Marion is a city in and the

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...

McDowell County, North Carolina McDowell County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 44,578. Its county seat is Marion. McDowell County comprises the Marion, NC Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is also incl ...

, United States. Founded in 1844, the city was named in honor of Brigadier General Francis Marion, the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was the armed conflict that comprised the final eight years of the broader American Revolution, in which Am ...

Hero whose talent in guerrilla warfare earned him the name "Swamp Fox". Marion's Main Street Historic District is listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

. The population was 7,717 at the 2020 Census.

Geography

According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the city has a total area of .

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 7,717 people, 2,844 households, and 1,879 families residing in the city.

2010 census

As of the 2010 Census, there were 7,838 people, 2,146 households, and 1,283 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 2,351 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 83.23%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 10.54%

Black Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''P ...

, 0.28% Native American, 1.05% Asian, 0.04%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...

, 3.82% from other races, and 1.03% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race were 7.04% of the population. There were 2,146 households, out of which 24.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.1% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 14.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.2% were non-families. 37.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 20.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.19 and the average family size was 2.84. In the city, the population was spread out, with 20.7% under the age of 18, 8.1% from 18 to 24, 27.5% from 25 to 44, 23.0% from 45 to 64, and 20.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 82.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 79.6 males. The median income for a household in the city was $24,753, and the median income for a family was $35,463. Males had a median income of $25,403 versus $21,671 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the city was $16,569. About 12.6% of families and 17.3% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 23.5% of those under age 18 and 21.8% of those age 65 or over.

Climate

With an elevation of , Marion's climate is fairly warm during summer (which are typically longer than lower elevation areas in the United States that get the same average high and low temperatures in the summer), when temperatures tend to be in the 80s °F (high 20s °C) and 90s °F (30s °C), and moderately cold during the winter, with temperatures typically in the 30s (-0-+5 °C) and 40s (5-10 °C). The annual average precipitation at Marion is . Rainfall is fairly evenly distributed throughout the year, with the wettest month of the year being March with an average rainfall of . Royphoto

History

Marion, the county seat of McDowell County, was planned and built on land selected by the first McDowell County Commissioners on March 14, 1844 at the Historic Carson House on Buck Creek. It was not until 1845, however, that the official name of Marion was sanctioned as the county seat by the state legislature. The name of Marion came from Brigadier General Francis Marion, the

hero, known as the "Swamp Fox" and the man upon whom the movie ''The Patriot'' was based. Marion was also home to Sgt. Daniel Kanipe, one of only two survivors of the

Battle of Little Bighorn The Battle of the Little Bighorn, known to the Lakota and other Plains Indians as the Battle of the Greasy Grass, and commonly referred to as Custer's Last Stand, was an armed engagement between combined forces of the Lakota Sioux, Northern C ...

. An historical marker was placed in front of his former home in 2011. The nearby Lake James is a local tourist attraction, and has been the backdrop for movies such as ''The Last of the Mohicans'' and ''The Hunt for Red October''. Another famous house in Marion is the Joseph McDowell House, built in 1787 by the county's namesake, Joseph McDowell. McDowell played a large role in the

Battle of Cowpens The Battle of Cowpens was a military engagement during the American Revolutionary War fought on January 17, 1781, near the town of Cowpens, South Carolina. American Patriot (American Revolution), Patriot forces, estimated at 2,000 militia and reg ...

when he helped defeat the British in January 1781. McDowell went on to serve as a member of the North Carolina Constitutional Convention in 1788 and was a member of the 3rd United States Congress. Restoration plans are underway to preserve this historic house and ensure that it remains a vital part of Marion's history. In 2010, the Joseph McDowell Greenway opened to the public along the

Catawba River The Catawba River is a major river located in the Southeastern United States. It originates in Western North Carolina and flows into South Carolina, where it later becomes known as the Wateree River. The river is approximately 220 miles (350&nbs ...

, and will soon link the two most historic homes in McDowell County, the Joseph McDowell House and the Carson House. The Big Fire Until the late 19th century, Main Street was a collection of mostly wooden huts, houses, and buildings. On Sunday morning, November 25, 1894 a fire sprang up in an old building known as the "Ark" located behind the Courthouse. The fire spread to Main Street and rushed down the street at an incredible pace. The wooden buildings were quickly consumed by the enormous inferno. The few brick buildings on Main Street were also gutted, and because there was no public water supply, bucket brigades were hurriedly formed to halt the advance of the fire. It was not enough, however, and most of Main Street was burned to the ground. Showing the resiliency possessed by the citizens, the city came together and took on the rebuilding process, making Marion larger and stronger than before. Today, downtown Marion is listed in the

. Depression Era & Labor Conflict On Oct. 2, 1929, the McDowell County sheriff and several deputies faced a group of workers outside the fence in front of the Marion Manufacturing Company, whose 600 employees had been on strike for four months. A gunfight quickly ensued between the two groups. Sheriff Oscar Adkins would later swear in court that the strikers opened fire first, although no weapons were ever found on any of the strikers. 36 strikers were shot, six mortally, during the confrontation.

