Kalamazoo ( ) is a city in the southwest region of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is the county seat of

Kalamazoo County Kalamazoo County is a county located in the U.S. state of Michigan. , the population was 261,670. The county seat is Kalamazoo. Kalamazoo County is included in the Kalamazoo– Portage, MI Metropolitan Statistical Area. History Kalamazoo Count ...

. At the 2010 census, Kalamazoo had a population of 74,262. Kalamazoo is the major city of the Kalamazoo-Portage Metropolitan Statistical Area, which had a population of 335,340 in 2015. Kalamazoo is equidistant from Chicago and Detroit, being about 140 miles (225 kilometers) away from both. One of Kalamazoo's most notable features is the

Kalamazoo Mall The Kalamazoo Mall, the first outdoor pedestrian shopping mall in the United States, is a section of Burdick Street in downtown Kalamazoo, Michigan. Built for $60,000 and opened in 1959, the pedestrian mall became the first of several hundred bu ...

, an outdoor pedestrian shopping mall. The city created the mall in 1959 by closing part of Burdick Street to auto traffic, although two of the mall's four blocks have been reopened to auto traffic since 1999. Kalamazoo is home to Western Michigan University, a large public university, Kalamazoo College, a private liberal arts college, and

Kalamazoo Valley Community College Kalamazoo Valley Community College is a public community college in Kalamazoo, Michigan Kalamazoo ( ) is a city in the southwest region of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is the county seat of Kalamazoo County. At the 2010 census, Kalamazoo ...

, a two-year community college.

Name origin

Originally known as Bronson (after founder

Titus Bronson Titus Bronson (November 27, 1788 – January 6, 1853) is regarded as the Eccentricity (behavior), eccentric founder of the city of Kalamazoo, Michigan. In 1829, Titus Bronson, originally from Connecticut, was the first settler to build a cabin with ...

) in the township of Arcadia, the names of both the city and the township were changed to "Kalamazoo" in 1836 and 1837, respectively. The name “Kalamazoo” comes from a

Potawatomi The Potawatomi , also spelled Pottawatomi and Pottawatomie (among many variations), are a Native American people of the western Great Lakes region, upper Mississippi River and Great Plains. They traditionally speak the Potawatomi language, a m ...

word, first found in a British report in 1772. The Kalamazoo River, which passes through the modern city of Kalamazoo, was located on the route between Detroit and Fort Saint-Joseph (nowadays Niles, Michigan). French-Canadian traders, missionaries, and military personnel were quite familiar with this area during the French era and thereafter. The Kalamazoo River was then known by Canadians and French as ''La rivière Kikanamaso''. The name "Kikanamaso" was also recorded by Father

Pierre Potier Pierre Potier (22 August 1934 – 3 February 2006) was a French pharmacist as well as a chemist. He held the position of Director of the Institut de Chimie des Substances Naturelles (1974 to 2000), as well as a teaching position at the Muséum ...

, a Jesuit missionary for the Huron-Wendats at the Assumption mission (south shore of Detroit), while en route to Fort Saint-Joseph during the fall of 1760. Legend has it that "Ki-ka-ma-sung", meaning "boiling water", referred to a footrace held each fall by local Native Americans, in which participants had to run to the river and back before a pot boiled. The word ''negikanamazo'', purported to mean "otter tail" or "stones like otters", has also been cited as a possible origin of the name. Another theory is that it means "the mirage or reflecting river". Another legend is that the image of "boiling water" referred to fog on the river as seen from the hills above the current downtown. The name was also given to the river that flows almost all the way across the state. The name Kalamazoo, which sounds unusual to English speakers, has become a

metonym Metonymy () is a figure of speech in which a concept is referred to by the name of something closely associated with that thing or concept. Etymology The words ''metonymy'' and ''metonym'' come from grc, μετωνυμία, 'a change of name' ...

for exotic places, as in the phrase "from Timbuktu to Kalamazoo". Today, T-shirts are sold in Kalamazoo with the phrase "Yes, there really is a Kalamazoo".

History

The area on which the modern city of Kalamazoo stands was once home to Native Americans of the Hopewell tradition, who migrated into the area sometime before the first millennium. Evidence of their early residency remains in the form of a small mound in downtown's Bronson Park. The Hopewell civilization began to decline after the 8th century and was replaced by other groups. The

culture lived in the area when the first European explorers arrived.

René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle (; November 22, 1643 – March 19, 1687), was a 17th-century French explorer and fur trader in North America. He explored the Great Lakes region of the United States and Canada, the Mississippi River, ...

, passed just southeast of the present city of Kalamazoo in late March 1680. The first Europeans to reside in the area were itinerant

fur trade The fur trade is a worldwide industry dealing in the acquisition and sale of animal fur. Since the establishment of a world fur market in the early modern period, furs of boreal, polar and cold temperate mammalian animals have been the mos ...

rs in the late 18th and early 19th century. There are records of several traders wintering in the area, and by the 1820s at least one trading post had been established. During the War of 1812, the British established a smithy and a prison camp in the area. The

1821 Treaty of Chicago The Treaty of Chicago may refer to either of two treaties made and signed in the settlement that became Chicago, Illinois between the United States and the Odaawaa (anglicized Ottawa), Ojibwe (anglicized Chippewa), and Bodéwadmi (anglicized P ...

ceded the territory south of the Grand River to the United States federal government. However, the area around present-day Kalamazoo was reserved as the village of

Chief

Match-E-Be-Nash-She-Wish Match-E-Be-Nash-She-Wish (also spelled with various transliterations as Mashipinashiwish, Me-chee-pee-nai-she-insh, Mash-i-pi-wish , Mitch-e-pe-nain-she-wish, or Mat-che-pee-na-che-wish) was a hereditary chief of a Potawatomi Indian group in what ...

. Six years later, as a result of the 1827

Treaty of St. Joseph {{Short description, 1827 treaty between the United States and Potawatomi ''Note: There are multiple treaties referred to as Treaty with the Potawatomi. See Treaty with the Potawatomi for others.'' The Treaty of St. Joseph (formally titled ''A tre ...

, the tract that became the city of Kalamazoo was also ceded. In 1829,

, originally from Connecticut, became the first white settler to build a cabin within the present city limits of Kalamazoo. He platted the town in 1831 and named it the village of Bronson—not to be confused with the much smaller Bronson, Michigan, about to the south-southeast of Kalamazoo. Bronson, frequently described as "eccentric" and argumentative, was later run out of town. The village was renamed Kalamazoo in 1836, due in part to Bronson's being fined for stealing a cherry tree. Today, a hospital and a downtown park, among other things, are named for Bronson. Kalamazoo was legally incorporated as a village in 1838 and as a city in 1883. The fertile farmlands attracted prosperous Yankee farmers who settled the surrounding area, and sent their sons to Kalamazoo to become businessmen, professionals and entrepreneurs who started numerous factories. Most of the original settlers of Kalamazoo were New Englanders or were from upstate New York. On August, 27, 1856, Abraham Lincoln gave a speech in Kalamazoo during a campaign rally for

John C. Fremont John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second E ...

, the first Republican presidential candidate. Th
text of the speech
was found by Lincoln historian Thomas I. Starr in a copy of the ''Detroit Daily Advertiser'' and published in a booklet. This was the only trip Lincoln ever made to Michigan. In July, 2022, a local non-profit, th
Kalamazoo Abraham Lincoln Institute
was given permission by the city to place a statue of Lincoln in Bronson Park to commemorate the event. In the 1940s, the city became the first to install

curb cuts A curb cut (U.S.), curb ramp, depressed curb, dropped kerb ( UK), pram ramp, or kerb ramp ( Australia) is a solid (usually concrete) ramp graded down from the top surface of a sidewalk to the surface of an adjoining street. It is designed primaril ...

