Marion, Arkansas

Template:Distinguish Template:Use American English Template:Use mdy dates Template:Infobox settlement Marion is a city in and the county seat of Crittenden County, Arkansas, United States. The population was 12,345 at the 2010 census, a 38.7% increase since 2000.<ref name="quickfacts.census.gov">Template:Cite web</ref> The city is part of the Memphis metropolitan area. It is the second largest city in Crittenden County, behind West Memphis.

History

Early history

Although Marion was incorporated in 1896, the community predates that significantly. The site of Marion was part of Louisiana (New Spain) from 1764 to 1803, when it became Louisiana (New France). Some of the oldest land titles in the area are from Spanish land grants from a time prior to the Louisiana Purchase.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> After the Louisiana Purchase the area was part of the Arkansas Territory. During the 1830s the Trail of Tears (the forced removal of Native Americans from Georgia, Alabama, and Mississippi) passed through the area.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In 1837, two commissioners had been appointed by Crittenden county court to select a site for a new county seat. County residents Marion Tolbert and his wife Temperance gave a deed to the commissioners "for the county of Crittenden for county purposes" on June 25, 1837. A town was laid out and named Marion in honor of the man who gave the land for the site. The town of Marion was officially made the county seat of Crittenden County, Arkansas.<ref name=":0">Biographical and Historical Memoirs of Eastern Arkansas, Goodspeed Publisching, 1890, page 391</ref>

Soon after the county seat was moved from its first location of Greenock on the Mississippi River to Marion, a wooden frame building was constructed in the town for holding court. At an unknown point, the building was destroyed by a tornado.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> In the late 1850s, the first railroad in the state of Arkansas, the Memphis & Little Rock Railroad, laid tracks 5.5 miles south of the town.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

American Civil War and after

During the American Civil War the steamboat Sultana was destroyed in an explosion on April 27, 1865, as it was transporting released Union POWs near Mound City, just east of Marion. It is estimated that 1,500 soldiers and crew were killed, the largest loss of life in a maritime accident in US history. This tragedy is commemorated by a historic marker placed by the Daughters of the American Revolution.

By 1873, construction started on a two-story brick county courthouse in Marion. This building burned in 1908 and was later replaced with the current brick courthouse. The initial contract for the courthouse and jail was $60k, and due to unknown circumstances construction took many years to finish.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name=":0" /> In the 1880s, the town received its first proper railway connection when the St. Louis–San Francisco Railway built a line through the town to make a connection between St. Louis, Missouri and Memphis.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In 1954, a local Black man, Isadore Banks, was murdered by a mob in the town. He was chained to a tree, covered with gasoline and burned. Nobody was ever charged in the killing.<ref name="Isadore Banks eofA">Template:Cite web</ref>

Incorporation

The city of Marion was officially incorporated on March 5, 1896.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Italian settlement

Template:Main articles In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, many Italian immigrants settled in Marion to engage in agricultural work for local plantation owners, such as Will Dockery. Many families later opened various businesses and contributed significantly to the local economy.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Several Italian businesses exist in Marion and the surrounding area, such as Veanos Italian Restaurant<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and Sicily's in West Memphis.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Geography

Template:See also Marion is located in eastern Crittenden County. According to the United States Census Bureau, Marion has a total area of Template:Convert, of which Template:Convert is land and Template:Convert, or 0.37%, is water.<ref name="Census 2010">Template:Cite web</ref> It is bordered by the city of West Memphis to the south and by Sunset and Clarkedale to the north.

Ecologically, Marion is located on the border between the Northern Backswamps (west Marion) and Northern Holocene Meander Belts (east Marion) ecoregions within the larger Mississippi Alluvial Plain. The Northern Backswamps are a network of low-lying overflow areas and floodplains historically dominated by bald cypress, water tupelo, overcup oak, water hickory, and Nuttall oak forest subject to year-round or seasonal inundation. The Northern Holocene Meander Belts are the flat floodplains and former alignments of the Mississippi River, including levees, oxbow lakes, and point bars. Much of the wetlands and riverine habitat have been drained and developed for agricultural or urban land uses.<ref name=ark4>Template:USGS</ref> The Wapanocca National Wildlife Refuge, which preserves some of the year-round flooded bald cypress forest typical of this ecoregion prior to development for row agriculture lies north of Marion.

