MARION COUNTY
County Offices
222 West Center Street
Marion 740-223-4001
www.co.marion.oh.us
Chamber of Commerce
267 West Center Street
Marion 740-382-2181
www.marionareachamber.org
The productive “micropolitan” community of Marion County is located 45 minutes north of Columbus, providing a self-contained urban environment that preserves a friendly hometown feeling. Anchored by the leading city of Marion, the county offers growing villages and picturesque townships where residents enjoy close proximity to major employment centers and transportation links.
Services
Quality education is available on every academic level in Marion County, beginning with a respected school system and including a regional university campus, a technical college, and an active career center. Students need not commute to Columbus to attend Ohio State University with a campus extension in the city of Marion. They can complete coursework toward one of several available majors or begin their studies for any one of Ohio State’s 170 bachelor degree programs. The Marion campus offers more than classes. Students enjoy services, programs, and opportunities to become involved that transform the university experience from being exclusively a place of academic learning to a laboratory for life. Marion Technical College provides a world of opportunity on the two-year level of higher education with career-focused training majors and programs in a wide variety of desirable disciplines from healthcare and business to engineering technologies and public service. Through the Marion Technical College Center for Workforce Development, the college benefits regional businesses as greatly as it does area residents. The Tri-Rivers Career Center represents another valuable resource for high school age students and adults of all ages.
Newcomers to Marion County will be pleased to learn that the quality of healthcare services and facilities is exceptionally high, anchored by the full-service Marion General Hospital in Marion. For more than 85 years, Marion General Hospital has been dedicated to patient-centered care in a progressive environment that continually grows and upgrades to meet the needs of a regional population. The hospital has evolved through the generations into the largest and most sophisticated healthcare facility in a seven-county service area. The most recent addition to the hospital’s long list of specialty centers and expanded services is the arrival of advance cardiac care. Patients no longer need to travel to Columbus for world-class open-heart surgery and angioplasty procedures. Partnering with Riverside Methodist Hospital in Columbus, Marion General is now bringing the finest possible heart care to North Central Ohio, including nationally recognized cardiothoracic surgeons and cardiologists, outstanding clinicians and facilities, and excellent post-operative care. This latest advancement is one of many examples that confirm the dedication to advanced care that has always been the hallmark of Marion General Hospital.
Lifestyle
Newcomers to Marion County will discover a delightful community with picturesque towns, beautiful landscapes, unique attractions, a fine school system, efficient services, and year-round recreational and entertainment opportunities. Fascinating museums draw residents and visitors to unusual displays, including the Wyandot Popcorn Museum that celebrates the city of Marion’s role as the “Popcorn Capital of the World.” The 1890’s two-story home and the elegant marble monument marking the place where Warren G Harding is buried represents another popular historic attraction. Harding served as the 29th president of the United States. Heritage Hall is actually a three-museum complex that houses the famous Wyandot Popcorn Museum, Warren G. Harding memorabilia, and thousands of historical relics collected by the Marion County Historical Society. A number of other specialty museums are available, including the Edward Huber Machinery Museum on the Marion County Fairgrounds that displays examples of the finest steam and gasoline tractors, threshers and road-building equipment.
The city of Marion features a revitalized downtown district with quaint shops, popular restaurants, and Busby Park with the Grohe Mural at the corner of Center and Prospect streets. The city springs to life with colorful seasonal celebrations and annual festivals, the most famous being the Marion Popcorn Festival. One of Ohio’s premier festival events, this extravaganza is billed as the world’s largest popcorn festival and attracts crowds as large as 250,000. The festival has even been named among North America’s Top 100 Events by the American Bus Association. Golfers will find a number of beautiful courses, although sports venues and entertainment centers ensure a wide variety of activities from a family fun center to indoor football. Other highlights include the Marion County International Raceway with professional and sportsman drag racing every weekend from April through October. Regional parks and recreational sites are ideal for hiking, bicycling, camping, swimming, boating, fishing, hunting, horseback riding, and nature study. For a quality of life that grows richer with every passing year, discover the hidden jewels and treasures waiting in friendly Marion County.
Marion
City Offices
740-387-0962
www.marionohio.us
Chamber of Commerce
740-382-2181
www.marionareachamber.org
The progressive city of Marion is the thriving hub of Marion County, providing a center of healthcare, education, commerce, entertainment, and culture for the surrounding townships and villages. More than half of the county’s total population resides in the city, which is situated in the North Central Ohio agricultural region just 45 minutes from the major metropolitan center of Columbus. The city is home to a campus for Ohio State University and Marion Technical College in addition to other career and training resource centers and a highly respected school system. Much of the city’s rich history is showcased at Heritage Hall, although a number of fine museums dot the area. One of the jewels of the cultural scene is the fully restored Palace Theatre, a 1920’s Vaudeville theater with 1,431 seats for live-stage productions. The theatre was purchased and restored through the efforts of civic-minded Marion families and businesses. The 6,500-seat Veteran’s Memorial Coliseum at the Marion County Fairgrounds provides another venue for shows and exhibitions. The quaint, revitalized downtown district combines with attractive neighborhoods and a pleasing variety of housing to create a welcoming hometown atmosphere filled with urban conveniences and services.
Marion County Townships
Township Listing and Information
www.co.marion.oh.us
Besides the cities, villages and towns within Marion County, 15 rural townships comprise a large part of the area. These townships range from smaller rural communities with a few hundred residents to more than several thousand people. The townships are spread throughout the region and are generally comprised of farm, rural and residential land.
Click on the link above to go to the State of Ohio listing of municipal web sites for the county.
