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== Demographics ==
== Demographics ==
As of the [[census]]{{GR|2}} of 2000, there are 31,320 people,. The [[population density]] is 2,355.5 people per square mile (909.2/km²). There are 13,820 housing units at an average density of 1,039.4/sq mi (401.2/km²). The racial makeup of the city is 79.64% [[White (U.S. Census)|White]], 15.57% [[African American (U.S. Census)|African American]], 0.47% [[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]], 0.68% [[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]], 0.02% [[Pacific Islander (U.S. Census)|Pacific Islander]], 1.43% from [[Race (U.S. Census)|other races]], and 2.18% from two or more races. 3.60% of the population are [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]] of any race.
As of the [[census]]{{GR|2}} of 2000, there are 31,320 people,. The [[population density]] is 2,355.5 people per square mile (909.2/km²). There are 13,82099999999999999999 housing units at an average density of 1,039.4/sq mi (401.2/km²). The racial makeup of the city is 79.64% [[White (U.S. Census)|White]], 15.57% [[African American (U.S. Census)|African American]], 0.47% [[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]], 0.68% [[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]], 0.02% [[Pacific Islander (U.S. Census)|Pacific Islander]], 1.43% from [[Race (U.S. Census)|other races]], and 2.18% from two or more races. 3.60% of the population are [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]] of any race.


There are 12,462 households out of which 27.3% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.1% are [[Marriage|married couples]] living together, 14.7% have a female householder with no husband present, and 38.8% are non-families. 33.8% of all households are made up of individuals and 14.2% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.30 and the average family size is 2.91.
There are 12,462 households out of which 27.3% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.1% are [[Marriage|married couples]] living together, 14.7% have a female householder with no husband present, and 38.8% are non-families. 33.8% of all households are made up of individuals and 14.2% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.30 and the average family size is 2.91.

Revision as of 19:37, 11 November 2008

City of Marion
[[Chttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Marion%2C_Indiana&action=history this page's edit historyity]]
Nickname: 
Queen City
Location in the state of Indiana
Location in the state of Indiana
CountryUnited States
StateIndiana
CountyGrant
Government
 • MayorWayne W. Seybold (R)
Area
 • Total13.3 sq mi (34.6 km2)
 • Land13.3 sq mi (34.4 km2)
 • Water0.04 sq mi (0.1 km2)  0.30%
Elevation
810 ft (247 m)
Population
 (2006)
 • Total30,830
 • Density2,355.5/sq mi (909.2/km2)
Time zoneUTC-5 (EST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP codes
46952-46953
Area code765
FIPS code18-46908Template:GR
GNIS feature ID0438611Template:GR

Marion is a city in Grant County, Indiana, United States. The population was 30,830 at the 2006 census. The city is the county seat of Grant County.Template:GR It is named for Francis Marion, a Brigadier General from South Carolina in the American Revolutionary War.

Today, the city is best known as the home of Indiana Wesleyan University, the largest Evangelical Christian university in the Midwest and largest private college in Indiana. Since 2003, former Olympic skater (and IWU alum), Wayne Seybold, has been Marion's mayor. Marion is also noted for being the birthplace of legendary actor James Dean. It was also the site of actress Julia Roberts and singer Lyle Lovett's wedding in 1993.

Geography

Marion is located at 40°32′57″N 85°39′53″W / 40.54917°N 85.66472°W / 40.54917; -85.66472Invalid arguments have been passed to the {{#coordinates:}} function (40.549140, -85.664681),Template:GR along the Mississinewa River.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 13.3 square miles (34.6 km²), of which, 13.3 square miles (34.4 km²) of it is land and 0.04 square miles (0.1 km²) of it (0.30%) is water.