. In 1959, the city created the

, the first outdoor pedestrian shopping mall in the United States, by closing part of Burdick Street to auto traffic. The Mall was designed by Victor Gruen, who also designed the country's first enclosed shopping mall, which had opened three years earlier. Two of the mall's four blocks were reopened to auto traffic in 1999 after much debate. An

F3 tornado The Fujita scale (F-Scale; ), or Fujita–Pearson scale (FPP scale), is a scale for rating tornado intensity, based primarily on the damage tornadoes inflict on human-built structures and vegetation. The official Fujita scale category is determ ...

struck downtown Kalamazoo on May 13, 1980, killing five and injuring 79. On February 20, 2016, Kalamazoo became the site of a random series of shootings in which six people were killed. A prime suspect was apprehended by police without incident. File:North Burdick Street, Kalamazoo, MI.jpg, North Burdick St. in 1908 File:Academy Street, Kalamazoo, MI.jpg, Academy St. in 1908 File:Old Public Library, Kalamazoo, MI.jpg, Old public library in 1908 File:Kalamazoo Paper Mills, Kalamazoo, MI.jpg, Paper mills in 1908

Economic history

In the past, Kalamazoo was known for its production of windmills,

mandolin A mandolin ( it, mandolino ; literally "small mandola") is a stringed musical instrument in the lute family and is generally plucked with a pick. It most commonly has four courses of doubled strings tuned in unison, thus giving a total of 8 ...

s, buggies,

automobiles A car or automobile is a motor vehicle with wheels. Most definitions of ''cars'' say that they run primarily on roads, seat one to eight people, have four wheels, and mainly transport people instead of goods. The year 1886 is regarded as ...

, cigars, stoves, paper, and paper products. Agriculturally, it once was noted for celery. Although much of it has become suburbanized, the surrounding area still produces farm crops, primarily corn and soybeans. Kalamazoo was the original home of Gibson Guitar Corporation, which spawned the still-local

Heritage Guitars Heritage Guitar is an American musical instruments manufacturer company based in Kalamazoo, Michigan. The company produces a range of electric guitars that includes hollow-body models. History Heritage Guitars was founded in 1985 by three f ...

. The company was incorporated as "Gibson Mandolin - Guitar Co., Ltd" on October 11, 1902, by the craftsman Orville Gibson. One budget model was named the Gibson Kalamazoo "Melody Maker" Electric Guitar. Operations were moved gradually from Kalamazoo to Memphis, Tennessee, (Electric Division) and

Bozeman Bozeman is a city and the county seat of Gallatin County, Montana, United States. Located in southwest Montana, the 2020 census put Bozeman's population at 53,293, making it the fourth-largest city in Montana. It is the principal city of th ...

, Montana, (Acoustic Division) in the 1980s. Some workers from the original factory stayed in Kalamazoo to create the Heritage Guitar company. Kalamazoo was once known as the "Paper City" because of the paper mills in and near the city. The

Allied Paper Corporation The Allied Paper Corporation was created in 1921 by a merger of three paper mills in Kalamazoo and Otsego, both in South-West Michigan, USA. The company grew steadily over the next 40 years but when local forests had been logged off and when profits ...

operated several mills and employed 1,300 people in Kalamazoo during the late 1960s. As the forests of West Michigan were logged, paper mills closed. Early in the 20th century, Kalamazoo was home to the brass era automobile company Barley. Kalamazoo was also headquarters of the

Checker Motors Company Checker Motors Corporation was a Kalamazoo, Michigan, vehicle manufacturer and tier-one subcontractor that manufactured taxicabs used by Checker Taxi. Morris Markin established the company in 1922, initially named the Checker Cab Manufacturing ...

, the former manufacturer of the

Checker Cab Checker Taxi was a dominant taxicab company and national franchisor that was based in Chicago, Illinois. Checker Motors was an American vehicle manufacturer based in Kalamazoo, Michigan that built the iconic Checker Taxicab, sold commercially ...

, which also stamped sheet metal parts for other auto manufacturers. Checker closed on June 25, 2009, a victim of the

Late-2000s recession The Great Recession was a period of marked general decline, i.e. a recession, observed in national economies globally that occurred from late 2007 into 2009. The scale and timing of the recession varied from country to country (see map). At t ...

Geography

Most of Kalamazoo is on the southwest bank of a major bend in the Kalamazoo River, with a small portion, about , on the opposite bank. Several small tributaries of the Kalamazoo River, including Arcadia Creek and Portage Creek, wind through the city. The northeastern portion of Kalamazoo sits in the broad, flat Kalamazoo Valley, while the western portions of Kalamazoo climb into low hills to the west and south. Several small lakes are found throughout the area. According to the United States Census Bureau, Kalamazoo has a total area of , of which is land and is water. Kalamazoo's suburban population is located primarily to the south, in the city of

Portage Portage or portaging (Canada: ; ) is the practice of carrying water craft or cargo over land, either around an obstacle in a river, or between two bodies of water. A path where items are regularly carried between bodies of water is also called a ...

, and to the west in Oshtemo and Texas townships. At least part of the municipal water supply for Kalamazoo is provided by the watershed contained within the

Al Sabo Preserve Al Sabo Preserve is an area of northeastern Texas Township, in southwestern Kalamazoo County, Michigan. It comprises of marsh, forest, streams, and rolling hills. Numerous trails provide recreational opportunities throughout the Preserve. Loc ...

in Texas Charter Township, Michigan, immediately southwest of Kalamazoo. Another watershed, Kleinstuck Marsh, is popular with hikers and birdwatchers. Kleinstuck Marsh is south of Maple Street, between Oakland Drive and Westnedge Avenue, Kalamazoo's major north-south artery.

Climate

Kalamazoo has a humid continental ( Köppen Dfa) climate. Summers can be hot, humid, and relatively long, comprising the months of May to September. Tornadoes are rare but possible in Kalamazoo. In fact, in 1980, a major tornado ripped through downtown Kalamazoo causing extensive damage. In winter, temperatures occasionally plummet below 0 °F (-18°). Kalamazoo has been known for brutal snow storms as late as early April, but there are occasional winter days with no snow cover on the ground at all.

Lake-effect snow Lake-effect snow is produced during cooler atmospheric conditions when a cold air mass moves across long expanses of warmer lake water. The lower layer of air, heated up by the lake water, picks up water vapor from the lake and rises up through ...

storms are commonplace in the winter.

Demographics

As of 2000, the median income for a household in the city was $31,189, and the median income for a family was $42,438. Males had a median income of $32,160 versus $25,532 for females. The per capita income for the city was $16,897. About 13.6% of families and 24.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 26.0% of those under age 18 and 11.3% of those age 65 or over.

2010 census

As of the census of 2010, there were 74,262 people, 29,141 households, and 13,453 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 32,433 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 68.1% White, 22.2% African American, 0.5% Native American, 1.7%

Asian Asian may refer to: * Items from or related to the continent of Asia: ** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia ** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia ** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...