Sinclair Lewis Harry Sinclair Lewis (February 7, 1885 – January 10, 1951) was an American novelist, short-story writer, and playwright. In 1930 Nobel Prize in Literature, 1930, he became the first author from the United States (and the first from the America ...

wrote a syndicated newspaper report entitled "Cheap and Contented Labor: The Picture of the Southern Mill Town." He concluded: "The workers, especially in Marion, have become discouraged. They are hungry, tired, bewildered. They are sick of being shot down. Unless the whole country encourages them inancially they will crawl back into the slavery I have sought to picture here." However, since the

Great Depression The Great Depression was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank and ...

was in the immediate future, little such help would arrive. Historic District Eleven structures make up the Main Street Historic District in the downtown area, which was listed on the

in 1991. Four churches, St. John's Episcopal Church (1882), First Baptist (1914),

First Presbyterian First most commonly refers to: * First, the ordinal form of the number 1 First or 1st may also refer to: Acronyms * Faint Images of the Radio Sky at Twenty-Centimeters, an astronomical survey carried out by the Very Large Array * Far Infrared a ...

(1923), and St. Matthew's Lutheran Church (1935); two former hotels, the Eagle Hotel, which survived the 1894 fire, and the Hotel Marianna (1910); a bank on Main Street built in 1903; the McDowell County Courthouse, which was constructed in 1928; the Marion Depot (1867), which is the oldest surviving depot on the Western Rail Line; the Public Library (1937), which was originally built as a post office; and the Marion Community Building, built in 1937. Also listed on the National Register of Historic Places are the Depot Historic District, Carson House, Carson–Young House, and Lone Beech. Downtown Marion has benefited from recent revitalization, and many new shops, restaurants, and taprooms have opened up along Main Street in recent years. Marion Today Marion currently stands as a small congenial town at the edge of the

Blue Ridge Mountains The Blue Ridge Mountains are a Physiographic regions of the United States, physiographic province of the larger Appalachian Highlands range. The mountain range is located in the Eastern United States and extends 550 miles southwest from southern ...

, "Where Main Street Meets the Mountains." Just off

Interstate 40 Interstate 40 (I-40) is a major east–west transcontinental Interstate Highway System, Interstate Highway in the Southeastern United States, southeastern and Southwestern United States, southwestern portions of the United States. At a leng ...

, Marion is located approximately east of

Asheville Asheville ( ) is a city in Buncombe County, North Carolina, United States. Located at the confluence of the French Broad and Swannanoa rivers, it is the county seat of Buncombe County. It is the most populous city in Western North Carolina a ...

and west of Morganton. Marion was named "North Carolina Small Town of the Year" for 2018 from the N.C. Rural Center. The Small Town of the Year Award recognizes a town or small city “that embraces citizen engagement, values diversity, and fosters strong partnerships.” Marion serves as a gateway from Interstate 40 to many nearby attractions and recreation activities in the

. A contemporary rest area located on the

US 221 U.S. Route 221 (US 221) is a spur of U.S. Route 21. It travels from Perry, Florida, at US 19/ US 98/ US 27 Alternate to Lynchburg, Virginia, at US 29 Business ( Lynchburg Expressway). It travels through the st ...

bypass west of Marion serves as a welcome center for visitors to the area. The rest area and visitor center is staffed with travel counselors during daylight hours. In addition to providing visitor information, it also has picnic facilities and vending machines on the premises. The Marion Marauders, a Tar Heel League baseball club, were a favorite local attraction in the 1940s and 1950s, and were the home team of star pitcher Kelly Jack Swift, who in 1953 became the last minor league pitcher to ever win 30 games in a season, going 30–7 with a 2.54 ERA. ''

Sports Illustrated ''Sports Illustrated'' (''SI'') is an American sports magazine first published in August 1954. Founded by Stuart Scheftel, it was the first magazine with a circulation of over one million to win the National Magazine Award for General Excellen ...

