Marne () is an

unincorporated community An unincorporated area is a parcel of land that is not governed by a local general-purpose municipal corporation. (At p. 178.) They may be governed or serviced by an encompassing unit (such as a county) or another branch of the state (such as th ...

in Wright Township of Ottawa County in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its so ...

Michigan Michigan ( ) is a peninsular U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, Upper Midwestern United States. It shares water and land boundaries with Minnesota to the northwest, Wisconsin to the west, ...

Geography

Marne is large and it is northwest of downtown Grand Rapids. The Marne ZIP code 49435 serves areas in southern and eastern Wright Township, as well as areas of central Tallmadge Township to the south and small areas of Alpine Township to the east in Kent County. Marne is located at off exit 23 on

Interstate 96 Interstate 96 (I-96) is an east–west Interstate Highway System, Interstate Highway that runs for approximately entirely within the Lower Peninsula of Michigan, Lower Peninsula of the US state of Michigan. The western terminus is at an i ...

, 12 miles northwest of

Grand Rapids Grand Rapids is the largest city and county seat of Kent County, Michigan, United States. With a population of 198,917 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census and estimated at 200,117 in 2024, Grand Rapids is the List of municipalities ...

. Township offices are located in the community.

History

Marne was originally called Berlin due to the many German settlers in the area. It received a post office in 1852 and was

plat In the United States, a plat ( or ) (plan) is a cadastral map, drawn to scale, showing the divisions of a piece of land. United States General Land Office surveyors drafted township plats of Public Lands Survey System, Public Lands Surveys to ...

ted in 1857. Due to

anti-German sentiment Anti-German sentiment (also known as anti-Germanism, Germanophobia or Teutophobia) is fear or dislike of Germany, its Germans, people, and its Culture of Germany, culture. Its opposite is Germanophile, Germanophilia. Anti-German sentiment main ...

s during

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, the name was changed in 1919 to Marne, to honor those soldiers who fought in the Second Battle of the Marne. However, the name Berlin continues to manifest in many ways, includin
Berlin Baptist Church
the Berlin Fairgrounds, Berlin Fair Drive and the

Berlin Raceway Berlin Raceway is a long paved oval race track in Marne, Michigan, near Grand Rapids, Michigan, Grand Rapids. The track races weekly as part of the NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series. It has also held touring series events on the ARCA Menar ...

, where Johnny Benson Jr. raced. Marne (at the time Berlin) also served as a stop on the historic Grand Rapids, Grand Haven & Muskegon interurban railroad. The depot still remains to this day, although it serves as a restaurant now.

Ed Cole Edward Nicholas Cole (September 17, 1909 – May 2, 1977) was an American inventor, automotive engineer and executive, widely known for leading critical projects for General Motors, including development of the Chevrolet Corvair and Chevrolet ...

, an automotive executive for

General Motors General Motors Company (GM) is an American Multinational corporation, multinational Automotive industry, automotive manufacturing company headquartered in Detroit, Michigan, United States. The company is most known for owning and manufacturing f ...

, was born in Marne, where his father was a dairy farmer. Marne serves as a

trailhead A trailhead is the point where a trail begins or is accessed, where the trail is often intended for hiking, biking, horseback riding, or off-road vehicles. Modern trailheads often contain restrooms, maps, signposts, and distribution centers for ...

for the

Musketawa Trail The Musketawa Trail is a rail trail in Western Michigan along the former Muskegon, Grand Rapids and Indiana Railroad line. Stretching from Marne to Muskegon, the trail passes through the towns of Conklin and Ravenna. Trail development came ...

Demographics

According to the 2011 US Census Bureau, the total population was 3,177. The median age was 42.8 and the percentage of high school graduates and higher was 91%. The median house value in 2011 was $177,300 while the median household income was $64,245. 6.8% of the population was below the poverty line in 2011.

Education

The

Kenowa Hills Public Schools Kenowa Hills Public Schools is a school district headquartered in Alpine Township, Michigan in Greater Grand Rapids. It serves portions of Alpine Township, the City of Walker, and Wright Township (including Marne).

serves Marne. Marne Elementary School was formerly located in Marne.Marne Elementary
"

. February 5, 2004. Retrieved on December 27, 2012. "14141 State St. Marne, MI 49435"

References

{{authority control Unincorporated communities in Ottawa County, Michigan Unincorporated communities in Michigan 1857 establishments in Michigan Populated places established in 1857