Marion, Arkansas
| Marion, Arkansas | |
|---|---|
| City | |
Crittenden County Courthouse
|
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 Location in Crittenden County and the state of Arkansas |
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| Coordinates: 35°12′22″N 90°12′6″W / 35.20611°N 90.20167°WCoordinates: 35°12′22″N 90°12′6″W / 35.20611°N 90.20167°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Arkansas |
| County | Crittenden |
| Area | |
| • Total | 20.5 sq mi (53.1 km2) |
| • Land | 20.4 sq mi (52.9 km2) |
| • Water | 0.08 sq mi (0.2 km2) |
| Elevation | 226 ft (69 m) |
| Population (2010) | |
| • Total | 12,345 |
| • Density | 605/sq mi (233.4/km2) |
| Time zone | Central (CST) (UTC-6) |
| • Summer (DST) | CDT (UTC-5) |
| ZIP code | 72364 |
| Area code(s) | 870 |
| FIPS code | 05-44180 |
| GNIS feature ID | 0077597 |
| Website | www |
Marion is a city in and the county seat of Crittenden County, Arkansas, United States. The population was 12,345 at the 2010 census, a 38.7% increase since 2000. The city is part of the Memphis metropolitan area. It is the second largest city in Crittenden County, behind West Memphis.
Although Marion was incorporated in 1896, the community predates that significantly. The site of Marion was part of Louisiana (New Spain) from 1764 to 1803, when it became Louisiana (New France). Some of the oldest land titles in the area are from Spanish land grants from a time prior to the Louisiana Purchase. After the Louisiana Purchase the area was part of the Arkansas Territory. During the 1830s the Trail of Tears, the forced removal of Native Americans from Georgia, Alabama, and Mississippi, passed through the area. Its location is close to where the Sultana Steamboat exploded and sunk. A memorial is placed on the city hall square to remember those lost in the accident
Marion, AR was named after Marion Tolbert. In 1837 two commissioners had been appointed by the county court to select a site for a new county seat. Tolbert and his wife Temperance gave a deed to the commissioners "for the county of Crittenden for county purposes" on June 25th, 1837. A town was laid out, named Marion in honor of Marion Tolbert and was made the county seat of Crittenden County, AR.. Marion has been incorporated on multiple occasions, first in 1851. The current incorporation dates from 1896.
During the American Civil War the steamboat Sultana was destroyed in an explosion on April 27, 1865, as it was transporting released Union POWs near Mound City, just east of Marion. It is estimated that 1,500 soldiers and crew were killed, the largest loss of life in a maritime accident in US history. This tragedy is commemorated by a historic marker placed by the Daughters of the American Revolution.
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Wikipedia