Marion County, Mississippi

Marion County is a county located in the U.S. state of Mississippi. As of the 2020 census, the population was 24,441.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Its county seat is Columbia.<ref name="GR6">Template:Cite web</ref> Marion County is named for American Revolutionary War guerrilla leader Francis Marion also known as The Swamp Fox.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of Template:Convert, of which Template:Convert is land and Template:Convert (1.1%) is water.<ref name="GR1">Template:Cite web</ref>

Major highways

• File:US 98.svg U.S. Highway 98
• File:Circle sign 13.svg Mississippi Highway 13
• File:Circle sign 35.svg Mississippi Highway 35
• File:Circle sign 43.svg Mississippi Highway 43
• File:Circle sign 44.svg Mississippi Highway 44

Adjacent counties

• Jefferson Davis County (north)
• Lamar County (east)
• Pearl River County (southeast)
• Washington Parish, Louisiana (south)
• Walthall County (west)
• Lawrence County (northwest)

Demographics

Marion County racial composition as of 2020<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Race	Num.	Perc.
White (non-Hispanic)	15,721	64.32%
Black or African American (non-Hispanic)	7,583	31.03%
Native American	42	0.17%
Asian	65	0.27%
Other/Mixed	624	2.55%
Hispanic or Latino	406	1.66%

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 24,441 people, 9,483 households, and 5,863 families residing in the county.

Government and infrastructure

The Mississippi Department of Human Services's Division of Youth Services operated the Columbia Training School in unincorporated Marion County. The facility was closed in 2008.<ref>U.S. Census Bureau profile of Columbia, MS . Retrieved on July 21, 2010.</ref><ref>"Public Appearance Calendar Governor Ronnie Musgrove For the Week of December 31, 2001 Template:Webarchive". Mississippi Department of Archives and History. Retrieved on July 21, 2010. "Columbia Training School 1730 Highway 44 Columbia, MS."</ref>

Politics

Marion County is a Republican stronghold, having only voted for a Democrat once since the 1960s. Its Republican tilt has been increasingly evident in recent years, with the 2024 presidential election showing the strongest Republican support in the county since 1972.

Communities

City

• Columbia (county seat & only incorporated place)

Census-designated places

• Foxworth
• Kokomo

Unincorporated communities

• Bunker Hill
• Cheraw
• Expose, an unincorporated area of Marion County that was founded by Harry Solomon Expose (born 1861), a community leader who owned a general store and served as postmaster.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> Monroe Work's Negro Yearbook listed it among "Negro Towns and Settlements in the United States." Football great Walter Payton's mother Alyne Sibley Payton was born in Expose on January 14, 1926.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
• Good Hope
• Goss
• Hopewell
• Hub
• Morgantown
• Sandy Hook

Education

There are two school districts in the county: Columbia School District and Marion County School District.<ref>Template:Cite web - Text list</ref>

The county is in the service area of Pearl River Community College.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Notable people

• Earl W. Bascom (1906–1995), "Father of Modern Rodeo," Mississippi Rodeo Hall of Fame inductee, producer of Marion County's first rodeo in 1935<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
• Charles C. Bass (1875–1975), "Father of Preventive Dentistry"; researcher in tropical medicine
• Charles Coleman (American football) (born 1963), American football player
• Logan Cooke - NFL punter
• Peggy Dow, American actress
• Walter Payton, American football player

See also

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Marion County, Mississippi

External links

• Marion County Sheriff's Office
• Official website of Marion County
• Mississippi Courthouses – Marion County
• Template:Commons category-inline