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.
Geography
Marion is located at 32°37′58″N 87°19′2″W / 32.63278°N 87.31722°W / 32.63278; -87.31722 (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.
History
Civil Rights Era
A number of significant events occurred in Marian relating to the American Civil Rights Movement In 1958 Jimmy Wilson, a black man, was sentenced to death by a jury in Marion for stealing $1.95 from Estelle Barker.[4]
In 1964, Marion was a center of Civil Rights protests in Alabama. During a peaceful march on 18 February 1965, Jimmie Lee Jackson was shot and killed by Alabama State Trooper James Bonard Fowler.[5] Jackson later died of an infection stemming from the wounds at nearby Good Samaritan Hospital in Selma.[6] Jackson's death is recognized as the catalyst for the Selma to Montgomery March later that year.[5] It wasn't until 2007, that Fowler was indicted for murder for his role in Jackson's death.[7]
Recent Events
In 2009, Marion made national news when a three-year old family feud turned into a 150-person riot outside the town's city hall, resulting in the arrest of eight people and the hospitalization of two. The police chief was injured when a crowbar hit him in the head, while Judson College warned students to avoid the downtown area for 24 hours.[8]
Historical Structures
Marion has over ten structures on the National Register of Historic Places and one National Historic Landmark, Kenworthy Hall. It also has several historic districts, including the Marion Courthouse Square Historic District.
Education
Marion has been called The Athens of the South because of the dominating presence of its colleges,[citation needed] 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.
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.
See also
Marion Female Seminary
References
- ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. http://www.naco.org/Template.cfm?Section=Find_a_County&Template=/cffiles/counties/usamap.cfm. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2000 and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2005-05-03. http://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/gazette.html. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- ^ Dudziak, Mary L., "The Case of 'Death for a Dollar Ninety-Five: Finding America in American Injustice", University of Southern California Law School, 2007, p.5
- ^ a b Fleming, John (6 March 2005), "The Death of Jimmie Lee Jackson", The Anniston Star, http://www.annistonstar.com/opinion/2005/as-insight-0306-jflemingcol-5c09o1640.htm, retrieved 2008-01-21
- ^ Davis, Townsend (1998). Weary Feet, Rested Souls: A Guided History of the Civil Rights Movement. New York: W. W. Norton & Company. pp. 121–123. ISBN 0393045927. http://books.google.com/books?id=S7IYlI9KopkC.
- ^ "Nation in Brief: Indictment Brought in Civil-Rights-Era Death", Washington Post: A08, May 10, 2007, http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/05/09/AR2007050902488.html, retrieved 2008-01-28
- ^ Family feud turns into riot in small Ala. town: Up to 150 people brawl with tire irons, baseball bats; 8 arrested, Associated Press, 24 Aug 2009, http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/32545297/ns/us_news-weird_news
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