, 2.8% from other races, and 4.6% from two or more races. Hispanic or

Latino Latino or Latinos most often refers to: * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America * Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States * The people or cultures of Latin America; ** Latin A ...

of any race were 6.4% of the population. There were 29,141 households, of which 25.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 26.1% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between t ...

living together, 15.6% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.5% had a male householder with no wife present, and 53.8% were non-families. 36.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.29 and the average family size was 3.04. The median age in the city was 26.2 years. 20.5% of residents were under the age of 18; 27% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 24.9% were from 25 to 44; 18.2% were from 45 to 64; and 9.4% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 49.3% male and 50.7% female.

Neighborhoods

The city of Kalamazoo is commonly divided into 22 neighborhoods, many of which are served by a neighborhood association. The Neighborhood Development Division of the city's government works with these associations to invest federal, state, and local funds, including those from the Community Development Block Grant program, in community improvements and economic growth.

Economy

In 2007, Kalamazoo was named to Fast Company's 'Fast 50: Most Innovative Companies 2007', in recognition of the city's

community capitalism Community capitalism is an approach to capitalism that places a priority on the well-being and sustainability of the community as a whole. The community could be a metropolitan area, region, or an entire country. Overview In 1997, The American ...

approach to revitalize the economy. In 2012 Kiplinger's Personal Finance ranked Kalamazoo fourth of the ''Ten Best Cities for Cheapskates''. The city was named in

NerdWallet.com NerdWallet is an American personal finance company, founded in 2009 by Tim Chen and Jacob Gibson. It has a website and app that earns money by promoting financial products to its users. History NerdWallet was founded in August 2009 by Tim Che ...

's 2014 'Top 10 Best Cities for Work-Life Balance'.

Breweries

Kalamazoo has many local

breweries A brewery or brewing company is a business that makes and sells beer. The place at which beer is commercially made is either called a brewery or a beerhouse, where distinct sets of brewing equipment are called plant. The commercial brewing of bee ...

and brewpubs that produce a variety of beer styles. Perhaps the best-known is

Bell's Brewery Bell's Brewery, Inc. is an American craft brewing company, with operations in Comstock and Kalamazoo, Michigan. Bell's brews acclaimed beers such as Hopslam Ale, Oberon Ale, and Two Hearted Ale. It operates a brewpub and a store selling merchand ...

, established as the Kalamazoo Brewing Company in 1985 by Larry Bell. The brewery has expanded from its original Kalamazoo location, which houses the Eccentric Cafe, to another brewery in nearby Comstock Charter Township. Bell's beer is distributed to 40 US states, Washington DC and Puerto Rico. Other local breweries include Tibb's Brewing Company, Rupert's Brewhouse , Boatyard Brewing Co. , One Well Brewing, and

Latitude 42 Brewing Company Latitude 42 Brewing Company is an American brewing company located in Portage, Michigan and was the first microbrewery to open in Portage. Latitude 42 Brewing Company opened its doors in 2013 and has produced more than 50 different varieties of ...

, the latter in the southern suburb of Portage. On a smaller scale, Olde Peninsula Brewpub, Bravo! restaurant, and Bilbo's Pizza and Brewing Company serve their own brews. The area is also a hotbed for home brewing and partners with neighboring

Grand Rapids Grand Rapids is a city and county seat of Kent County in the U.S. state of Michigan. At the 2020 census, the city had a population of 198,917 which ranks it as the second most-populated city in the state after Detroit. Grand Rapids is the ...

to form what is widely considered one of America's more important regions in American craft beer explosion. In recent years, at least two community events have evolved from the growing craft beer industry in the Kalamazoo area (Kalamazoo Beer Week (annual), Kalamazoo Craft Beer Festival). In 2015, the Give a Craft beer trail and passport were introduced. A shuttle bus (''Kalamazoo Brew Bus'') service and party bike tour service became available in 2016. Olde Peninsula

Distilleries

In 2015, Rupert's Brew House entered the Kalamazoo craft spirits market. Two additional distilleries, Green Door Distilling, formerly Revival Distilling and Kalamazoo Distilling Company, are in the licensing stage.

Flavorings

The

A.M. Todd Company AM or Am may refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * A minor, a minor scale in music * A.M. (Chris Young album), ''A.M.'' (Chris Young album) * A.M. (Wilco album), ''A.M.'' (Wilco album) * AM (Abraham Mateo album), ''AM'' (Abraham Mateo album) ...

, one of the lead producers of peppermint oil and other flavorings, is headquartered in Kalamazoo. Its founder,

Albert M. Todd Albert May Todd (June 3, 1850 – October 6, 1931), known as "The Peppermint King of Kalamazoo," was an American chemist, businessman, and politician from the state of Michigan. A philanthropist and advocate of public ownership of utilities, ...

, was elected to the United States House of Representatives for the

55th Congress The 55th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, DC from March 4, 1897, to M ...

. Kalamazoo is also home to Kalsec, another flavorings company, which was founded by

Paul H. Todd Jr. Paul Harold Todd Jr. (September 22, 1921November 18, 2008) was an American politician, soldier, and business executive from the U.S. state of Michigan. He served one term in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1965 to 1967. Early life and edu ...

, Albert Todd's grandson and U.S. Representative in the

89th Congress The 89th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, DC from January 3, 1965, ...

. Founded as the Kalamazoo Spice Extraction Company, Kalsec is owned and managed by Todd family descendants.

Manufacturing

Stryker Corporation is Kalamazoo-based and makes medical equipment. Kalamazoo Outdoor Gourmet designs and manufactures outdoor kitchen equipment.

Fabri-Kal Fabri-Kal is a United States company. It is a provider of plastic foodservice and custom thermoformed packaging. Products include consumer and foodservice products including plastic cups, containers and lids. It is privately owned. It is headqu ...

, a supplier of food service and other containers produced from thermoform plastic or plant-based materials (Greenware product line), has operated corporate headquarters in Kalamazoo since the 1960s. The company closed the Kalamazoo-based manufacturing facilities in 1991, but returned an expanded manufacturing capacity to Kalamazoo in 2008 with the opening of a

LEED Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) is a green building certification program used worldwide. Developed by the non-profit U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), it includes a set of rating systems for the design, construction ...

-certified facility. In recent years, the company's product lines have introduced

sustainable Specific definitions of sustainability are difficult to agree on and have varied in the literature and over time. The concept of sustainability can be used to guide decisions at the global, national, and individual levels (e.g. sustainable livin ...

and plant-based materials, and innovations to reduce the plastic content of consumer and other packaging. Parker Hannifin Aerospace's Hydraulic Systems Division (HSD) is located at 2220 Palmer Ave in Kalamazoo, Michigan. The 170,000-square foot facility designs, manufactures, and services hydraulic components for both military and commercial aerospace sectors. It produces hydraulic axial piston pumps and motors, electric motor-driven pumps, hydraulic power transfer/supply units, electrohydraulic power modules, hydraulic thrust-reverser & landing gear actuators, accumulators, reservoirs, filter modules and valve packs.

Life sciences

The

Upjohn Company The Upjohn Company was a pharmaceutical manufacturing firm founded in 1886 in Hastings, Michigan, by Dr. William E. Upjohn who was an 1875 graduate of the University of Michigan medical school. The company was originally formed to make ''friabl ...

was a pharmaceutical research and manufacturing firm founded in 1886 in Kalamazoo; through a series of mergers and acquisitions that took place between 1995 and 2003, the Upjohn Company assets became a part of the Pfizer Corporation. Most of Upjohn's original facilities remain, many have been renovated and some new buildings have been constructed. The bulk of the former Upjohn Company facilities in the area exist in

, under Pfizer or Zoetis operation; others, located in downtown Kalamazoo, have been re-purposed as the campus of the

Western Michigan University Homer Stryker M.D. School of Medicine Western Michigan University Homer Stryker M.D. School of Medicine (WMed) is a Private university, private medical school in Kalamazoo, Michigan. WMed was established in 2012 and confers the Doctor of Medicine (MD) degree, as well as Master of Scie ...

