The town of Gölmarmara itself was a mere village in Ottoman times cited under such names as "Marmaracık" or "Mermere".

Lake Marmara, aside from being a recreational center for the province as a whole, is also an important source for fishing and agricultural irrigation.

Slightly lower than the town center at 79 m (259 ft), the lake is also an Important Bird Area.

The town's most important historical building is Halime Hatun Religious Complex built by the Ottoman sultan Mehmed III during his tenure in Manisa (1583-1595) in the name of his wet nurse and his future grand vizier Tekeli Lala Mehmed Pasha's mother-in-law Halime Hatun.

In 2015 an important archaeological discovery was made at Kaymakçı: a Middle and Late Bronze Age city (2000-1200 BC) whose area was approximately 4 times larger than that of Troy.