Farming, tourism and aggregate are the primary industries, and are supported by a wide variety of local enterprises.

As both styles of place naming were popular in Ontario at the time, it is not clear which one Lieutenant-Governor Sir Peregrine Maitland had in mind.

Many Indigenous people were living on the narrow strip of land that separates lakes Simcoe and Couchiching between Atherley and Orillia.

After that time, the local Indian Agent began purchasing lands in Rama Township and the Indigenous people were resettled there.

Sage had considered relocating his mill from Bell Ewart to a point between the Black River and Lake Couchiching, or possibly at Wasdell Falls.

This area lacked rail transport, so the sawn lumber would have to be barged to the Northern Railway at Bell Ewart.

Instead, Sage came up with the idea of a canal to float logs from the Black River to supply the mills of Lake Simcoe.

As part of the municipal restructuring of Simcoe County, Mara and Rama Townships were reamalgamated to form Ramara in 1994.

Washago station, located in the neighbouring township of Severn, is served by Via Rail's weekly Canadian transcontinental service between Toronto and Vancouver.

The gingerbread style Atherley Junction station was built by the Grand Trunk Railway in what is now Ramara in 1897,[3] but it was destroyed by a fire in 1931.

[4] It was likely rebuilt after 1931 by Canadian National Railway, and now the structure is now located at Couchiching Beach Park in Orillia, Ontario.