IntelliMoveTake the quiz →Living in Marion, NC
Marion is a big small town of 7,579 people in McDowell County, North Carolina. It's about 32 miles from Asheville, NC and 73 miles from Charlotte, NC, the nearest major city. Summer highs average 85°F and winter highs 49°F, with about 7 inches of snow a year. The typical home is valued around $164k and rent runs about $762 a month.
7,579people
$164kTypical home
$762/moRent
85° / 49°Summer / winter
7"Snow
241Sunny days
119Rain/snow days
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Size & setting
- Big small town of 7,579
- Its own small hub, not a suburb
- About 1,116 people per sq mi
- 73 mi to Charlotte, NC
- 32 mi to Asheville, NC
- 17 mi to the nearest town of 10k+
Money
- Typical home $164k (≈$1,031/mo)
- Median rent $762/mo
- Median household income $51k
- Property tax about 0.6% of value
- 5.0% unemployment
Weather
- Summer highs around 85°F
- Winter highs around 49°F
- Muggy summers (dew point 64°F)
- 241 sunny days a year (91 totally clear)
- 124 cloudy days a year
- 38 of 90 winter days are gray
- 119 days a year with rain or snow
- 7" of snow a year
- 2 days a year with 1"+ of snow
- Rarely hits 100°F
- 4 nights a year below 10°F
- Usually calm
Safety
- Low violent crime (210 per 100k)
- Above-average property crime (2,873 per 100k)
People
- Median age 39
- 32% of households have kids
- 17% are 65 or older
- 16% have a college degree
- Very diverse community
- 4% of residents are college students
Getting around & homes
- Average commute 24 min
- 1% walk or take transit to work
- 35 mi to AVL airport
- 68 mi to CLT (major hub)
- 50 mi to the nearest Amtrak station
- 68% single-family homes
- Typical home built around 1968
- 80% of homes have broadband
Outdoors
- Gently rolling terrain
- Elevation 1,339 ft
- 222 mi to the ocean
- 88 mi to a big lake
- 11 mi to the nearest trailhead
- 32 mi to the nearest ski area
- 3 mi to the nearest campground
- 7 golf courses within 25 mi
Things to do
- 151 sit-down restaurants within 25 mi
- 7 bars within 25 mi
- 32 coffee shops within 25 mi
- 1 music venue or club within 25 mi
- 21 museums within 25 mi
- 12 breweries & distilleries within 25 mi
- Farmers market in town
Everyday
- Schools in the bottom 44% of North Carolina districts (reading)
- Grocery store in town
- 3 mi to the nearest ER hospital
- 15 mi to a 4–5★ hospital
- 2 mi to the nearest vet
- 20 mi to the nearest dog park
- 11 congregations per 10k people
- 32 mi to the nearest college
Politics
- McDowell County: R+49 in 2024
- North Carolina: R+3 in 2024
Natural hazards
- Low hurricane risk
- Moderate tornado risk
- Low wildfire risk
- Low earthquake risk
- Moderate flood risk
- Moderate drought risk
- Moderate winter storm risk
- Very low heat wave risk
- Very low volcano risk