'' published an article about Swift and his accomplishment in its October 17, 2011 edition. Former

University of North Carolina Tar Heels The North Carolina Tar Heels (also Carolina Tar Heels) are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The name Tar Heel is a nickname used to refer to individuals from the state of North ...

basketball coach and 2007

Basketball Hall of Fame The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame is an American history museum and hall of fame, located at 1000 Hall of Fame Avenue in Springfield, Massachusetts. It serves as basketball's most complete library, in addition to promoting and pres ...

inductee Roy Williams was born and spent a part of his childhood in Marion. On July 18, 2011, the town held a ceremony to dedicate a

Carolina blue Carolina blue (occasionally referred to as Tar Heel blue or Dialectic blue) is the shade of blue used as one of the official school colors of the University of North Carolina. Background The name is derived from the popular usage of "Carolin ...

historical marker downtown in front of City Hall, listing Marion as the birthplace of Coach Williams, as well as his many awards and accomplishments. Marion continues to be a community that values athletics, especially the "Fightin' Titans" of McDowell High, whose girls' basketball team won the 1992 North Carolina 4A State Championship. McDowell County and the City of Marion is protected by the Marion Police Department as well as the McDowell County Sheriffs Office. Marion’s current Police Chief is Allen Lawrence, while the McDowell County Sheriff is Ricky Buchanan. The Marion Fire department Provides fire protection and a Medium level rescue response throughout its district while also receiving assistance from outlying volunteer department mutual aid responses within as well as outside the county. The McDowell County Rescue Squad and Ambulance Inc provides rescue services both to the city of Marion and the county as a whole while McDowell County EMS provides paramedic level EMS coverage.

Education

McDowell Technical Community College is located here. Grades Kindergarten through the 5th grade are available to students typically based geographically as to where they reside in the county. Those elementary schools are: Glenwood, Marion, Nebo, North Cove, Pleasant Gardens, Old Fort, Eastfield and West Marion. The county is also host to two middle schools which are funneled into by the elementary schools. The two middle schools are East McDowell Middle School and West McDowell Middle School, hosting 6th-8th Grade. Upon completion of the 8th Grade, students have the opportunity of attending McDowell High School or choosing between the McDowell Academy for Innovation or the McDowell Early College. Both of which are hosted by McDowell Technical Community College.

Attractions

The city operates three parks in Marion, the main one being downtown beside the Community Building. In 2010, the City opened the Joseph McDowell Historical Catawba Greenway. Named in honor of the county's namesake, Colonel Joseph McDowell, the greenway follows the flow of the

. Benches, picnic tables, fitness stations, fishing piers, and a canoe launch are scattered throughout the three-mile trail. Access points are located at Highway 70 between Highway 221/226 By-Pass and Roby Conley Road, as well as a parking lot at the opposite end behind the Joseph McDowell House. Historic homes such as the Carson House and the Joseph McDowell House have been preserved to keep the history of Marion alive for decades. They have been open weekdays to the public, but the McDowell House is closed during restoration. In downtown Marion, the restored Marion Depot, the oldest surviving depot on the Western Rail Line, hosts a number of community events each month, and is available for rental to individuals and groups for meetings, receptions, parties, and other functions. Several golf courses are located outside town, in addition to two waterparks and numerous campgrounds. Downtown Marion’s most recent change has been the renovation of the Former West Rock plant into a community business complex which plays host to a municipal events center, several business and restaurants. In 2023 the Miller Complex hosted famous musician

Oliver Anthony Christopher Anthony Lunsford (born 30 June 1992), known professionally as Oliver Anthony Music (or simply Oliver Anthony), is an American singer and songwriter from Farmville, Virginia. In August 2023, he released the single " Rich Men North o ...

who became widely known for his song “Rich Men North of Richmond” Nearby Lake James provides fishing, camping, and recreation for residents of McDowell and

Burke Burke (; ) is a Normans in Ireland, Norman-Irish surname, deriving from the ancient Anglo-Norman and Hiberno-Norman noble dynasty, the House of Burgh. In Ireland, the descendants of William de Burgh (''circa'' 1160–1206) had the surname'' de B ...

counties. Lake Tahoma,

Linville Caverns Linville Caverns are privately owned active limestone caverns located in northern McDowell County, North Carolina, just south of the village of Linville Falls, on U.S. Highway 221. The caverns are open to the public year-round for guided tours. ...

Linville Falls Linville Falls is a waterfall located in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina in the United States. The falls move in several distinct steps, beginning in a twin set of upper falls, moving down a small gorge, and culminating in a high-vol ...

, Catawba Falls, and the

Blue Ridge Parkway The Blue Ridge Parkway is a National Parkway and National Scenic Byway, All-American Road in the United States, noted for its scenic beauty. The parkway, which is the longest linear park in the U.S., runs for through 29 counties in Virginia and ...

are also close to town, and exhibit the diverse scenery of Western North Carolina.