Demographics

As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there are 31,320 people,. The population density is 2,355.5 people per square mile (909.2/km²). There are 13,82099999999999999999 housing units at an average density of 1,039.4/sq mi (401.2/km²). The racial makeup of the city is 79.64% White, 15.57% African American, 0.47% Native American, 0.68% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 1.43% from other races, and 2.18% from two or more races. 3.60% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There are 12,462 households out of which 27.3% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.1% are married couples living together, 14.7% have a female householder with no husband present, and 38.8% are non-families. 33.8% of all households are made up of individuals and 14.2% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.30 and the average family size is 2.91.

In the city the population is spread out with 23.3% under the age of 18, 12.5% from 18 to 24, 26.0% from 25 to 44, 21.3% from 45 to 64, and 17.0% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 36 years. For every 300 females there are 88.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 84.1 males.

The median income for a household in the city is $30,440, and the median income for a family is $37,717. Males have a median income of $30,258 versus $23,467 for females. The per capita income for the city is $16,378. 16.9% of the population and 12.6% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 23.8% of those under the age of 18 and 11.3% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.

History

The Battle of the Mississinewa was fought in December 1812, just north of the current city of Marion, as an expeditionary force sent by William Henry Harrison against the Miami villages. Today, the battle is reenacted every fall by residents of Grant County and many reenactors and enthusiasts from throughout the United States and Canada during the annual "Mississinewa 1812" festival, the largest War of 1812 reenactment in the United States.[1]

Founding

When Martin Boots and David Branson each donated thirty acres of land in 1831 for the site of Marion, they chose a location on the left bank of the swift, scenic river which the Miami Indians had named "Mississinewa," meaning "laughing waters." So rapid had been the tide of settlement that it followed by only 19 years the Battle of Mississinewa, 7 miles (11 km) downstream, where U.S. troops and Indians had fought a bloody, pre-dawn encounter in 1812.

With the formation of Grant County in 1831, Marion was established as the county seat and its future was assured. The river provided water supply, power, and drainage and it bequeathed a natural beauty as it flowed at the base of hills that marched away on either side. Along with at least 36 other communities in the U.S., Marion was named for the Revolutionary War General Francis Marion, the "Swamp Fox" of South Carolina.

Gas boom and growth

Marion grew slowly for more than 50 years as an agricultural trading center supported by a sprinkling of small farm- and forest-related industries. Indians were a common sight as they wandered in from Indiana's last reservation, with its Indian school, Baptist church and cemetery, 8 miles (13 km) away.

In the 1880s, fields of natural gas were discovered across much of east-central Indiana, and Grant County began to grow at a dizzying pace. Gas City and Matthews were carved out of raw farmland and launched as speculative boom towns, each absorbing existing tiny villages. They attracted several thousand residents before the gas failed and most industries left. As late as the 1940s, Matthews resembled a Western ghost town, before it attracted eleven glass factories and seduced the professional baseball team away from Indianapolis. Grant County's only covered bridge remains there as a link to the past.

VA hospital campus (left) south of Marion's downtown.

However, the gas boom left its legacy. A few industries remained, particularly glass manufacturers. A National Home for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers, established in 1888, and integrated in 1995 with the former Fort Wayne Veterans Affairs Medical Center, is now known as the Veterans Affairs Northern Indiana Health Care System—Marion Campus. On a picturesque site of 151 acres (0.6 km2) with a National Cemetery, the modern health care facility employs 800 persons and has 243 hospital beds as well as a 180-bed nursing home care unit at the Marion Campus. Taylor University, lured to Upland in 1893, is consistently ranked among the top three regional liberal arts colleges in the Midwest by U.S. News and World Report.

