Marion, Iowa, United States

🇺🇸 Marion is a city in Linn County, Iowa, United States. The city is located next to Cedar Rapids and part of the Cedar Rapids Metropolitan Statistical Area.

History The town was named after Francis Marion, a hero of the Revolutionary War. The site was selected in 1839 to be the first county seat of the newly organized Linn County. After years of debate over moving the county seat to Cedar Rapids, it was put to a vote in 1919.

Each year, the city hosts the annual "Swamp Fox Festival", a celebration of Marion's heritage named in honor of the "Swamp Fox", Francis Marion's nickname during the Revolutionary War. The event typically includes a 5K run, parade, fireworks, and many other family friendly activities.

The town was the home to St. Berchman's Seminary, established in 1905 by the Sisters of Mercy as a boarding school for small boys. The academy, which closed in 1942, consisted of five buildings spread over 23 acres. One of the most famous residents was actor Don Ameche, who lived in the facility as a boy; he went on to star in the movie Cocoon. Today, the main building, now housing apartments, is all that remains. The current site of the Indian Creek Country Club was once the home of a sulky horse racing track. In November 2019, Mayor Nick AbouAssaly won a second term over Mary Lou Pazour with 70 percent of the vote.

Geography Marion has a total area of 16.06 square miles (41.60 km²), of which 16.05 square miles (41.57 km²) is land and 0.01 square miles (0.03 km²) is water.

Economy The Marion Economic Development Corporation, a public–private partnership, was founded in 1984 to support business and economic development in the city.

Culture: Museums The Granger House Museum is a restored middle-class family home, representing the structural design of the American Victorian age. The house, built in the 1840s, showcases an extensive collection that includes many original furnishings. The brick carriage house, built in 1879 next to the Granger home, is an untouched treasure and the only one of its design in the Midwest. The Granger house is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and embodies the lifestyle of a middle-class family living in the late 19th century. The museum has guided tours, demonstrations, and seasonal activities bringing the town's history to life.

The Marion Heritage Center is a church building used originally by the Methodists from the 1850s until 1875. Currently it serves as a community centre for educational programs. The history of Marion and its citizens are on display, including art exhibits. Lectures, workshops and other cultural events are scheduled to provide insights into the town's past. In 2008 the centre became the permanent home for the fresco mural Communication by Mail painting, by the artist Dan Rhodes in 1939. The building is open all year.

Festivals The Marion Arts Festival is a one-day event showcasing 50 artists from across the country. Continuous live music and specialty food vendors are also featured. There is a 5K run with prizes awarded to the top four winners and for the top three placers in 15 different age categories, thanks to race sponsors. In a less competitive event there is the 5K fun walk. The race uses "chip time technology" allowing every participant to know their exact time to complete the race.

The Swamp Fox Festival and Parade is a celebration of the past and the present, the annual Swamp Fox Festival honors Marion's namesake and Revolutionary War hero, Francis Marion, aka the Swamp Fox. Some of the many scheduled events include a golf outing, picnic in the park, live music, craft show, 5K run and fun walk, a pancake breakfast and a community parade.

The Uptown Marion Market features fresh produce, baked goods, honey, flowers, plants, meat, wines, and an array of artisan items. In addition, food vendors onsite offer a variety of take-and-eat items. The market also features live entertainment, cooking demonstrations, children's entertainment, and healthy living programming for all ages.

Sport Hunters Ridge Golf Course and Country Club is a public golf course featuring bentgrass from tee to green, four sets of tees, 50 bunkers, and 10 water hazards. Hunters Ridge is spread over 400 acres. The front nine winds through a development while holes 10–18 are narrow with many ponds and wetlands entering the field of play.

Indian Creek Golf and Country Club The 9-hole private course and Country Club facility in Marion, Iowa opened in 1926 features 2,680 yards of golf from the longest tees for a par of 34. The course rating is 35.2 and it has a slope rating of 114 on Rye grass.

Gardner Golf Course is a public course constructed in 1968 and designed by Herman Thompson. Greens are Bent Grass and Fairways are Bluegrass. The course is owned and maintained by Linn County.

Education Marion is served by three public school districts: Marion Independent School District, Linn-Mar Community School District, and Cedar Rapids Community School District. Two of districts have discussed merging on a number of occasions, dating back to the 1950s. Such a consolidation seems unlikely now, given the size of each school.

Marion ISD encompasses much of the south and east sides of Marion.

Linn-Mar, which operates Linn-Mar High School, includes land primarily on Marion's north, west, and far east sides and areas of Cedar Rapids. Linn-Mar is one of the fastest growing school systems in the state of Iowa.

Private education facilities St. Joseph School (of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Dubuque)) is a prekindergarten through 8th Grade school founded in 1947. It is a Co-ed school with approximately 184 students enrolled.

Grace Baptist School is a K-12 co-ed school with 52 students enrolled.

Being part of the Cedar Rapids metropolitan area Marion citizens have access to all of the advanced education opportunities that are available in the area. See the Cedar Rapids Education section for more details.

Media: Print The Gazette is the primary daily newspaper for the Cedar Rapids / Marion metro area.

The Marion Times was a weekly newspaper primarily covering Marion Community and School news.

It folded in 2021.

Transport U.S. 151 and Iowa Highway 13 run north-south through Marion. Seventh Avenue is the major arterial road heading toward Cedar Rapids.

Until 1971, the Milwaukee Road operated several streamliner passenger trains from major cities in the west to Chicago in the east, making their Cedar Rapids regional stop at Marion station.

Bus Route 20 of Cedar Rapids Transit serves Marion.

Marion also has a small public airport on the east side of the city limits just south of U.S. 151.