What is it Like Living in Marion?
As the county seat of Smyth County, Marion is a small town with a population of just over 6,000 residents. Steeped in history, it takes its name from Francis Marion, an officer who fought in the Revolutionary War. With official designations as both a Virginia Main Street Community and National Main Street Community, it is a scenic and culturally-rich place to call home.
Cost of living data on Marion is available from Sperling’s Best Places. On a scale where the US average cost of living is 100, Marion’s cost of living is only 74.1, making it very affordable area to live. This is especially great news in Virginia, considering that the cost of living for the entire state is 114.
While there are savings in a number of areas, most of them come from the lower cost of housing. The US median home cost is $216,200, and the median home cost for Virginia is $252,700. In Marion, the median home cost is a mere $79,700.
What can you expect in the job market? The average household income is $29,900, and the average income per person is $21,618. While these are lower salaries than the nationwide averages, this is the norm in locations where the cost of living is also reduced.
If you plan to raise a family in Marion, there are a couple of elementary schools, along with a middle and high school. What about higher education? Marion is home to the Smyth County Career and Tech Center. You are also only about an hour and half out of Blacksburg, where you will find Virginia Tech, the state’s largest land-grant university.
The climate in Marion is fairly temperate, with lows in the winter reaching into the 20s and highs in the summer reaching into the 80s. Average annual rainfall is about 42 inches, and average annual snowfall is around 21 inches.
As for what you can do for leisure in Marion, despite it being a small town, you should have no trouble filling your afternoons and evenings with fun activities. You can visit the Lincoln Theatre, enjoy the monthly ArtWalk, or explore the Hungry Mother State Park. Drive a few hours and you can also get to the world-famous Shenandoah National Park.