About Us

Township of Ray, The Jewel of Macomb County, MI

Ray Township was established in 1827. At that time, the boundaries included what is now Armada Township. In 1832 the boundaries were enlarged to include Lenox, Macomb and Richmond Townships. But later Ray Township was reduced to its present size of 36 square miles with boundaries as follows-32 Mile as the northern boundary, 26 Mile as its southern boundary, it's eastern boundary being a line one mile east of North Avenue and to the west a line one mile west of Romeo Plank.

The current Township Hall is housed in what was originally the Ray "Union Church" built in 1869. In the 40's attendance lagged at the church and the trustees decided to abandon the church and to turn the property over to the township to be used by its residents. On June 6, 1950 a formal agreement was signed between the church trustees and the trustees of the Township. The Township Board began holding meetings at the hall in 1968 and in 1973 opened a small office in the back room. In 1996 the Ray Township Senior Center addition was built on the back of the hall. The interior of the old hall was renovated in 2001 to provide much needed office space for the Township Hall.

The Township Library is located in a former one-room schoolhouse that was built in 1863. The "Mill School" served the community to educate the children of Ray Township for ninety-one years. The ownership of the school and property was transferred to Ray Township in 1953. The building was reconditioned in 1983 and opened as the Ray Township Library.   In 2007 the Library joined the Suburban Library Co-operative and now operates as the Ray Township Public Library.

The Township Hall and Township Library sit on a parcel of land with the Ray Township Park. This 17-acre recreational site contains two regulation softball diamonds, a tennis court, a basketball pad and net, and assorted playground equipment. There are also three roofed open-air pavilions with electricity and with nearby barbeque facilities. In the fall of 2002 a one-half mile long asphalt walking path was added around the perimeter of the park. In 2009 new playground structures were added to the park.

The government of Ray Township is that of a General Law Township and is established by State Statute. An elected Township Board that consists of the following five members conducts the township's business: One Supervisor, one Clerk, one Treasurer and two Trustees.

North Avenue and Romeo Plank are the major north-south roads while 26, 29, and 32 Mile Roads provide east-west access. Romeo Airport is a state owned general aviation facility located in the north-west corner of the township. In addition to the local Ray Township Park there is the Wolcott Mill Metropark and Farm Learning Center, which offers a number of recreational and educational programs. The 2,600-acre Huron-Clinton Metropark comprises ten percent of the land in the Township.