Marion

Formed February 13, 1818 (20^th county)

Marion County (29,341), Hamilton (7,052)

The concrete and red brick courthouse stands out in this community.  Located on a square surrounded by Military Street, 1^st Avenue, 1^st Street, and Bexar Avenue, the structure was built in 1960.  United States Highway 43 is Military Street in the town.  Charles H. McCauley designed this Modern style building.  Veteran memorials sit on the courthouse grounds.  Hamilton also had the 1901 courthouse.  Pikeville was the first county seat followed by Hamilton in 1882.  General Francis Marion was the namesake for the county.  He is also the source name for the county seat of Perry County.  Settler Albert J. Hamilton provided the inspiration for the county seat.  The county was formed on February 13, 1818 from Tuscaloosa County as 20^th county and yielded Lamar County in 1866. 

Marion County government consists of a sheriff, revenue commissioner, and coroner (executive).  It has 5 commissioners (legislative.)  Two Circuit Judges serve Marion and Winston counties and a District Judge, a Probate Judge, a District Attorney, and a County Clerk serve Marion County (judicial.)  The county is situated in western Alabama on the border with Mississippi.  The center of the county is 7.6 miles East-Southeast of Hamilton.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Franklin, Winston, Walker, and Fayette counties and Mississippi.  Hamilton is in the west part of the county.  It is the county seat and the largest city.  Hamilton is 24.0% of the county population.

The county has an area of 742.3 square miles.  It ranks 26 out of 67 in size.  It ranks 38 out of 67 in population in the state.  It has a density of 39.3 persons per square mile making it 37 out of 67 in the state.  Marion County has 58.9% of its population in its incorporated areas.  United States Highway 43 enters the county from the north, Franklin County, and exits to the south, Fayette County.  United States Highway 78 crosses east to west from Walker County to Mississippi.  United States Highway 278 comes from Winston County, east, joins United States Highway 43 in Hamilton, splits to the west in the far south and goes into Lamar County. 

Winfield