By FINN HARTNETT

Staff writer

Given the lack of population density in Marion County, the number of coffee shops in our neck of the woods isn’t bad at all.

The exact number varies depending on what one considers a real coffee shop, but by one reporter’s count there are more than a dozen places in the county where one can sit down and enjoy a cup of joe.

Below are six of our favorites.

The Sit Down

Housed in a historic townhouse at S. 3rd St. in Marion, The Sit Down offers a wide selection of coffees, teas, blended drinks, and foodstuffs. It’s one of those places where you can go a dozen times and always find something new and interesting to sip on.

The decor is pleasantly homely, there’s plenty of seating, and it’s open six days a week.

Rhubarb Market

The most cosmopolitan one can feel in Marion County is at Rhubarb Market, on Main St. in Hillsboro. The coffee shop wouldn’t look out of place in Brooklyn but is no doubt more appreciated at its current location.

The space is artisan in every sense of the word, featuring coffee made from locally roasted beans and a homemade, seasonal food selection.

Rhubarb is beautifully decorated, too, and is host for community events and even concerts on occasion.

Lincoln Perk at Bethesda

No, it’s not the nu metal band from California that dominated the rock charts in the early 2000s. It’s a coffee shop inside a nursing home in Goessel.

The amount of cookies, lemon bars, and other pastry inside Lincoln Perk is surprising until you remember how much the elderly like baked goods.

Lincoln Perk also is one of the only spots in the county with real fruit smoothies.

Town and Country Café

Located by the side of US-77, Town and Country Café is probably Florence’s most-beloved business. You’re not going to get anything fancy here, but it’s all hale and hearty, and the restaurant makes a solid cup of coffee to go with its much-loved pie.

Specials every night of the week are a highlight of its inexpensive food menu.

Main St. Café

Durham, population 92, doesn’t have much, but it does have perhaps the best coffee shop in the county: Main St. Café.

Run by a large Mennonite family, the restaurant has a friendly staff, and its coffee and cinnamon rolls are exceptional.

If friends from out of town want to know what rural Kansas is like, take them to the buffet Friday evening. It will give them a great sense of the culture along with some good food.

Porcupine Tea Company

For refreshing drinks in Peabody, look no further than Porcupine Tea Company. True to its name, the store focuses more on tea than coffee, offering hot and iced teas with a plethora of different flavorings.

For the adventurous, consider trying bubble tea, a popular Vietnamese drink with milky, sweet tea and chewy tapioca “bubbles.”