Town file
Marion, Indiana
Marion, Indiana (Grant County, Indiana) is the town in 2 episodes of Small Town Murder, the comedy true-crime podcast: episode 260, "A Grossly Insane Tale Of Death" (27 January 2022), and episode 523, "Beauty And The Beast" (29 August 2024).
- Town
- Marion
- County
- Grant County
- State
- Indiana
- Country
- USA
- Episodes
- 260, 523
- Approximate location
- 40.550, -85.660
Episode 260 / 27 January 2022 / 166 min / full
A Grossly Insane Tale Of Death
"We're going to Marion, Indiana... east central Indiana... this is in Grant County." about 0:06:19
The case: Murder of Larry Lee Schmidt (May 1966). Read the case file.
The figures, as told in 2022
- Population
- 27,674
- Median age
- 37
- Median household income
- just under $33,000
- Median home value
- $85,100
- Two-bedroom rent
- about $684
- Cost of living
- 67
- Religious
- about 40%
- Property crime
- ▲ close to double
- Violent crime
- ▼ just under
History, in brief
- Marion was named after Revolutionary War General Francis Marion. about 0:07:05
- The Battle of Mississinewa, part of the War of 1812, was fought north of Marion in December 1812. about 0:08:19
- The town became an agricultural trading centre and had a forest industry until the 1880s, when a large supply of natural gas was found in the county and set off a gas boom. about 0:08:32
- From 1900 to 1901 the town had its own baseball team, called the Glass Blowers. about 0:08:49
- James Dean was born in Marion. about 0:09:15
- Jim Davis, the creator of Garfield, is from Marion. about 0:09:53
- Marion was the location of Julia Roberts's 1993 wedding to Lyle Lovett. about 0:10:25
- Town mottoes include City of Champions and Christmas City USA. about 0:06:27
The reviews read out
5 stars
"A lifelong resident says Marion provides almost all of the needs one can think of and recommends it 100 percent."about 0:11:09
5 stars
"Police patrol the neighbourhood every night, which makes the reviewer feel safe; the officers are nice and helped when a key was locked in a car."about 0:11:49
3 stars
"A special place with loving, caring people, but it has become dangerous with drugs and crime and needs cleaning up."about 0:12:26
2 stars
"It once had factory jobs; now small businesses struggle, there is little entertainment apart from walking around Walmart, and the opioid crisis is severe; Indiana Wesleyan University's campus and a park garden are the good things."about 0:13:14
2 stars
"The road is almost never ploughed in winter and is full of potholes."about 0:14:09
1 star
"Shootings, stabbings, robberies and overdoses every day; the town is as bad as downtown Chicago; the reviewer does not trust anyone and wants the drugs gone."about 0:14:19
Episode 523 / 29 August 2024 / 165 min / full
Beauty And The Beast
"The case takes place at addresses in La Fontaine, but La Fontaine is counted as part of Marion, so we're gonna use Marion; this is in east central Indiana, Grant County." about 0:05:11
The case: Murder of Lisa Young Patterson (July 2, 2009). Read the case file.
The figures, as told in 2024
- Population
- 27,757
- Median age
- 36
- Median household income
- $37,835 a year
- Median home value
- $103,900
- Two-bedroom rent
- $780
- Cost of living
- 68
- Property crime
- ▲ more than one third above the national average
- Violent crime
- right at average
History, in brief
- Grant County was formed in 1831 and is not named after Ulysses S. Grant. about 0:05:55
- Marion was established as the county seat. about 0:06:04
- A nearby river supplied water, power and drainage. about 0:06:12
- Marion is named after Francis Marion, a Revolutionary War general known as the Swamp Fox of South Carolina. about 0:06:18
- The town's prosperity peaked between the First World War and 1955, driven by a natural gas boom. about 0:07:25
- A General Motors stamping and tool plant created many jobs and helped the town grow. about 0:07:32
- The Marion Giants, eight-time state basketball champions, are the reason for the City of Champions motto. about 0:07:42
- The Marion Giants play in a 7,500-seat arena. about 0:08:00
- The Giants' previous home was built after their first state basketball title in 1926. about 0:08:18
- The Hostess House is a large mansion that can be rented for social functions. about 0:08:48
- Jim Davis, the creator of Garfield, is from Marion. about 0:08:48
- The actor James Dean was from Marion. about 0:09:11
- Julia Roberts and Lyle Lovett were married in Marion. about 0:09:16
The reviews read out
5 stars
"Police patrol the neighbourhood every night, which makes the reviewer feel safe, and the officers are helpful when keys are locked in a car."about 0:09:41
4 stars
"Marion is not the worst place in Indiana to live; it sits between Indianapolis and Fort Wayne, so people go to one of those for entertainment."about 0:10:05
3 stars
"Parts of town are falling apart, once beautiful homes and buildings are overgrown, and drug addicts are visible in public places; the reviewer wants rehabilitation rather than more jail."about 0:11:03
2 stars
"Marion was better when factory jobs were there; small businesses struggle, there is little entertainment beyond Walmart, and the town is in the opioid crisis, though Indiana Wesleyan University and the city park garden are nice."about 0:11:43
1 star
"Marion is a scary place with a very high crime rate, and the reviewer notes it was the last town to hold a public hanging."about 0:12:44
Nearest Small Town Murder towns
- Peru, Indiana26 miles
- Winchester, Indiana44 miles
- Carmel, Indiana48 miles
- Williamsburg, Indiana54 miles
- Lafayette, Indiana64 miles
- Auburn, Indiana65 miles
Everything here is as told in the episode, on the date it went out; figures and places may have changed since. Endings are covered: open an episode and use the spoiler switch to read them.