The city of Marion has a rich heritage unique among Midwestern towns. It is the home of a president of the United States, a Miss America, manufacturers that revolutionized agriculture and mining, an inventor with over 100 patents, a renowned sanatorium, and even a world-class popcorn-machine museum. Once known as "Shovel City" due to its numerous power-shovel manufacturers, the city of Marion, with its strong industrial base and transportation network, forms an important crossroads in the "Heart of Ohio."