Marion

Formed June 10, 1845 (31^st county)

Marion County (33,417), Knoxville (7,587), Pella (10,458)

The tall working clock tower draws attention to the 1896 Romanesque courthouse.  The courthouse is in a city square at Main, 2^nd, Robinson, and 3^rd streets.  Iowa State Highway 92 Business is Main Street.  Mifflin Emien Bell designed this stone and masonry courthouse.  Veteran memorial walls and statue, a military gun, and a stage are on the grounds.  The county was created on June 10, 1845 from Washington County as the 31^st county with Knoxville as the only county seat.  It is named for Revolutionary War General Francis Marion.  The county seat is named for Revolutionary War General Henry Knox. 

Marion County government consists of a sheriff, a recorder, an attorney, a treasurer, and an assessor (executive).  It has 3 Supervisors (legislative.)  Fifty-nine District Court Judges and Twenty-one Magistrates serve Marion, Adair, Adams, Clarke, Dallas, Decatur, Guthrie, Jasper, Lucas, Madison, Polk, Ringgold, Taylor, Union, Warren, and Wayne counties (judicial.) The county is directly southeast of Des Moines, Iowa in south central Iowa.  The county center is 1.7 miles East-Northeast of Knoxville.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Jasper, Mahaska, Monroe, Lucas, Warren, and Polk counties. 

The county has an area of 554 square miles.  It is 61 of 99 in the state.  It ranks 22 out of 99 in population in the state.  It has a density of 60.3 persons per square mile making it 19 out of 99 in the state.  Marion County has 65.2% of its population in its incorporated areas.  There are no Interstates or United States Highways in the county.  The county is a square with Knoxville located near the center of the county.  The largest city is located near the northeast border of the county.  Knoxville is the county seat and Pella is the largest city.  Knoxville is 22.7% of the county population while Pella is 31.3% of the county population.  The largest city is pronounced PEL-LA.  This county is in the Pella Micropolitan Statistical Area.