Located at the eastern edge of the Blue Ridge Mountains, Marion, N.C., is the seat of government for McDowell County. With a population of fewer than 10,000, Marion can best be described as a small town in a small county.
Marion is named for Francis Marion, who was a Revolutionary War hero, regionally known as the "Swamp Fox." However, Marion's main base of operations against the British was in South Carolina, but nonetheless his popularity spread to many places.
Marion was a planned community that was not built until the 1840s. Many of the original buildings were wood, but a fire in 1894 razed the downtown area. The city was quickly rebuilt in a grand style, and as a result the downtown area is included on the National Register of Historic Places.
Marion operates three day-use parks within its city limits, and nearby Lake Tahoma provides opportunities for boating and fishing. The nearest public campground can be found at Lake James State Park. This lake is much larger than Tahoma and offers visitors a variety of water activities.