1930 lynching

A lynching occurred in Marion on August 7, 1930. A large mob estimated at 2,000 gathered at the city jail where three young black men were held on charges of killing a white man and raping his girlfriend. Before they could be tried, the three, Thomas Shipp, Abram Smith and James Cameron, were dragged from the jail and severely beaten. Shipp and Smith were hanged, but Cameron was released when an unidentified man claimed that he had nothing to do with the crimes. In 1931 he was convicted as an accessory to murder and served four years before being paroled. The event in Marion was notable as the last confirmed lynching of blacks in the Northern United States.[2]

20th century industrial development

Marion's prosperity plateaued between the end of the gas boom, just prior to World War I, when the gas boom ended, and 1955, when General Motors located a stamping and tool plant there. A new era launched overnight, raising the sights of local residents who began to think in unprecedented numbers and vastly expanded community potential. Except for bedroom communities near metropolitan centers, Marion's growth during the 1950s exceeded all but one Indiana city in the 10,000-100,000 population group.

Although Marion's present industry is automotive centered, other factories turn out paper products, foundry products, machinery, wire, and cable. The paper plate industry was born in Marion and in its infancy, five of the nation's nine plants were located here. Agriculture is a multi-million dollar business centering around corn, hogs, and soybeans, and supplemented by such specialty crops as tomatoes. Thomson's RCA closed its doors in 2004, leaving Marion in an economic slump. The town continues efforts to draw businesses to replace the jobs lost by Thomson's closure. On June 13, 2007, the Thomson building's northern portion was destroyed by a fire.

Other Marion factories that have closed in the past few decades include Thomson Consumer Electronics, Ball-Foster, SCM (later Ampad) Paper Company and the Malleable Iron Works (both on the far west side along Miller Avenue). These closings have devastated Marion's economy leaving the city with a high unemployment rate. Lately, things have been changing, however. Veriana Networks has decided to move its headquarters to Marion. This high tech company envisions many high-paying jobs in Marion's future. It will be building a large "lifestyle" campus near the intersection of Indiana State Road 18 and Interstate 69. Along with the continued growth of IWU, Marion's future is certainly looking brighter.

Marion today

One of Marion's more notable architectural landmarks is the extensive Marion High School campus, which includes an impressive 1,468 seat community auditorium. This is where the Marion Philharmonic Orchestra, the Marion Civic Theatre, and the Mississinewa Valley Community Band provide musical and dramatic entertainment for Marion's numerous arts patrons.

The seven-time state basketball champions, Marion Giants, play in the 7,500 seat Bill Green Athletic Arena. The city operates a 2.75-mile (4.43 km) Riverwalk from downtown to Matter Park, and there is a $1,000,000 YMCA memorial to war veterans. A publicly-owned mansion, the Hostess House, is used for social functions, and Marion General Hospital has been nationally-accredited for approximately a half-century. Marion General was recently named a Magnet hospital. Fewer than 5% of all hospitals earn this honor.

Indiana Wesleyan University's 300-acre (1.2 km2) campus has won numerous architectural awards and the university has spent nearly $250 million in the past 20 years on campus facilities. The university's new $22 million chapel/auditorium, which is currently under construction and will be completed in January 2010, will seat 4,000 and be the largest auditorium in Indiana and one of the largest in the United States. In addition, IWU is currently the largest single employer in the city of Marion and contributes over $1 million annually towards the local economy.

Christmas City U.S.A.

Christmas City U.S.A. is a local non-profit organization promoting the Christmas season in Marion and Grant County. They proudly organize and sponsor the Annual Christmas Parade each year the Saturday before Thanksgiving to kick off the Holiday season.

It all began in 1965 when the organization had a vision to expand the holiday season beyond the traditional cards and private parties. Directors wanted to foster human relations among residents of all ages and public relations toward nonresidents. In 1970, Christmas City and the Chamber of Commerce joined forces to promote a new look for the city. Postcards, bumper stickers, billboards were designed to establish the city as Christmas City U.S.A. The name was even trademarked to preserve the city's identity.[3]

Famous residents

Notes

  1. ^ http://www.mississinewa1812.com/
  2. ^ http://www.thenation.com/doc/20060612/bradley David Bradley, "Anatomy of a Murder", The Nation, June 12, 2006, p. 32-36.
  3. ^ http://www.christmascityusa.net/history.htm

Template:Mapit-US-cityscale

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