Welcome...
Mayor Fogleman would like to remind everyone to please continue to practice social distancing as another major increase in COVID-19 cases is anticipated in the near future.
The City of Marion strongly urges everyone to wear a facial covering while in public and to wash/sanitize your hands regularly throughout the day.
For more information on how to protect yourself and others from COVID-19, please visit https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/prevention.html.
Summaries of Governor Asa Hutchinson's daily comments are posted on Crittenden Co. Judge Woody Wheeless' Facebook page. Visit this link for Judge Wheeless' latest comments.
Discover Marion...
Take a moment to enjoy the video tour of Marion by clicking on any heading on the menu shown here. You'll discover why Marion is such a great place to live, work, and play.
From the neighborly community spirit to an exceptional school system to a successful business climate to ever-improving healthcare opportunities to its prime location, Marion is, indeed, the
Center of Living!
Enjoy a
video tour
of Marion
View our
"Center of
Living"
brochure.
A message from Mayor Frank Fogleman
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, Arkansas, 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 Memphis Commercial 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 over 10,000, as confirmed in our September 2006 special census, to over 12,000 in April of 2010. We expect our population to exceed 13,000 by the time of the next decennial census as we continue to experience new homes being built at a steady pace.
Although Marion has been called a bedroom community, there is far more to us than that. Being a runner-up in 2007 for the location of Toyota Motors’ eighth automotive plant in North America created a positive “buzz” about Marion both locally and nationally. This “buzz” has helped Marion become a catalyst for attracting several automotive related industries into North Eastern Arkansas. 2004 saw the breaking of ground in Marion for the Hino Motors Manufacturing axle assembly plant, Hino Motor’s first plant built specifically for Hino in North America. Other notable industries in Marion include Cooper Glass and Ritter Disposables. In 1996, Marion became home to one of Union Pacific Railroad’s largest inland intermodal operations. Marion is also becoming a welcoming place for visitors to the Mid-South as nearly 300 hotel and motel rooms are available daily with easy access to Exit 10 of I-55.
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%. Eight years later, an almost nine million dollar bond issue to finance several public improvements received voter approval rating between 79% and 92% on the various questions before the voters. Again, in 2017, voters approved over seventeen million in projects for each city department with voter approval ranging from 74% to 80% for the different projects. Our school district has embraced the magnet school concept and is rapidly becoming noted as a school district focused on quality and innovation.
Our citizens take pride in the many youth, school, church, and civic activities that provide the fibers of 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 website 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.
Mayor Frank A. Fogleman