Marion is Template:Convert west of Memphis, Tennessee, which has a humid subtropical climate. Template:Memphis, Tennessee weatherbox

Notable citizens

Sid Eudy - Pro Wrestler, "Sid Vicious"
John Tate - Heavyweight boxing champion
Asa Hodges - Politician, Slave Holder, and Lawyer

Transportation

File:Military Road Marker US 64 Marion AR.jpg

Historic marker in Marion noting that Military Road (US 64) was used for the Trail of Tears

Major highways

Marion is bisected by Interstate 55/US 61 and is located just to the north of its junction with Interstate 40 prior to their crossing the Mississippi River, en route to Memphis. U.S. Highway 64 is the major east–west route through the town. Arkansas Highway 77 is a major north–south arterial road, east of Interstate 55, and Highway 118 is the major north–south arterial road, west of Interstate 55.

Aviation

Marion is served for general aviation by the West Memphis Municipal Airport (KAWM).<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> General DeWitt Spain Airport is a civil aviation airport just north of downtown Memphis. Memphis International Airport is located south of Memphis; it provides commercial aviation through numerous carriers and is the international cargo hub for FedEx.

Rail

Union Pacific operates a Template:Convert intermodal facility west of Marion.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> BNSF Railway also operates an intermodal yard in Marion.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Limited passenger rail is available on Amtrak at Central Station in nearby Memphis. The City of New Orleans runs twice daily on a north–south route from Chicago to New Orleans.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Water

Crittenden County and West Memphis jointly operate a port on the Mississippi River.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The International Port of Memphis lies just across the Mississippi River via Interstate 55. The International Port of Memphis is the fourth-largest inland port in the United States.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Community

Because of its proximity to Memphis and Interstate highways, Marion offers the activities and enrichment of a large city while maintaining the character of a small community. In addition to the many community events common to any town, each May Marion hosts the Esperanza Bonanza, a festival that includes live music, a barbecue competition, a rodeo, a golf tournament, a carnival, and games for adults & children.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> More recently Marion has begun "Christmas on the Square" in early December co-sponsored by the local Kiwanis Club and the Marion Chamber of Commerce.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Marion is served by the Woolfolk Public Library<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> which is jointly operated by Crittenden County and the city of Marion. It was named in honor of a local author and newspaper editor, Margaret Woolfolk.

Outdoor recreation is a big part of community life, from organized youth sports to individual and family activities. Marion is located less than 1 hour from 12 Arkansas, Tennessee or Mississippi state parks.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Additional outdoor recreation is available at Wapanocca National Wildlife Refuge about Template:Convert north of town. The nearby community of Horseshoe Lake offers opportunity for water sports.

Healthcare

Marion and Crittenden County were served by Crittenden Regional Hospital<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> a 152-bed JCAHO Accredited facility <ref>Template:Cite web</ref> in nearby West Memphis until its closure in 2014. Starting in 2016 Crittenden Regional Hospital was converted into a female correctional facility and renamed East Central Arkansas Community Correction Center.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Marion and Crittenden County have been served by Baptist Memorial Hospital-Crittenden which opened on December 13, 2018.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Demographics

Template:US Census population

2020 census

Marion Racial Composition<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Race	Num.	Perc.
White	7,346	53.42%
Black or African American	5,257	38.23%
Native American	32	0.23%
Asian	191	1.39%
Pacific Islander	6	0.04%
Other/Mixed	492	3.58%
Hispanic or Latino	428	3.11%

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 13,752 people, 4,543 households, and 3,198 families residing in the city.

2010 census

As of the census<ref name="GR2">Template:Cite web</ref> of 2010, there were 12,345 people and 4,278 households in the city. The population density was Template:Convert. The racial makeup of the city was 68.1% White, 28% Black or African American, 0.4% Native American, 1.5% Asian, 1.4% from two or more races. 2.0% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

88% of the population had a high school diploma and 28% reported a bachelor's degree or higher. 2.5% of the population is foreign born and 4.4% report a language other than English being spoken at home. The home ownership rate was 71.3% at a median value of $142,200. The median household income was $60,051. 7.3% of the population are below the poverty line.

Education

Crittenden County is served by Mid-South Community College in West Memphis. The college offers bachelor's and master's degree programs in conjunction with Arkansas State University, the University of Arkansas, the University of Central Arkansas, Arkansas Tech University and Franklin University.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Public schools

The Marion School District serves most of the city while a small portion is zoned to the West Memphis School District.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Marion district schools:

Visual and Performing Arts Magnet School (grades pre-k through 6th grade) (West Memphis)
Math, Science, and Technology Magnet School (grades K through 6th)
Herbert Carter Global Magnet School (grades K through 6th)
Marion Middle School (grade 7)
Marion Jr. High School (grades 8 through 9)
Marion High School (grades 10–12)

The sole high school of the West Memphis district is Academies of West Memphis (formerly West Memphis High School).