Some believe that the village's proximity to cliffs on its western boundary lent to the area being referred to as the ravine.

In addition to formal schooling, educational and entertainment information is available at the RCS Community Library[8] which is located at 95 Main Street in the village of Ravena.

[10] On July 11, 2008, the Albany Times Union reported that Holcim's (Formerly Lafarge) Ravena plant "was the greatest source of mercury emissions in New York from 2004 to 2006".

A second story, published the following day, stated that the factory had emitted 400 pounds (181 kg) of mercury annually from 2004 to 2006.

The new kiln will use less coal and emit fewer pollutants, including a 66% reduction in mercury emissions, while increasing production capacity.

[13] The News-Herald is Ravena's main newspaper, published weekly, which has designation for publication of legal notices.

It contains facilities for baseball, football, swimming, tennis, basketball, and picnics, with a skateboard park currently under development, though as of 2021 the skatepark has yet to be built.

Eventually, it was determined to close the Ravena Police Department by referendum, at which point the Coeymans Police Department became the sole law enforcement agency for both the Village of Ravena and Town of Coeymans.

Formerly, the Ravena Rescue Squad was a volunteer agency, but due to lack of membership, it was decided by its board of directors to hire paid Emergency Medical Technicians (EMT).

Firefighters from the Ravena Fire Department are also trained to deal with certain levels of Hazardous Materials.

Some Emergency Medical Services (EMS) are also provided by the fire department when the Ravena Rescue Squad is unable to respond due to being dedicated at other incidents.