114 Business View Magazine - October 2016
Marion, Iowa
A small community with some big things brewing
Marion is a city in Linn County, Iowa with a population
of about 40,000. But, Tom Treharne, Marion’s Plan-
ning and Development Director says that, when asked,
even local residents will say the community is about
two-thirds that size. That’s because the city, which was
named after Francis Marion, a military officer of the
Revolutionary War, has “that small-town, Iowa feel,” he
says.
Nonetheless, this small town in east central Iowa has
some big things brewing. One of the biggest projects go-
ing on, right now, is the Central Corridor Project, which
is set to revitalize and expand the city’s downtown
area, which is actually called “Uptown” by the locals.
“There’s a highway that runs through town - Highway
151,” explains Treharne, “and over the years, it’s be-
come a very congested roadway. Years ago we bought
