Marion, Alabama
Location in Perry County and the state of Alabama
Coordinates: 32°37′58″N 87°19′2″W / 32.63278, -87.31722
Country	United States
State	Alabama
County	Perry
Area
- Total	10.7 sq mi (27.7 km²)
- Land	10.6 sq mi (27.4 km²)
- Water	0.1 sq mi (0.3 km²)
Elevation	374 ft (114 m)
Population (2000)
- Total	3,511
- Density	328.1/sq mi (126.8/km²)
Time zone	Central (CST) (UTC-6)
- Summer (DST)	CDT (UTC-5)
ZIP code	36756
Area code(s)	334
FIPS code	01-46768
GNIS feature ID	0160038

Marion is the county seat of Perry County, Alabama^[1]. As of the 2000 census, the population of the city is 3,511. First called Muckle Ridge, the city was renamed after a hero of the American Revolution, Francis Marion. It has been called The Athens of the South because of the dominating presence of its colleges, of which Judson College and Marion Military Institute remain. Howard College was founded in Marion in 1842, and moved to Birmingham in 1887, later becoming Samford University. The first Confederate flag and the Confederate uniform were designed here by Nicola Marschall, then a teacher at the old Marion Female Seminary. A groundbreaking school for African Americans, the Lincoln Normal School, was founded here in 1867. The associated Lincoln Normal University for Teachers moved to Montgomery and became Alabama State University. The high school merged with Marion High School during the federally-ordered desegregation of the 1960s. Civil rights leader Coretta Scott King attended Lincoln Normal School. She was born in the neighboring town of Heiberger.

In 1964, Marion was a center of Civil Rights protests in Alabama. During the course of one march, Jimmie Lee Jackson was shot by Alabama State Trooper James Bonard Fowler. Jackson later died of an infection stemming from the wounds at nearby Good Samaritan Hospital in Selma. Jackson's death is recognized as the catalyst for the Selma-to-Montgomery March later that year. In 2007, Fowler was indicted for murder for his role in Jackson's death.

Marion has over ten structures on the National Register of Historic Places, one historic district, and one National Historic Landmark, Kenworthy Hall.

Geography

Marion is located at 32°37′58″N, 87°19′2″W (32.632838, -87.317284)^[2].

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 10.7 square miles (27.7 km²), of which, 10.6 square miles (27.4 km²) of it is land and 0.1 square miles (0.3 km²) of it (0.94%) is water.

Demographics

As of the census^[3] of 2000, there were 3,511 people, 1,184 households, and 819 families residing in the city. The population density was 331.8 people per square mile (128.1/km²). There were 1,418 housing units at an average density of 134.0/sq mi (51.7/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 62.46% Black or African American, 36.26% White, 0.26% Native American, 0.09% Asian, 0.09% Pacific Islander, 0.26% from other races, and 0.60% from two or more races. 0.97% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 1,184 households out of which 31.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 38.8% were married couples living together, 25.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.8% were non-families. 28.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.57 and the average family size was 3.17.

In the city the population was spread out with 27.5% under the age of 18, 15.7% from 18 to 24, 21.5% from 25 to 44, 18.7% from 45 to 64, and 16.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 31 years. For every 100 females there were 80.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 72.9 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $24,330, and the median income for a family was $29,663. Males had a median income of $27,422 versus $20,240 for females. The per capita income for the city was $11,934. About 28.4% of families and 33.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 51.3% of those under age 18 and 15.1% of those age 65 or over.

References

External links

• Official Site
• Alabama Women's Hall of Fame

• Marion, Alabama is at coordinates 32°37′58″N 87°19′02″W / 32.632838, -87.317284 (Marion, Alabama)Coordinates: 32°37′58″N 87°19′02″W / 32.632838, -87.317284 (Marion, Alabama)

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