, the research and development headquarters of

Zoetis Zoetis Inc. (/zō-EH-tis/) is an American drug company, the world's largest producer of medicine and vaccinations for pets and livestock. The company was a subsidiary of Pfizer, the world's largest drug maker, but with Pfizer's spinoff of its ...

, and office space for

Bronson Methodist Hospital Bronson Methodist Hospital is a 434-bed non-profit teaching hospital located in downtown Kalamazoo, Michigan, United States, and is a Level I trauma center. Bronson Methodist Hospital is the flagship of the Bronson Healthcare Group, a non-profit ...

(WMed) is a collaboration involving Western Michigan University and Kalamazoo's two teaching hospitals
Ascension Borgess
and Bronson Methodist. The new medical school has been in planning since 2008, and was granted Preliminary Accreditation from the Liaison Committee on Medical Education in October 2012. Welcoming its first class in August 2014, the school is a private 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation supported by private gifts, clinical revenue, research activity, student tuition, and endowment income. In March 2011, Western Michigan University received a gift of $100 million for the medical school from anonymous donors. The global

Research and Development Research and development (R&D or R+D), known in Europe as research and technological development (RTD), is the set of innovative activities undertaken by corporations or governments in developing new services or products, and improving existi ...

organization of

, the world's largest producer of medicine and vaccinations for pets and livestock, is headquartered in downtown Kalamazoo. The city is also home to the Stryker Corporation, a surgical and medical devices manufacturer. Kalamazoo hospitals include:

Kalamazoo Regional Psychiatric Hospital The Kalamazoo Psychiatric Hospital (KRPH) is the largest mental health institution in Michigan. It was built under the Kirkbride Plan. History The Kalamazoo Regional Psychiatric Hospital officially opened on 29 August 1859 under the direction of ...

, and

Ascension Borgess Hospital Ascension Michigan, formerly St. John Providence Health System and the St. John Health System, is the Michigan division of Ascension Health. It was its own non-profit corporation that owned and operated four hospitals and over 125 medical facilit ...

Industrial design

In 2014, Newell Rubbermaid established a global product design center in Kalamazoo, consolidating fifteen global design units at a single location within the Western Michigan University Business Technology and Research Park. The Business Technology and Research Park is also home to design firm TEKNA Solutions. In 2015, Kalamazoo-based landscape design and manufacturing firm

Landscape Forms, Inc. A landscape is the visible features of an area of land, its landforms, and how they integrate with natural or man-made features, often considered in terms of their aesthetic appeal.''New Oxford American Dictionary''. A landscape includes the ...

, received five National Design Awards.

Research and economic development

The

W. E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research The W. E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research is an American research organization based in Kalamazoo, Michigan. Its purpose is to find and promote solutions to employment-related problems. Background The W. E. Upjohn Institute for Employm ...

, a nonpartisan, not-for-profit research organization, has operated in Kalamazoo since its establishment in 1945. The Institute conducts research into the causes and effects of unemployment, and measures for the alleviation of unemployment. The Institute also publishes ''Business Outlook for West Michigan'', a quarterly journal that provides economic analysis and forecasts on the West Michigan economy. The

Fetzer Institute The Fetzer Institute, based in Kalamazoo, Michigan, was founded by broadcast pioneer and Detroit Tigers baseball team owner John E. Fetzer (1901–1991). He formed the institute to support work “designed to discover and enhance the integral re ...

promotes and funds holistic solutions to everyday problems. It was founded by John Fetzer, a broadcasting magnate and former owner of the

Detroit Tigers The Detroit Tigers are an American professional baseball team based in Detroit. The Tigers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the American League (AL) Central division. One of the AL's eight charter franchises, the club was f ...

and WKZO radio and television in Kalamazoo. The economic development organization Southwest Michigan First was established in Kalamazoo in 1999, with a focus on

. The organization was recognized as a Best and Brightest Company to Work For in 2013, and has received Fast Company commendations for innovative strategies to improve the economy. In 2015, two members of Southwest Michigan First were selected for

Development Counsellors International Development Counsellors International, also known as DCI, is a place marketing firm based in New York City that specializes in economic development and travel marketing, as well as investment lead generation services. Founded in 1960 by Ted Levine ...

's "2015 40 under 40," top 40 young economic developers in the United States.

Businesses

Other notable Kalamazoo businesses include: *

PNC Bank The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc. (stylized as PNC) is an American bank holding company and financial services corporation based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Its banking subsidiary, PNC Bank, operates in 27 states and the District of ...

—Kalamazoo was formerly the corporate HQ of First of America Bank, which merged with National City Bank in 1997. National City has since been purchased and merged with

which still maintains a large corporate building in Texas Township, and several locations downtown, along with numerous branches in the region. *

Henderson Castle Henderson Castle, built in 1895, is a large privately owned home located on the steep West Main Hill overlooking downtown Kalamazoo, Michigan. The castle has been recently renovated and is under new ownership. The building is open to the public. ...

, an 1895 Queen Anne-Style house that sits on West Main Hill across from Mountain Home cemetery, overlooking the city. It is privately owned but open to the public and currently functioning as a bed and breakfast, restaurant and spa.

Government

Kalamazoo government is administered under a commission-manager style of government. The city commission is the representative body of the city, and consists of seven members—six city commissioners and a separately elected mayor—elected on a staggered non-partisan basis every four years. Whoever receives the most votes during an election becomes vice mayor of the city for the first two years of their term until a new vice mayor is selected. The current City Commission consists of Mayor David Anderson, Vice Mayor Don Cooney, and commissioners Jeanne Hess, Chris Praedel, Qianna Decker, Stephanie Hoffman, and Esteven Juarez. The current mayor, David F. Anderson, was elected to a second term on November 2, 2021, beating Ben Stanley with 78.7% of the vote. The vice mayor of Kalamazoo is Don Cooney, who won election in 2021 with 69.37% of the vote. The

city manager A city manager is an official appointed as the administrative manager of a city, in a "Mayor–council government" council–manager form of city government. Local officials serving in this position are sometimes referred to as the chief execu ...

is the city's chief administrative officer. The manager is hired by, and answers to, the city commission.

Crime

Kalamazoo has a higher crime rate than the national average. Crime is spread throughout Kalamazoo and is especially high in the inner neighborhoods such as Edison, the Northside and Vine. Crime is lower in the downtown and most of the southwest area. The aggravated assault rate in 2015 was 793.3 per 100,000—3.3 times the national average. The murder rate was 12.5 per 100,000 in 2010 and 7.9 in 2014. The

2016 Kalamazoo shootings On the night of February 20, 2016, a series of random Mass shootings in the United States, shootings took place at an apartment complex, a car dealership, and outside a restaurant in Kalamazoo County, Michigan. Six people were killed and two oth ...

by Uber driver Jason Dalton claimed 6 lives and caused 2 serious injuries in

. Between 2008 and 2013 firearms were involved in 61% of homicides in Kalamazoo county compared to 77% statewide.

Education

Kalamazoo is home to Western Michigan University. The college has four campuses in Kalamazoo, ( West Campus, East Campus, Parkview Campus and

Oakland Drive Campus Oakland Drive Campus is a campus of Western Michigan University. It is the university's newest land acquisition. The campus, acquired in 1998, was originally state property used by the Kalamazoo Regional Psychiatric Hospital. The hospital is stil ...

