The village of Ravenna, Michigan is surrounded by Ravenna Township, in southeast Muskegon County.
Crockery Creek flows through the village, just south of its business district. The Musketawa Trail, a 25-mile rail-trail following the former Muskegon, Grand Rapids, and Indiana Railroad line, reaches from Marne to Muskegon, passing through Conklin and Ravenna.
No major highways pass through Ravenna, the chief routes being Blackmer Road, Harrisburg Road, Heights Ravenna Road, South Ravenna Road, and Slocum Road.
Cities and villages within twenty-five miles of Ravenna include Coopersville, Casnovia, Kent City, Sparta, Fruitport, Grant, Norton Shores, Roosevelt Park, Muskegon, Walker, Spring Lake, Ferrysburg, North Muskegon, Grand Haven, Newaygo, Cedar Springs, and Rockford, while the unincorporated communities of Harrisburg, Crockery Lake, Conklin, and Lisbon are within ten miles.
Ravenna is one of four villages in Muskegon County, the others being Casnovia, Fruitport, and Lakewood Club. The county also has six incorporated cities: Montague, Muskegon, North Muskegon, Norton Shores, Roosevelt Park, and Whitehall.
The first European-American settler in the area that was to become Ravenna was probably E.B. Bostwick, who built a sawmill there in 1844. Benjamin Smith came in 1847, followed by William Rogers, James Rollinson, Thomas D. Smith, and Hiram Wilkinson. The village was named for the township, which was named for the Ohio hometown of its surveyor.
A post office was established in Ravenna on February 9, 1848, with James M. Smith as postmaster. Incorporated as a village in 1922, Ravenna was part of Ottawa County until Muskegon County was organized in 1859.
Ravenna first appeared on a census roll in 1930, when its population was 343. Except for declines in 1980 and 1990, its population. has increased each decade, and had a population of 1,308 in 2020.
Approximately ninety percent of the land area in Ravenna is residential, although the village does have a business district, which includes Main Street and Stafford Street. Other business development can be found along Heights-Ravenna Road and Slocum Street to the north.
The Ravenna Township offices and the Ravenna Township Fire Department are located within the village.
Ravenna Public Schools serves the village and township, as well as Casnovia, Sullivan, and parts of Moorland Township.
Primary recreational areas within the village are Conklin Park and Thatcher Park. Situated west of the business district, Conklin Park has five baseball fields, one lighted, a soccer field, tennis courts, a pickleball court, basketball courts, volleyball courts, a picnic area, and two covered pavilions, while Thatcher Park has two covered pavilions, a picnic area, playground area, a seasonal water wheel, and walking trails. Thatcher Park is on the south side of the creek.
The focus of this part of our guide is on the small village of Ravenna, Michigan. Appropriate topics include online resources for the municipal government and any other governmental entities within the village, as well as local businesses, industries, schools, places of worship, organizations, attractions, events, entertainment venues, and recreational opportunities.
Recommended Resources
1st Reformed Church of Ravenna
Meeting at its facilities on Mortimer Street, the Ravenna, Michigan congregation is affiliated with the Christian Reformed Church in North America, a Protestant Christian denomination with roots in the Dutch Reformed Church of the Netherlands. Its elders, deacons, administrative staff, and pastor are introduced, with contacts and, when applicable, office hours. A calendar of events, an overview of its ministries, announcements, and a sermon archive are included.
https://ravennafirstreformed.com/
Available by subscription or at various businesses in Ravenna, Michigan, the news publication is published weekly. Its address, telephone number, email address, and an online contact form are published on the site, which includes advertising opportunities and fees, including classified ads and display ads of various sizes, as well as advertising specials known as signature ads, which are outlined here. The weekly newspaper is available in print format only.
http://www.ravennaindependent.com/
Ravenna Pattern and Manufacturing, Inc.
In business for more than sixty years, the Ravenna, Michigan company has expanded its manufacturing capabilities to permanent molds, lost foam molds, prototype to production, fixtures, trim dies, contract machining, and fabrication, each of which is outlined here, along an equipment list with new additions and updates, a list of memberships and affiliates, engineering design capabilities, contacts, an online contact form, and a map showing its location.
http://www.ravennapattern.com/
The K-12th-grade public school district operates Beechnau Elementary School, Ravenna Middle School, Ravenna High School, and Ravenna Alternative Virtual School, each of which is featured here, with schedules, faculty and staff contacts, and announcements. The district calendar, strategic plan, school board agendas and minutes, and budget data are included, along with registration schedules and instructions, student handbooks, curriculum, and parent resources.
https://www.ravennaschools.org/
The civil township in Muskegon County includes the village of Ravenna, Michigan. The official township website posts board meeting agendas, planning commission agendas, and minutes, as well as forms for dog licensing, FOIA cost estimate worksheets, general ordinances, land division applications, zoning maps, voter registration forms, and other documents, which may be downloaded, printed and mailed to the township office. Office hours and contacts are included.
https://www.ravennatwp.com/
The official municipal website presents maps showing the location of the village, and of the village offices, as well as physical and mailing addresses, office telephone numbers, and email addresses for the village clerk, treasurer, public works director, and zoning administrator. Councils, boards, and commissions are acknowledged, and a zoning map, ordinances, meeting agendas and minutes, master plan, financial reports, and other documents are available.
https://www.ravennami.com/
