Marion County is a county in the U.S. state of Florida.  The U.S. Census Bureau 2006 population for the county is 316,183. Its county seat is Ocala.

Marion County is part of the Ocala Metropolitan Statistical Area.

History
Marion County was created in 1844 from portions of Alachua, Mosquito (Orange), and Hillsborough counties.  Until 1853, Marion County included most of what are now Lake and Sumter counties.  The county is named after General Francis Marion of South Carolina, a guerilla fighter and hero of the American Revolutionary War.  Many of the early settlers of Marion County were from South Carolina.  The county motto is "Kingdom of the Sun." Farms in the county are known for breeding champion race horses such as Affirmed and Needles.

Land
According to the 2000 census, the county has a total area of , of which  (or 94.94%) is land and  (or 5.06%) is water.

Marion County is generally composed of rolling hills, some high and some low. The majority of its trees consist of live oaks, pine, and palm trees. Marion County is considered the southernmost county in North Central Florida, and the northernmost county in Central Florida.

It is about a two hour drive from many of Florida's major cities. Orlando is 75 minutes to the southeast while Daytona Beach is about 90 minutes to the east. Tampa is about 75 minutes to the southwest. Jacksonville is roughly a two hour drive northeast. Miami is about five hours to the southeast. Fort Lauderdale is about a four-hour drive from Marion County.

Marion County also has three large lakes at its opposite borders. Orange Lake is in the far northern part of Marion County, near the border with Alachua County. Lake Kerr is in the northeastern part of the county, near the town of Salt Springs. Lake Weir, the largest of the three, is in the far southern region near the border with Lake County. Part of Lake George is also in Marion County.

Marion County is inland, centered between the Atlantic Ocean to the east and the Gulf of Mexico to the west. Because of this, Marion County is not affected as much by hurricanes compared to the more coastal counties to its east and west. However, tornadoes are a major threat to this region of the state. Although Marion County is not near either of Florida's coasts, it is situated slightly to the west, so it takes a little less than an hour to get to the Gulf of Mexico while it takes about half an hour longer to get to the Atlantic Ocean.

Counties nearby
 Putnam County, Florida - northeast
 Volusia County, Florida - east
 Lake County, Florida - southeast
 Sumter County, Florida - south
 Citrus County, Florida - southwest
 Levy County, Florida - west
 Alachua County, Florida - northwest

National protected area
 Ocala National Forest (part)

People
As of the census of 2000, there were 258,916 people, 106,755 households, and 74,621 families living in the county.  The population density was 164 people per square mile (63/km²).  There were 122,663 housing units at an average density of 78 per square mile (30/km²).  The racial makeup of the county was 84.16% White, 11.55% Black or African American, 0.45% Native American, 0.70% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 1.69% from other races, and 1.44% from two or more races.  6.03% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

According to the 2000 Census the largest European ancestry groups in Marion County were English (18.7%), German (16.7%) and  Irish (14.0%).

There were 106,755 households out of which 24.70% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.60% were married couples living together, 10.70% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.10% were not related. 25.00% of all households were made up of people living alone and 13.00% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.  The average household size was 2.36 and the average family size was 2.79.

In the county the population was spread out with 21.40% under the age of 18, 6.40% from 18 to 24, 23.80% from 25 to 44, 23.90% from 45 to 64, and 24.50% who were 65 years of age or older.  The median age was 44 years. For every 100 females there were 93.30 males.  For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.90 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $31,944, and the median income for a family was $37,473. Males had a median income of $28,836 versus $21,855 for females. The per capita income for the county was $17,848.  About 9.20% of families and 13.10% of the population were below the poverty line, including 20.20% of those under age 18 and 7.40% of those age 65 or over.

Government
The Florida Department of Corrections operates facilities in unincorporated areas in the county, including the Lowell Correctional Institution and the Lowell Annex. The annex houses Florida's female death row.

Cities and towns

Cities
 Belleview
 Dunnellon
 McIntosh
 Ocala
 Reddick

Unincorporated
 Summerfield
 Fort McCoy
 Marion Oaks
 Silver Springs Shores
 Salt Springs
 Anthony
 The Villages (partly)
 Orange Springs

Schools

Public school system
 28 elementary schools
 8 middle schools
 1 4-8 school
 1 k-8 center
 8 high schools
 3 charter schools
 14 special needs schools

Elementary schools 
 Anthony Elementary School
 Belleview Elementary School
 Belleview-Santos Elementary School
 College Park Elementary School
 Dr. N.H. Jones Elementary (Magnet)
 Dunnellon Elementary School
 East Marion Elementary School
 Eighth Street Elementary School
 Emerald Shores Elementary School
 Evergreen Elementary School
 Fessenden Elementary School
 Fort McCoy School (K-8)
 Greenway Elementary School
 Hammett Bowen Jr. Elementary School
 Harbour View Elementary School
 Horizon Academy at Marion Oaks(5th-8th)
 Madison Street Academy of Visual and Performing Arts (Magnet)
 Maplewood Elementary School
 Oakcrest Elementary School
 Ocala Springs Elementary School
 Reddick-Collier Elementary School
 Romeo Elementary School
 Saddlewood Elementary School
 Shady Hill Elementary School
 South Ocala Elementary School
 Sparr Elementary School
 Stanton-Weirsdale Elementary School
 Sunrise Elementary School
 Ward-Highlands Elementary School
 Wyomina Park Elementary School

Middle schools 
 Belleview Middle School
 Dunnellon Middle School
 Fort King Middle School
 Horizon Academy at Marion Oaks(5th-8th)
 Howard Middle School
 Lake Weir Middle School
 Liberty Middle School
 North Marion Middle School
 Osceola Middle School

High schools 
 Vanguard High School
 Belleview High School
 Dunnellon High School
 Forest High School
 Lake Weir High School
 Marion Technical Institute
 North Marion High School
 Trinity Catholic High School
 West Port High School

References

Other websites

Government websites/Constitutional offices
 Marion County Fire Rescue 
 Marion County Board of County Commissioners
 Marion County Supervisor of Elections
 Marion County Property Appraiser
 Marion County Sheriff's Office
 Marion County Tax Collector 
 Marion County Public Schools Homepage

Special districts 
 Marion County School Board
 Southwest Florida Water Management District
 St. Johns River Water Management District

Judicial branch
 Marion County Clerk of Courts
  Public Defender, 5th Judicial Circuit of Florida  serving Citrus, Hernando, Lake, Marion, and Sumter counties
  Office of the State Attorney, 5th Judicial Circuit of Florida 
  Circuit and County Court for the 5th Judicial Circuit of Florida

Tourism websites 
 Everything you need to know about The Rainbow River, Dunnellon Florida
 Ocala/Marion County Chamber of Commerce
 Ocala/Marion Visitors' & Convention Bureau

Florida counties
1844 establishments in Florida Territory