Marion
Located just fifty miles north of Columbus, this picturesque suburban town is one of the largest producers of corn and popcorn in the United States. President Warren G. Harding spent most of his life in Marion, Ohio, and his former home has been preserved and is one of the city's most famous historic sites. Until the 1970s, Marion was a major producer of steel, however with the economic decline of the 1970s, the steel industry faded significantly. Today Marion is the home of the Marion Power Shovel Company, the producer of NASA's Crawler Transporter and the Whirlpool Corporation is the city's largest employer. The Marion Popcorn Festival is one of the city's annual events, and the Wyandot Popcorn Museum houses the world's largest collection of popcorn poppers. With quaint tree-lined streets and homes with large front porches, this small town is full of interesting history, quirky attractions, and some of the region's best popcorn.