Marion is a town in Lauderdale County, Mississippi, United States. It is a northeastern suburb of Meridian, the county seat. As of the 2020 census, Marion had a population of 1,751.
History
The town was named for Francis Marion, a military leader known as the "Swamp Fox". Marion was Lauderdale County's seat from its founding to Reconstruction. Prior to the war, Marion was a prosperous town inhabited by numerous planters and enslaved African Americans. In 1840, it had a drugstore, two blacksmith shops, six dry goods stores, and two academies (one for girls and another for boys). It also had at least one newspaper, the Lauderdale Republican.
In 1850, Congress donated land to Alabama and Mississippi in order to build the Mobile & Ohio Railroad, which bypassed Marion and constructed a station two miles to the southwest in a village called McLemore's Old Field (now the city of Meridian). Sowashee Creek forms the eastern boundary of the town and flows southwest through Meridian to join Okatibbee Creek, part of the Chickasawhay River and ultimately the Pascagoula River watershed.
Climate
The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Marion has a humid subtropical climate, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.
Demographics
2020 census
As of the 2020 census, Marion had a population of 1,751. The median age was 37.2 years. 25.8% of residents were under the age of 18 and 17.6% were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 77.6 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 72.1 males.
There were 688 households and 436 families in Marion. Of all households, 40.8% had children under the age of 18 living in them. 35.8% were married-couple households, 17.9% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 41.7% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 30.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
{| class="wikitable"
|+Marion Racial Composition
!Race
!Num.
!Perc.
|-
|White
|684
|39.06%
|-
|Black or African American
|922
|52.66%
|-
|Asian
|40
|2.28%
|-
|Pacific Islander
|2
|0.11%
|-
|Other/Mixed
|44
|2.51%
|-
|Hispanic or Latino
|59
|3.37%
|}
2000 census
As of the census of 2000, there were 1,305 people, 468 households, and 324 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 555 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 52.87% White, 45.82% African American, 0.23% Native American, 0.31% Asian, 0.15% from other races, and 0.61% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.69% of the population.
There were 468 households, out of which 42.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 37.2% were married couples living together, 28.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.6% were non-families. 25.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.50 and the average family size was 3.00.
In the town, the population was spread out, with 28.4% under the age of 18, 11.3% from 18 to 24, 27.4% from 25 to 44, 16.6% from 45 to 64, and 16.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 31 years. For every 100 females, there were 70.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 62.3 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $26,413, and the median income for a family was $28,438. Males had a median income of $27,778 versus $17,303 for females. The per capita income for the town was $10,504. About 30.5% of families and 32.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 50.1% of those under age 18 and 20.5% of those age 65 or over.
Notable people
- Oscar Lee Gray, member of the United States House of Representatives from 1915 to 1919