Marne is an unincorporated community in
Wright TownshipWright Township is a civil township of Ottawa County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 3,286 at the 2000 census.-Communities:*Big Spring was a small settlement at on the northern boundary of the township between sections 3 and 4...
of
Ottawa CountyOttawa County is a county in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the population was 238,314, with the Census Bureau placing the population at 260,364 in 2008. The county seat is Grand Haven.-Geography:According to the U.S...
in the
U.S. stateA U.S. state is any one of 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government . Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile...
of
MichiganMichigan is a Midwestern state of the United States of America. It was named after Lake Michigan, whose name is a French adaptation of the Ojibwe term mishigama, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
. Township offices are located in the community
The Marne
ZIP codeThe ZIP code is the system of postal codes used by the United States Postal Service . The letters ZIP, a backronym for Zone Improvement Plan, are properly written in capital letters and were chosen to suggest that the mail travels more efficiently, and therefore more quickly, when senders use the...
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 CountyKent County is a county in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is part of the Grand Rapids–Wyoming Metropolitan Statistical Area. In the 2000 census, the county had a population of 574,335. The 2008 Census estimate placed the county population at 605,213. The county seat is Grand Rapids...
.
Marne is located at off exit 23 on
Interstate 96Interstate 96 is an intrastate Interstate Highway that is entirely within the U.S. state of Michigan. Its western terminus is at an interchange with US-31 and US-31 BR, on the western boundary of Norton Shores southeast of Muskegon. Its eastern terminus is at I-75 near the Ambassador Bridge in...
, just northwest of
Grand RapidsGrand Rapids is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. The city is located on the Grand River and is approximately 30 miles from Lake Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 197,800, making it the 114th largest city in the United States. It is the county seat of Kent County,...
.
Marne is an unincorporated community in
Wright TownshipWright Township is a civil township of Ottawa County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 3,286 at the 2000 census.-Communities:*Big Spring was a small settlement at on the northern boundary of the township between sections 3 and 4...
of
Ottawa CountyOttawa County is a county in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the population was 238,314, with the Census Bureau placing the population at 260,364 in 2008. The county seat is Grand Haven.-Geography:According to the U.S...
in the
U.S. stateA U.S. state is any one of 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government . Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile...
of
MichiganMichigan is a Midwestern state of the United States of America. It was named after Lake Michigan, whose name is a French adaptation of the Ojibwe term mishigama, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
. Township offices are located in the community
The Marne
ZIP codeThe ZIP code is the system of postal codes used by the United States Postal Service . The letters ZIP, a backronym for Zone Improvement Plan, are properly written in capital letters and were chosen to suggest that the mail travels more efficiently, and therefore more quickly, when senders use the...
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 CountyKent County is a county in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is part of the Grand Rapids–Wyoming Metropolitan Statistical Area. In the 2000 census, the county had a population of 574,335. The 2008 Census estimate placed the county population at 605,213. The county seat is Grand Rapids...
.
Marne is located at off exit 23 on
Interstate 96Interstate 96 is an intrastate Interstate Highway that is entirely within the U.S. state of Michigan. Its western terminus is at an interchange with US-31 and US-31 BR, on the western boundary of Norton Shores southeast of Muskegon. Its eastern terminus is at I-75 near the Ambassador Bridge in...
, just northwest of
Grand RapidsGrand Rapids is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. The city is located on the Grand River and is approximately 30 miles from Lake Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 197,800, making it the 114th largest city in the United States. It is the county seat of Kent County,...
. The community was originally named
Berlin because of the many German settlers. It received a post office in 1852 and was
platA plat consists of a map, drawn to scale, showing the divisions of a piece of land. U.S. General Land Office surveyors drafted township plats of Public Lands Surveys to show the distance and bearing between section corners, sometimes including topographic or vegetation information. City, town or...
ted in 1857. Due to
anti-German sentimentAnti-German sentiment is defined as a fear or hatred of Germany, its people, and the German language.-Russia:In the 1860s Russia experienced an outbreak of Germanophobia, mainly restricted to a small group of writers in St. Petersburg who had united around a right wing newspaper...
s during
World War IWorld War I , also known as the First World War, the Great War, and the War to End All Wars, was a global military conflict which involved most of the world's great powers, assembled in two opposing alliances: the Triple Entente and the Triple Alliance...
, the name was changed in 1919 to Marne, to honor those soldiers who fought in the
Battle of the MarneThere were two Battles of the Marne during World War I:* First Battle of the Marne * Second Battle of the Marne...
. However, the name Berlin continues to manifest in many ways, including
Berlin Baptist Church, the Berlin Fairgrounds, and the
Berlin RacewayBerlin Raceway is a 0.438 mile long paved oval race track in Marne, Michigan, near Grand Rapids. It opened in 1950. The track is notable for the lack of an outside wall on the back straightaway, a unique feature for a national series such as ARCA. In addition, the short straights make it feel...
, where
Johnny BensonJonathan Benson, Jr. is a NASCAR driver and the son of former Michigan modified driver John Benson, Sr...
raced.
Ed ColeEdward Nicholas Cole was an automotive executive for General Motors. He is the father of David E. Cole, Center for Automotive Research, Chairman.Cole was the son of a dairy farmer...
, an automotive executive for
General MotorsGeneral Motors Company, often known as simply GM, is a United States based automaker with headquarters in Detroit, Michigan. GM was the world's 18th largest corporate entity and third largest automaker as ranked by 2008 revenues on the Fortune Global 500. Ranked by global unit sales for 2008, it...
, was born in Marne, where his father was a dairy farmer.
Marne serves as a
trailheadThe trailhead is the point at which a path, usually intended primarily or solely for walking and/or horseback traffic, starts. Modern trailheads often contain rest rooms, maps, sign posts and distribution centers for informational brochures about the trail and its features, and parking areas for...
for the
Musketawa TrailThe 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 from the Michigan Department of Natural Resources and...