) as well as several regional locations throughout Michigan and two in Florida. West Campus, located just west of downtown, has the largest concentration of university students, programs and school services. In 2005, Western Michigan ranked as the no. 2 wireless campus in the United States, per a national survey done by the Intel Corporation. In 2014, the WMU Homer Stryker School of Medicine (WMed) opened, welcoming an inaugural class of 54 students. Each May, WMU hosts the

International Congress on Medieval Studies The International Congress on Medieval Studies is an annual academic conference held for scholars specializing in, or with an interest in, medieval studies. It is sponsored by Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo, Michigan, and is held during ...

. Organized by the Medieval Institute's faculty and graduate students, the Congress brings some 3,000 professors and students from around the globe to present and discuss a variety of topics related to the Middle Ages. Kalamazoo College, a private liberal arts college founded in 1833, is located on a hill opposite WMU's original campus. Kalamazoo is home to

, Davenport University, and Kalamazoo Area Mathematics and Science Center (KAMSC). Construction of the new Kalamazoo Valley Community College Culinary and Allied Health campus began in August 2014. It had also been the home of Nazareth College, which closed in 1992.

K-12 education

The public schools for the vast majority of Kalamazoo are managed by

Kalamazoo Public Schools Kalamazoo Public Schools is a school district headquartered in Kalamazoo, Michigan. Graduates of the district are eligible to receive scholarships through the Kalamazoo Promise, a program launched in 2005 and funded by anonymous donors. The distri ...

. Every resident graduate of the Kalamazoo Public Schools is provided with a scholarship for up to 100% of tuition and mandatory fee costs for four years at any public university or community college in Michigan, starting with the class of 2006. This program is known as the

Kalamazoo Promise The Kalamazoo Promise is a pledge by a group of anonymous donors to pay up to 100 percent of tuition at many Michigan colleges and universities for graduates of the Kalamazoo Public Schools school district of Kalamazoo, Michigan. The Kalamazoo Pro ...

. Small sections of Kalamazoo are in other school districts: Parchment School District,

Comstock Public Schools The Comstock Public School District resides in Comstock Charter Township near the city of Kalamazoo, Michigan, and is part of the Kalamazoo RESA Intermediate School District. Comstock Public Schools also serves portions of Kalamazoo Township, ...

and

Portage Public Schools Portage Public Schools is a school district located in Portage, Michigan which serves 8647 students in 14 different schools, including 8 elementary, 3 middle, 2 high, and a community high school. The school began its 99th year of service on Sept ...

Culture

The city has an Arts Council. On the first Friday of each month, the council organizes the 'Art Hop'. Art Hop is a free event, during which downtown businesses and galleries display works by local artists, and patrons 'hop' from venue to venue, enjoying art, live music, and the chance to interact with local artists. A popular site during Art Hop is the

Park Trades Center The Park Trades Center is an arts center located at 326 W. Kalamazoo Ave in Kalamazoo Kalamazoo ( ) is a city in the southwest region of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is the county seat of Kalamazoo County. At the 2010 census, Kalamazoo had ...

, which houses the

Kalamazoo Book Arts Center The Kalamazoo Book Arts Center (KBAC) is a nonprofit organization of artists and writers located in Kalamazoo, Michigan. History KBAC was founded by Jeff Abshear in 2005 to create a community workshop and educational space focused on the arts ...

, Glass Art Kalamazoo, and many other studios. On

New Year's Eve In the Gregorian calendar, New Year's Eve, also known as Old Year's Day or Saint Sylvester's Day in many countries, is the evening or the entire day of the last day of the year, on 31 December. The last day of the year is commonly referred to ...

, downtown Kalamazoo is the site of an annual New Year's Fest celebration. This celebration is centered at Bronson Park and surrounding venues, allowing patrons to walk from venue to venue to enjoy an all ages showcase of performing arts and other activities (music, magic, comedy, exhibitions, fireworks, food). Initiated in 1985, the event has grown in scope and popularity. Music groups and other performing artists perform at the downtown State Theatre, Western Michigan University's Miller Auditorium, and

Wings Event Center Wings Event Center (formerly Wings Stadium) is a 5,113-seat multi-purpose arena located in Kalamazoo, Michigan. The arena, opened in 1974, is home to the Kalamazoo Wings, an ice hockey team in the ECHL. The stadium changed the name to the Wing ...

. The annual "Eccentric Day" at Bell's Eccentric Cafe celebrates the brewery's Eccentric Ale on the December Friday that marks the end of finals at Western Michigan University. The Moped Army was founded in Kalamazoo in 1997. There is no longer a zoo in Kalamazoo. The Milham Park Zoo closed in 1974. Next to Milham Park is the Milham Park Golf Course. Completed in 1936, the 18-hole, par-72 course is entirely within the city limits of Kalamazoo. During winter, sledding and

cross-country skiing Cross-country skiing is a form of skiing where skiers rely on their own locomotion to move across snow-covered terrain, rather than using ski lifts or other forms of assistance. Cross-country skiing is widely practiced as a sport and recreation ...

are popular activities at the golf course (free of charge). In recent years, the Kalamazoo Nordic Skiers club has groomed and maintained skate ski and classic ski trails for community use. In 2002, the

Kalamazoo Public Library The Kalamazoo Public Library is an independent district library in Kalamazoo, Michigan, that serves about 120,000 people, has a salaried staff of 90, and spends about $10 million annually. The library consists of the central branch downtown, and f ...

was named "Library of the Year" by ''Library Journal''. The library includes a main location and four branch libraries, and until 2010, a

bookmobile A bookmobile or mobile library is a vehicle designed for use as a library. They have been known by many names throughout history, including traveling library, library wagon, book wagon, book truck, library-on-wheels, and book auto service. Bookm ...

system. In 2014, the library opened 'The Hub', a digital lab open to the public for digitizing photos and video, producing podcasts, preserving old vinyl records, cassettes and VHS tapes, and other services. Kalamazoo's theaters and performing groups include the

Kalamazoo Civic Players The Kalamazoo Civic Players, now known as the Kalamazoo Civic Theatre, is a community theater company located in Kalamazoo, Michigan. Venues The Kalamazoo Civic Theatre has three performance venues. Civic Auditorium Opened in 1931, the Civic Aud ...

, New Vic Theatre, Farmers Alley Theatre, Crawlspace Theatre Productions, The State Theater, and the

Barn Theatre The Barn Theatre in Augusta, Michigan, Kalamazoo County, United States is one of the oldest summer stock theatres in the United States and the oldest one in Michigan. It also houses The Barn Theatre School. The barn theatre is just off the Sta ...

in nearby Augusta. Plays and musicals are also performed at Kalamazoo College and Western Michigan University.

Animation festival

A project of

, The Kalamazoo Animation Festival International (KAFI) encourages and educates

animation Animation is a method by which image, still figures are manipulated to appear as Motion picture, moving images. In traditional animation, images are drawn or painted by hand on transparent cel, celluloid sheets to be photographed and exhibited ...

artists, promotes Kalamazoo's animation industry, and provides community entertainment. In addition to a biannual festival, KAFI sponsors events such as film screenings and workshops throughout the year. KAFI's first festival drew 235 submissions and nearly 1,000 attendees in 2002. A second festival was held in 2003. Since then, an every-other-year schedule has been adopted. The 2007 festival attracted more than 500 entries from 37 countries. In addition to an animated film competition with $15,000 in prizes awarded, the festival features events for students, artists, educators, filmmakers and the general public. Past KAFI award winners include Bill Plympton, Chris Landreth and

John Canemaker John Cannizzaro Jr. (born 1943), better known as John Canemaker, is an American independent animator, animation historian, author, teacher and lecturer. In 1980, he began teaching and developing the animation program at New York University, Tisch S ...

