Ravensdale is a small census-designated place in southeastern King County, Washington, in the forested foothills of the Cascade Range about thirty miles southeast of Seattle. It sits between the historic coal town of Black Diamond and the growing suburban community of Maple Valley, along the corridor of State Route 169. The community's identity is rooted in coal. Originally known as Leary, after the Leary Coal Company that began shipping from local mines in 1900, Ravensdale grew as a company town. It incorporated in 1913, and the mines passed to the Northwestern Improvement Company, a subsidiary of the Northern Pacific Railroad. The town's history carries a tragic mark: on November 16, 1915, an explosion in the Ravensdale mine killed 31 men, one of the worst coal-mining accidents in Washington state history. Coal remained central to the area for decades, and Washington's last underground coal mine, the Rogers No. 3 Mine at Ravensdale, closed in December 1974, ending an era. Today Ravensdale is a quiet, lightly populated community of a few hundred residents, its mining past visible in place names and local memory rather than industry. The Tahoma School District, based in Maple Valley, serves the area, and Summit Trail Middle School is located in Ravensdale. Homes are scattered among second-growth forest, and the surrounding landscape has transitioned from mines and mills to open space. Recreation now defines much of life here. Lake Ravensdale, within the Black Diamond Open Space, offers fishing and quiet water, while the Ravensdale Retreat Natural Area and nearby trail networks provide hiking, mountain biking, and horseback riding. Ravensdale suits people seeking a rural feel with Seattle, Bellevue, and the Kent Valley within commuting distance.