Marion County is a

county A county () is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesL. Brookes (ed.) '' Chambers Dictionary''. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2005. in some nations. The term is derived from the Old French denoti ...

located in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its so ...

Mississippi Mississippi ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Alabama to the east, the Gulf of Mexico to the south, Louisiana to the s ...

. As of the 2020 census, the population was 24,441. Its

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 ...

is Columbia. Marion County is named for

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 ...

guerrilla Guerrilla warfare is a form of unconventional warfare in which small groups of irregular military, such as rebels, Partisan (military), partisans, paramilitary personnel or armed civilians, which may include Children in the military, recruite ...

leader

Francis Marion Brigadier general (United States), Brigadier General Francis Marion ( 1732 – February 27, 1795), also known as the "Swamp Fox", was an American military officer, planter, and politician who served during the French and Indian War and t ...

also known as The Swamp Fox.

Geography

According to the

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

, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (1.1%) is water.

Major highways

U.S. Highway 98 * Circle sign 13

Mississippi Highway 13 * Circle sign 35

Mississippi Highway 35 * Circle sign 43

Mississippi Highway 43 Mississippi Highway 43 (MS 43) is a state highway in Mississippi that generally runs north–south in three segments: the first from US 90 near Bay St. Louis to MS 13 south of Columbia, resuming at MS 13 in southern Jefferson Davis Co ...

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

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.

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 Expose, exposé, or exposed may refer to: News sources * Exposé (journalism), a form of investigative journalism * '' The Exposé'', a British conspiracist website * '' Exeposé'', a student-run newspaper of the University of Exeter Film and TV ...

, 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. Monroe Work's ''Negro Yearbook'' listed it among "Negro Towns and Settlements in the United States." Football great

Walter Payton Walter Jerry Payton (July 25, 1953Although most sources at the time of his death gave Payton's birth year as 1954, reliable sources subsequently state he was born in 1953. – November 1, 1999) was an American professional American football, ...

's mother Alyne Sibley Payton was born in Expose on January 14, 1926. * 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. The county is in the service area of Pearl River Community College.

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 * 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 *

, American football player

References

External links

Marion County Sheriff's Office

Official website of Marion County

Mississippi Courthouses – Marion County
* {{authority control Mississippi counties 1811 establishments in Mississippi Territory Populated places established in 1811