Notable people

* Richard Erwin United States federal judge and politician who was the first African American to be elected to statewide office in North Carolina * Gus Greenlee became a highly successful businessman in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; bought the

Pittsburgh Crawfords The Pittsburgh Crawfords, popularly known as the Craws, were a professional Negro league baseball team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The team, previously known as the Crawford Colored Giants, was named after the Crawford Bath House, a recre ...

founded the second Negro National League, and built Greenlee Field, one of the few ballparks owned by a black team *

Mitch Gillespie Robert Mitchell Gillespie is a former Assistant Secretary of the North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources, and a former Republican member of the North Carolina General Assembly. He represented the eighty-fifth district in ...

politician and small business owner *

Greg Holland Gregory Scott Holland (born November 20, 1985) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Kansas City Royals, Colorado Rockies, St. Louis Cardinals, Washington Nationals, Arizona Diamon ...

MLB pitcher and 3x

All-Star An all-star team is a group of people all having a high level of performance in their field. Originating in sports, it has since drifted into vernacular and has been borrowed heavily by the entertainment industry. Sports "All-star" as a sport ...

selection * Robert C. Hunter Judge of the

North Carolina Court of Appeals The North Carolina Court of Appeals (in case citation, N.C. Ct. App.) is the only intermediate appellate court in the state of North Carolina. It is composed of fifteen members who sit in rotating panels of three. The Court of Appeals was create ...

, from 1998 through 2014 * Dwayne Ledford former NFL player, current Offensive Line Coach for the

Atlanta Falcons The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta. The Falcons compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. The Falcons were founded o ...

https://www.si.com/college/louisville/football/ledford-hired-falcons. Pro Football Reference. Retrieved 28 January 2021. *

Barbara Loden Barbara Ann Loden (July 8, 1932September 5, 1980) was an American actress and director of film and theater.''The Hollywood Reporter'', Barbara Loden obituary, September 8, 1980. Richard Brody of ''The New Yorker'' described Loden as the "female c ...

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street ** Broadway Theatre (53rd Stre ...

Tony Award The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ce ...

-winning American stage and film actress model, and stage/film director *

Sara McMann Sara McMann (born September 24, 1980) is an American mixed martial artist currently signed to Bellator MMA, competing in the Women's Featherweight division. She is a former Olympic wrestler and received a silver medal at the 2004 Summer Olympi ...

MMA fighter and Olympic silver medalist in women's

freestyle wrestling Freestyle wrestling is a style of wrestling. It is one of two styles of wrestling contested in the Olympic Games, along with Greco-Roman wrestling, Greco-Roman. scholastic wrestling, High school wrestling and men's collegiate wrestling in the U ...

at the

2004 Summer Olympics The 2004 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad (), and officially branded as Athens 2004 (), were an international multi-sport event held from 13 to 29 August 2004 in Athens, Greece. The Games saw 10,625 athletes ...

Orlando Meléndez Orlando Meléndez Gilbert, a.k.a. "El Gato" (The Cat) (born 14 February 1979), is a Puerto Rican basketball player. He is the first Puerto Rico-born basketball player to play for the Harlem Globetrotters. Early years Meléndez was born in the ci ...

basketball player for the

Harlem Globetrotters The Harlem Globetrotters is an American Exhibition game, exhibition basketball team. They combine athleticism, theater, entertainment, and comedy in their style of play. Over the years, they have played more than 26,000 exhibition games in 124 ...

* Roy Williams former head coach for the

men's basketball team

Media

* Newspaper: '' The McDowell News'' * Radio: WBRM – 1250 AM, 103.9 FM * ''The News Bulletin of McDowell County'' Marion is part of the Greenville/

Spartanburg, South Carolina Spartanburg is a city in and the county seat of Spartanburg County, South Carolina, United States. The city had a population of 38,732 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List of municipalities in South Carolina, 11th ...

Asheville, North Carolina Asheville ( ) is a city in Buncombe County, North Carolina, United States. Located at the confluence of the French Broad River, French Broad and Swannanoa River, Swannanoa rivers, it is the county seat of Buncombe County. It is the most populou ...

television market.

References

External links

Official website of Marion, NC

McDowell County Website

Discover McDowell County
{{authority control Cities in North Carolina Cities in McDowell County, North Carolina County seats in North Carolina Populated places established in 1844 1844 establishments in North Carolina North Carolina populated places on the Catawba River Marion, North Carolina