host Jeff Probst claimed the show was the first full American TV series to be filmed entirely within China...
. He was the first contestant voted out.