Museums

The city's most prominent art museum is the

Kalamazoo Institute of Arts The Kalamazoo Institute of Arts (KIA) is a non-profit art museum and school in downtown Kalamazoo, Michigan, United States. History In 1924, members of the Kalamazoo Chapter of the American Federation of Arts established an art center "to further ...

, whose collection has more than 3,600 works and a focus on 20th-century American art. The KIA regularly mounts temporary exhibitions. The Kalamazoo Valley Museum, established in 1881, is an American Association of Museums accredited museum operated by

. The museum features "hands-on" exhibits aimed largely at children, and has a

planetarium A planetarium ( planetariums or ''planetaria'') is a theatre built primarily for presenting educational and entertaining shows about astronomy and the night sky, or for training in celestial navigation. A dominant feature of most planetarium ...

and a

Challenger Learning Center Challenger Center for Space Science Education is a United States 501(c)(3) non-profit organization headquartered in Washington, DC. It was founded in 1986 by the families of the astronauts who died in the Space Shuttle ''Challenger'' disaster on ...

. Northeast of town, in Hickory Corners, is the

Gilmore Car Museum The Gilmore Car Museum is an automobile museum located in Hickory Corners, Michigan, United States. The museum exhibits over 400 vintage and collector vehicles and motorcycles from all eras in several vintage buildings located on a 90-acre camp ...

, which includes cars used in Walt Disney movies. The

Kalamazoo Air Zoo The Air Zoo, founded as the Kalamazoo Aviation History Museum, is an aviation museum and indoor amusement park next to the Kalamazoo-Battle Creek International Airport in Portage, Michigan. The Air Zoo holds many historical and rare aircraft, incl ...

, just south of town, has several dozen aircraft on display, from biplanes to jets.

Music

The

Gibson Guitar Corporation Gibson Brands, Inc. (formerly Gibson Guitar Corporation) is an American manufacturer of guitars, other musical instruments, and professional audio equipment from Kalamazoo, Michigan, and now based in Nashville, Tennessee. The company was forme ...

, founded in Kalamazoo in 1902, spurred local musicians to play a wide variety of styles, from classical and folk to modern rock (the company relocated to Nashville in 1984). The

Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra The Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra (KSO) was founded in 1921 and is now the third largest professional orchestra in Michigan. During the 2005–2006 concert season, the orchestra played for more than 100,000 people in more than 30 concerts. The orch ...

, founded in 1921, is directed by Raymond Harvey. The city also hosts the

Irving S. Gilmore International Keyboard Festival Irving may refer to: People *Irving (name), including a list of people with the name Fictional characters * Irving, the main character's love interest in Cathy (comic strip) * Lloyd Irving, the main protagonist in the ''Tales of Symphonia'' vide ...

, a Bach Festival, the Michigan Festival of Sacred Music, and the Stulberg International String Competition. The local and indie music scene has produced pop stars such as RCA recording artists The Verve Pipe and Metal Blade recording artists Thought Industry. Kalamazoo is also host to the Kalamashoegazer music festival, held for the last 13 years and a showcase for both local and national shoegaze and dream pop bands.

Sports

Kalamazoo plays host to three non-collegiate teams: * The

Kalamazoo Growlers The Kalamazoo Growlers are a baseball team based in Kalamazoo, Michigan that plays in the Northwoods League, a summer collegiate baseball league. The Growlers were founded in 2013 and played their first game on May 28, 2014, losing to the then ...

Summer Collegiate baseball team plays games in

Homer Stryker Field Homer Stryker Field is a stadium in Kalamazoo, Michigan. The baseball field is located in Kalamazoo's Mayors Riverfront Park. It is primarily used for baseball, and is the home field for the Kalamazoo Growlers of the collegiate summer baseball No ...

. The team is currently a member of the Northwoods League. * The Kalamazoo Wings (aka K-Wings) minor league hockey team play games in

and has played since 1974. The team is currently a member of the ECHL, a development league for the

NHL The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranked professional ...

. * The

Kalamazoo FC Kalamazoo FC (KZFC) is a semi-professional soccer club from Kalamazoo, Michigan, United States. The club competes in USL League Two, the fourth-tier soccer league of the American soccer pyramid. Soisson-Rapacz-Clason Field (also known as Mayor's ...

, a National Premier Soccer League team, was established in 2016. The Western Michigan University Broncos, who compete in the NCAA Division I Mid-American Conference, play at the following on-campus venues: * Waldo Stadium (

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

) * Lawson Arena ( hockey) * University Arena ( basketball and Volleyball) * Hyames Field ( baseball) *

Ebert Field Ebert Field is a softball field located in Kalamazoo, Michigan, United States, and home to the Western Michigan University softball team. The field is named in honor of Fran Ebert, who started the WMU softball program in 1976. The stadium seats ...

( softball) * Kanley Track (outdoor track and field) Hyames Field played host to the first two College World Series held in 1947 and 1948. Future U. S. President George H. W. Bush was a first baseman for Yale in the 1947 series. The Kalamazoo College Hornets and

Cougars also have several collegiate athletic teams. Kalamazoo is the hometown of former New York Yankees shortstop

Derek Jeter Derek Sanderson Jeter ( ; born June 26, 1974) is an American former professional baseball shortstop, businessman, and baseball executive. As a player, Jeter spent his entire 20-year Major League Baseball (MLB) career with the New York Yankees ...

, former

NFL The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the major ...

wide receiver

Greg Jennings Gregory Jennings Jr. (born September 21, 1983) is a former American football wide receiver who played in the National Football League (NFL) for ten seasons, primarily with the Green Bay Packers. He played college football at Western Michigan an ...

, former

running back

T. J. Duckett Todd Jeffery Duckett (born February 17, 1981) is a former American football running back in the National Football League. He was drafted by the Atlanta Falcons 18th overall in the 2002 NFL Draft and also played for the Washington Redskins, D ...

, the world's number one prize money winning pro bass fisherman

Kevin VanDam Kevin VanDam (born October 14, 1967), often called simply "KVD," is a professional bass fisherman from Otsego, Michigan. He is the all-time money winner in professional bass fishing, having earned $7,089,388 through August 2022 according to Major ...

, former MLB pitcher Scott Olsen, former

player

Adam Hall Adam John Hall (born August 14, 1980) is an American former professional ice hockey player. A second round selection of the Nashville Predators in the 1999 NHL Entry Draft, Hall played in the National Hockey League for the Nashville Predators, ...

and former Chicago White Sox first baseman

Mike Squires Michael Lynn Squires (born March 5, 1952) is an American former Major League Baseball player who played for the Chicago White Sox primarily as a first baseman from 1975 and 1977 to 1985. He won the American League Gold Glove Award at first base ...

. Kalamazoo was also the hometown of longtime

owner John Fetzer, who owned the American League team from 1961 through 1984, when he sold the franchise to Domino's Pizza founder

Tom Monaghan Thomas Stephen Monaghan (born March 25, 1937) is an American entrepreneur who founded Domino's Pizza in 1960. He owned the Detroit Tigers from 1983 to 1992. Monaghan also owns the Domino's Farms Office Park, located in the Ann Arbor Charter Town ...

. The United States Tennis Association Boys 18 and 16 National Tennis Championships are hosted every summer by Kalamazoo College. The event has featured such players as

Jimmy Connors James Scott Connors (born September 2, 1952) is an American former world No. 1 tennis player. He held the top Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) ranking for a then-record 160 consecutive weeks from 1974 to 1977 and a career total of 268 ...

, John McEnroe, Jim Courier, Andre Agassi,

Pete Sampras Petros "Pete" Sampras ( el, Πέτρος Σάμπρας; born August 12, 1971) is an American former world No. 1 tennis player. His professional career began in 1988 and ended at the 2002 US Open, which he won, defeating longtime rival Andre ...

, Michael Chang, James Blake and Andy Roddick, before they turned professional. The Kalamazoo Rugby Football Club, founded in 1988, competes in the Michigan Rugby Football Union. Since 2006,

has been the home of the

Kalamazoo Derby Darlins Kalamazoo Roller Derby (KRD) is a women's flat track roller derby league based in Kalamazoo, Michigan. Founded in 2006, the league consists of two teams which compete against teams from other leagues, and is a member of the Women's Flat Track De ...

roller derby league teams. Following up on successful events in 2010 and 2015,

and the Kalamazoo Curling Club will host the 2019 U.S. National Curling Championship. The annual

Kalamazoo Marathon Kalamazoo ( ) is a city in the southwest region of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is the county seat of Kalamazoo County. At the 2010 census, Kalamazoo had a population of 74,262. Kalamazoo is the major city of the Kalamazoo-Portage Metropoli ...

, a

USA Track & Field USA Track & Field (USATF) is the United States national governing body for the sports of track and field, cross country running, road running and racewalking (known as the sport of athletics outside the US). The USATF was known between 1979 and ...

-certified and

Boston Marathon The Boston Marathon is an annual marathon race hosted by several cities and towns in greater Boston in eastern Massachusetts, United States. It is traditionally held on Patriots' Day, the third Monday of April. Begun in 1897, the event was i ...

-qualifying event, is part of a weekend of running and walking events. In 1984–1986, the

Kalamazoo Kangaroos The Kalamazoo Kangaroos were an indoor soccer club based in Kalamazoo, Michigan that competed in the American Indoor Soccer Association American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commo ...

, a Major Indoor Soccer League (MISL) team, played in Kalamazoo.

Local media

Newspapers

Kalamazoo is served by one daily newspaper, the '' Kalamazoo Gazette'', which now prints three editions weekly as of early 2012. ''Business Review Western Michigan'', a

business-to-business Business-to-business (B2B or, in some countries, BtoB) is a situation where one business makes a commercial transaction with another. This typically occurs when: * A business is sourcing materials for their production process for output (e.g., a ...

publication headquartered in Kalamazoo, covering Western Michigan news, was rolled into MLive online coverage in late 2012. The ultimate parent company of both the ''Gazette'' and ''Business Review'' are Advance Publications, Inc.

Television

WWMT, West Michigan's CBS / CW affiliate, is licensed and operates out of Kalamazoo but serves the entire West Michigan region. The station was originally owned and operated by famous broadcasting pioneer (and former

owner) John Fetzer, as "WKZO-TV". Along with television, Fetzer introduced Kalamazoo to radio in 1931, when AM 590 WKZO signed on the air. Fetzer also created Kalamazoo's first cable television system, then known as Fetzer Cablevision; it is a predecessor of Kalamazoo's current cable franchise, Charter Communications. Public Media Network, located in downtown Kalamazoo, hosts media outlets including Charter cable channels 187-191 where daily public access programs are produced and aired to the public. Kalamazoo is part of the West Michigan television market, which also includes Grand Rapids and Battle Creek. Most channels that serve the entire market are receivable in Kalamazoo, including WWMT, WOOD-TV ( NBC), WXMI (

Fox Foxes are small to medium-sized, omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull, upright, triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail (or ''brush''). Twelve sp ...

WZPX WZPX-TV, virtual channel 43 ( UHF digital channel 21), is an Ion Television- affiliated station licensed to Battle Creek, Michigan, United States and serving the Grand Rapids–Kalamazoo–Battle Creek television market. The station is owned by ...

( Ion) and WLLA (religious). Some channels based in the northern part of the market reach Kalamazoo through a satellite or translator, such as WTLJ Muskegon (religious, through W26BX), WGVU-TV Grand Rapids ( PBS, through WGVK), and

WXSP-CD WXSP-CD (channel 15) is a low-power, Class A television station licensed to Grand Rapids, Michigan, United States, serving West Michigan as an affiliate of MyNetworkTV. It is owned by Nexstar Media Group alongside Grand Rapids–licensed NBC a ...

Grand Rapids ( MyNetworkTV, through WOKZ-CA). WOTV in Battle Creek broadcasts

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...

programming for the southern part of the market, including Kalamazoo. Charter offers all West Michigan channels on its system to Kalamazoo subscribers, including WZZM, the ABC affiliate for Grand Rapids and the northern part of the market.

Radio

WIDR WIDR (89.1 FM) is a Freeform (radio format), freeform FM broadcasting, FM radio station that broadcasts from Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo, Michigan. WIDR, a student-run radio station Broadcast license, licensed to Western Michigan Uni ...

is the college student-run, commercial free radio station at Western Michigan University. It is known for playing obscure and underground music of all genres as well as some local news and talk. Broadcasting 100 watts on 89.1 FM, WIDR can be heard from about a 20-mile radius from campus. WMUK is also on Western Michigan University's campus. It hosts many local music programs including jazz and classical performances as well as programming from NPR. WMUK broadcasts 50,000 watts in high definition on 102.1 FM. WKDS is West Michigan's only high school student-run radio station. The station signed on in 1983 at 89.9 on the FM dial, broadcasting from

Loy Norrix High School Loy Norrix High School is a high school located in Kalamazoo, Michigan, serving students from grades nine through twelve. It is one of two high schools in the Kalamazoo Public Schools district. The student body totals at approximately 1,550. T ...

. The call letters stood for Kalamazoo District Schools (now Kalamazoo Public Schools). For most of its history, WKDS broadcast only during daytime hours and not at all on the weekend. In Fall of 2004, the station began broadcasting 24 hours a day, 7 days a week in an attempt to prevent an outside organization to take over the time WKDS was off the air. WKDS was part of a county wide Education For Employment program for years. The radio station is still owned by

although the EFE program has been discontinued. High school students from around the area continue to operate the station. FM radio stations that originate or can be heard over the air in Kalamazoo: * WCXK 88.3 - Kalamazoo - Christian Adult Contemporary *

89.1 - Kalamazoo - College/Variety * WKDS 89.9 - Kalamazoo - High School/Variety *

WCSG WCSG 91.3 MHz is a radio station in Grand Rapids, Michigan, United States, that broadcasts a Christian adult contemporary format. The station is a community outreach ministry of Cornerstone University. WCSG typically competes for the most-l ...

91.3 - Grand Rapids - Christian Adult Contemporary *

WZUU WZUU (92.5 FM broadcasting, FM, "The ZUU oo) is a radio station broadcasting a mainstream rock format. Licensed to Mattawan, Michigan, it first began broadcasting in 1990 under the WKGH call sign. During the first few years of the radio stat ...

