A peaceful, tradition-laden community of about 3,200 residents, Marion is located ten miles east of the Ohio River in the Pennyrile region of western Kentucky. The town was incorporated in 1851 and named in honor of General Francis Marion, a Revolutionary War leader from South Carolina. Marion is the only incorporated city in Crittenden County and serves as its county seat. Nearly all city and county government offices, as well as the facilities of the highly-regarded Crittenden County School System, are located within the Marion city limits.

Visitors to Marion frequently remark that they’re amazed to see certain things in a city our size. What sorts of things are they talking about? For starters, there’s the new Marion City Hall, which opened in December, 2005. This state-of-the-art, 16,000 square foot facility houses the city government’s administrative offices, police department, welcome center—even a drive-in bank! Designed to blend tastefully with nearby historic buildings, Marion City Hall is a major anchor of the city’s thriving downtown business district and serves as a model for other small cities to follow in planning and developing government facilities.

Located within a mile of downtown Marion, Kentucky are a couple of other features not often seen in smaller communities: a modern airport with hangar, pilot lounge, administrative building, and 4,400-ft. runway with IFR approaches; and the facilities of Crittenden Health Systems, which include a hospital (with emergency room, surgical facilities, and critical care units), 24-hour ambulance service, home health care offerings, MRI, and complete lab services.

A key reason for the community’s surprising array of offerings is the fact that both the city and county governments are well-managed and fiscally sound. Not only does this help to keep local tax rates low, it often provides a solid “starting point” around which local projects and activities can be organized. The two governments are major partners in local and regional economic development operations, including the Marion Tourism Commission, Marion Main Street, the Crittenden County Economic Development Corporation, and the Crittenden County Chamber of Commerce. Marion and Crittenden County also participate in the operations of the City-County Park, a first-class, community-sized recreational facility offering baseball diamonds, tennis courts, picnic areas, playgrounds, and walking trails.

More information about the City of Marion, Kentucky — especially, the city government’s services—is contained throughout this web site. If you can’t find what you need, please don’t hesitate to pick up the phone and call us at 270-965-2266, or simply drop us an This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .