City of Marion

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Letter from the Mayor

Welcome to Marion and thank you for visiting our website. There is much to learn about Marion and I encourage you to use each of our links for more information about our great city.

The county seat of Crittenden County, Marion lies in the shadow of downtown Memphis. Marion combines the very best of a small town atmosphere and a highly regarded public school system with the nearby amenities of big city Memphis. A recent article in the MemphisCommercial Appeal newspaper described Marion as a bedroom community to the city of Memphis. Many of our residents confirm this thought with comments on how much they enjoy living in our small town and yet are able to access big city amenities in just a few minutes.

Marion has experienced unprecedented growth in recent years, growing from 4400 residents in 1990 to approximately 11,500 in 2006. In the last decade, more than 1,500 new homes in upscale subdivisions have been built to accommodate our growth, and we are building homes at a record pace.

Although Marion has been called a bedroom community, there is far more to us than that. Being runner-up in 2002 for the location of Toyota Motors’ seventh automotive plant in North America created a positive “buzz” about Marion both locally and nationally. This “buzz” has help Marion become a catalyst for attracting several automotive related industries into North Eastern Arkansas. 2004 saw the breaking of ground in Marion for Hino Motors Manufacturing axle assembly plant, Hino Motor’s first plant built specifically for Hino in North America. Other notable industries in Marion include Elite Lamp, Vintage Verandah and Ritter Disposables. In 1996 Marion became home to one of Union Pacific Railroad’s largest inland intermodal operations.

We are a progressive, forward looking city that has overwhelming civic support and pride. A four million dollar bond issue to build a recreation complex in 1998 received a voter approval rating of over 80%. Six years later, an almost nine million dollar bond issue to finance several public improvements received voter approval rating between 79% and 92%. Our school district grows annually and is rapidly becoming noted as a school district focused on quality an innovation. The school district voters recently approved a tax increase in support of the school district.

Our citizens take pride in the many youth, church, and civic activities that are some of fibers in weaving the fabric of a small town. In fact, many of our new residents are drawn to Marion because of the quality school system and the various opportunities for youth, family and civic involvement, as well as our low crime rate and property taxes that are less than half those in the nearby areas.

Again, thank you for visiting our web site and please take a few moments to visit our links or give us a call. We will be glad to forward you more detailed information about our great city and you will be glad you checked us out.