Marion (Illinois)
| Marion | |||
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| Nickname : navel of the world | |||
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| Location in Illinois | |||
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| Basic data | |||
| Foundation : | August 21, 1839 | ||
| State : | United States | ||
| State : | Illinois | ||
| County : | Williamson County | ||
| Coordinates : | 37 ° 44 ′ N , 88 ° 56 ′ W | ||
| Time zone : | Central ( UTC − 6 / −5 ) | ||
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Inhabitants : - Metropolitan Area : |
19,200 (status: 2006) 63,617 (status: 2006) |
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| Population density : | 578.3 inhabitants per km 2 | ||
| Area : | 35.0 km 2 (approx. 14 mi 2 ) of which 33.2 km 2 (approx. 13 mi 2 ) is land |
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| Postcodes : | 62959 | ||
| Area code : | +1 618 | ||
| FIPS : | 17-46916 | ||
| GNIS ID : | 1808160 | ||
| Website : | www.cityofmarionil.gov | ||
| Mayor : | Robert L. Butler | ||
Marion is a city in Illinois with 19,200 inhabitants (2006). It is within the Carbondale catchment area and is part of Williamson County . The place was established in 1839 as the county seat of the newly founded county and was named after Francis Marion , a general of the American Revolutionary War . Southwest of the city is the federal prison used by the United States government to replace the obsolete structure on Alcatraz .
geography
The location is at the intersection of Interstate 57 and Illinois State Route 13 and is 148 km southeast of St. Louis and 25 km east of Carbondale. Marion's geographic coordinates are 37 ° 44 ' N , 88 ° 56' W (37.730363, −88.930237). Marion is just outside the Crab Orchard National Wildlife Refuge and the Shawnee National Forest is just a few miles away.
According to the data of the United States Census Bureau , the city has a total area of 35.0 km², of which 33.2 km² is land and 1.8 km² (= 5.18%) is water.
Rail transport
The former Chicago-and-Eastern-Illinois-Railway north-south route of the Union Pacific Railroad from West St. Elmo to Joppa runs through Marion . There is a transition to the Crab Orchard and Egyptian Railroad . This railway company is based in Marion and runs the former route of the Illinois Central Railroad to Ordill and Mande.
The railway line of the St. Louis Iron Mountain and Southern Railway (later Missouri Pacific Railroad ) from Bush-Hurst via Herrin to Marion and Johnson City has been closed, as has the line of the Marion and Eastern Railroad to Paulton.
Tornado on May 29, 1982
On May 29, 1982, the city was hit by an F-4 tornado on the Fujita scale and the surrounding area of Williamson County. It was one of the major recorded tornado events in Illinois history. Level F-4 means that the maximum wind speed is between 333 km / h and 418 km / h. This tornado tore a trail of devastation 17 miles across the county. Ten people were killed and around 200 injured. One apartment complex was completely destroyed. The damage to property amounted to 85 to 100 million US dollars (adjusted for inflation 225-264 million US dollars). A memorial to the victims of the tornado was later erected in Tower Square.
Demographic data
At the time of the United States Census 2000, Marion lived in 16,035 people. The population density was 482.6 people per km ². There were 7555 housing units at an average of 227.4 per km ². Marion's population was 92.9% White , 4.3% Black or African American , 0.8% Native American , 0.2% Pacific Islander , 0.2% Asian, and 0.4% named two or more races . 1.2% of the population declared to be Hispanic or Latinos of any race.
The residents of Marion were distributed in 1.6 households, of which 28.1% had children under the age of 18. 47.0% of households were married, 12.5% had a female head of the household without a husband, and 37.1% were not families. 33.1% of households were made up of individuals and someone lived in 16.4% of all households aged 65 years or older. The average household size was 2.25 and the average family size was 2.8 people.
The population was divided into 22.8% minors, 8.3% 18–24 year olds, 26.5% 25–44 year olds, 22.5% 45–64 year olds and 20.0% aged 65 and over or more. The average age was 40 years. For every 100 women there were 87.9 men. For every 100 women over the age of 18, there were 84.4 men.
The median household income in Marion was 30,364 US dollars and the median family income reached the amount of 39,275 US dollars. The median income for men was $ 31,520 compared with $ 22,609 for women. The per capita income was $ 19,073. 14.9% of the population and 11.2% of families had an income below the poverty line , including 22.9% of minors and 10.6% of those aged 65 and over.
Marion Cultural and Civic Center
The Orpheum Theater opened on January 2, 1922. It was built on the southwest corner of the town square and one in a series of vaudeville and movie theaters that sprang up in southern Illinois, reflecting the prosperity agriculture and mining had created in the area. The Orpheum Theater had more than 900 seats. The interior was a mixture of classicism and neo-renaissance and included elaborate gold leaf decorations and stucco work as well as a multi-colored facade made of terracotta .
The Orpheum was successful as a competitor until the advent of television, but declining sales forced the conversion into a pure film theater in the mid-1950s and closure in 1971. The City of Marion bought the building in 1973 to demolish it and provide parking space on the property, but the mayor and council reconsidered their intentions when they discovered that the population wanted the building to be renovated for use as a cultural and entertainment center.
In the early morning hours of March 10, 1997, a fire raged through the theater. The facade could be saved, but the interior was destroyed. In 2000 it was decided that a new culture and community center should be built on the site of the old theater and some of the neighboring demolished buildings.
The new building was planned by White and Borgognoni Architects, with parts of the old theater building also being used. In 2004, construction work on the 3200 square meter structure was completed. The design of the new community center won the Frank Lloyd Wright Award from the American Institute of Architects that year .
sons and daughters of the town
- Bob Casey (1909–1986), jazz musician
- Ray Fosse , major league baseball player
- Nancy E. Brown , Vice Admiral
Individual evidence
- ↑ US Postal Service - ZIP Codes
- ^ USP Marion , Bureau of Prisons
- ^ Report on Marion and Williamson County Tornado, Saturday, May 29, 1982 ( English ) National Weather Service. 2002. Retrieved May 17, 2009.
- ^ Population Marion (Illinois)
- ^ "History." Marion Cultural and Civic Center website. Archived copy ( memento of the original dated August 20, 1999 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
Web links
- Official Website of Marion (English)
- www.city-data.com