92.5 - Mattawan/Kalamazoo - Classic Rock * WBCT 93.7 - Grand Rapids - Country *

WWDK WWDK ("94.1 Duke FM"') is a radio station broadcasting a classic country format. Licensed to Jackson, Michigan, it first began broadcasting on July 14, 1958 as WMKZ-FM. The station broadcasts from a tower near Springport, Michigan. History After ...

94.1 - Jackson/Lansing/Battle Creek/Kalamazoo - Classic Country * WKLQ 94.5 - Grand Rapids - Adult Album Alternative *

W238AL WTOU (1660 AM) is a commercial radio station licensed by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to operate on 1660 kHz from facilities located in Kalamazoo, Michigan. History WTOU began as the "expanded band" twin to a station operat ...

95.5 - Kalamazoo - Urban Adult Contemporary (FM translator for AM 1560) *

WLKM-FM WLKM-FM is a radio station owned by Impact Radio and licensed to Three Rivers, Michigan. The featured music is adult contemporary. The format switched from classic hits on June 17, 2012, when the Dial Global Classic Hits format the station had bee ...

95.9 - Three Rivers - Adult Contemporary * WMAX-FM 96.1 - Holland/Grand Rapids - Sports * WZOX 96.5 - Portage/Kalamazoo - Modern Adult Contemporary * WGRD 97.9 - Grand Rapids - Mainstream Rock * WNWN 98.5 - Coldwater/Battle Creek/Kalamazoo - Country *

WBCH-FM WBCH-FM (100.1 FM) is a radio station licensed to Hastings, Michigan broadcasting a country music format. Bronco Radio Network WBCH is an affiliate of the Western Michigan University Western Michigan University (Western Michigan, Western or ...

100.1 - Hastings - Country *

WQXC WQXC-FM (100.9 FM, "Cool 101") is a radio station broadcasting an oldies format. Licensed to Allegan, Michigan, it first began broadcasting in 1981 under the WAOP call sign. WQXC-FM was licensed to Otsego, Michigan from its sign-on until the city ...

100.9 - Otsego/Kalamazoo - Oldies * WMUK 102.1 - Kalamazoo - NPR/Talk/Classical/Jazz *

WKFR-HD2 WKFR (103.3 FM), also known as KFR, is a Top 40 outlet serving the Kalamazoo, Michigan radio market. It broadcasts with an ERP of 50 kW in Battle Creek, Michigan and is owned by Townsquare Media. History The station began operations in Jun ...

102.5 - Kalamazoo - Classic Hits (FM translator for WKFR-HD sub-channel) *

WYHA WYHA (102.9 FM) is a radio station broadcasting the Bible Broadcasting Network in Grand Rapids, Michigan, United States. History Originally WFUR-FM and the sister station to WFUR, the station was constructed on the AM tower site in 1960. The pr ...

102.9 - Grand Rapids - Christian *

WKFR WKFR (103.3 FM), also known as KFR, is a Top 40 outlet serving the Kalamazoo, Michigan radio market. It broadcasts with an ERP of 50 kW in Battle Creek, Michigan and is owned by Townsquare Media. History The station began operations in Jun ...

103.3 - Battle Creek/Kalamazoo - CHR/Top 40 *

WVGR Michigan Radio is a network of five FM public radio stations operated by the University of Michigan through its broadcasting arm, Michigan Public Media. The network is a founding member of National Public Radio and an affiliate of Public Radio ...

104.1 - Grand Rapids - NPR/Talk * WBXX 104.9 - Marshall/Battle Creek - Alternative Rock *

WKPR WKPR (1440 AM) was a radio station that had served the Kalamazoo, Michigan area. WKPR Kalamazoo began its broadcast life in 1960. An unusual result of the Federal Communications Commission The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is an i ...

105.1 - Religious (FM translator for AM 1440) * WSRW 105.7 - Grand Rapids - Adult Contemporary *

WJXQ WJXQ (106.1 FM, "Q106") is a commercial radio station licensed to Charlotte, Michigan, and serving the Lansing radio market. WJXQ is owned by Midwest Communications and airs an active rock radio format. Studios and offices are located on Cedar ...

106.1 - Jackson/Lansing/Battle Creek - Mainstream Rock * WVFM 106.5 - Kalamazoo - Variety Hits * WKZO 106.9 - Kalamazoo - News/Talk (FM translator for AM 590) * WTNR 107.3 - Greenville/Grand Rapids - Country *

WRKR WRKR (107.7 FM, "The Rocker") is a radio station broadcasting a classic rock format, consisting of classic album-oriented rock tracks from the late 1960s through the early 1990s. Licensed to Portage, Michigan, it first began broadcasting in 1988. ...

107.7 - Portage/Battle Creek/Kalamazoo - Classic Rock AM radio stations that originate or can be heard over the air in Kalamazoo: * WKZO 590 - Kalamazoo - News/Talk - (FM translator at 106.9) *

WAKV WAKV ( 980 AM) is a radio station broadcasting a classic country format. Licensed to Otsego, Michigan Otsego is a city in Allegan County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 3,956 at the 2010 census. The city is within Otsego To ...

980 - Allegan/Otsego - Adult Standards * WKMI 1360 - Kalamazoo - Talk *

1440 - Kalamazoo - Religious (daytime only) * WTOU 1660 - Kalamazoo - Urban Adult Contemporary

Transportation

Highways

* * * * north of downtown Kalamazoo * * * Kalamazoo is served by highways I-94, US 131, M-96 and M-343. It was on the original

Territorial Road A territory is an area of land, sea, or space, particularly belonging or connected to a country, person, or animal. In international politics, a territory is usually either the total area from which a state may extract power resources or an ...

in Michigan of the 19th century, which started in Detroit and ran to Lake Michigan. Much of that, but not all, later became Old US 12—the "old" designation came about when I-94 was built parallel to it—and also was called ''Red Arrow Highway'' after a World War I army division. The name "US 12" was shifted south to what once was US 112 between Detroit and New Buffalo. Some parts of Old US 12 outside of town, especially in

Van Buren Martin Van Buren ( ; nl, Maarten van Buren; ; December 5, 1782 – July 24, 1862) was an American lawyer and statesman who served as the eighth president of the United States from 1837 to 1841. A primary founder of the Democratic Party, he ...

and Berrien counties to the west, are still called Red Arrow Highway. The term "Old US 12" has faded from use.

Rail

* Kalamazoo has rail service provided by Amtrak, with the station located downtown and combined with a newly renovated bus terminal. Kalamazoo serves as the hub and largest city in Amtrak's only high-speed corridor outside the Northeast, with service between Porter, Indiana and Albion, Michigan. * Kalamazoo also has a freight service provided by Grand Elk Railroad running north to Grand Rapids, Michigan and south to Elkhart, Indiana. The line they lease was a former Grand Rapids and Indiana Railroad mainline.

Bus

* Bus service to and through the city is provided by Greyhound,

Indian Trails Indian Trails, Inc. is an inter-city bus company based in Owosso, Michigan, with offices in Romulus (in Metro Detroit) and Kalamazoo. History Indian Trails was founded in 1910 in Owosso as the Phillips-Taylor Livery Service, whose main busi ...

and the Kalamazoo trolley. * Public bus services within the city are provided by Metro Transit.

Air

* On the southern end of the city is the Kalamazoo/Battle Creek International Airport (AZO), which offers flights on various airlines to hubs and leisure destinations. Construction of a new $36 million terminal was completed in 2011.

Other

The

Kal-Haven Trail The Kal-Haven Trail, formally known as the Kal-Haven Trail Sesquicentennial State Park, is a rail trail in the USA that originally ran between South Haven, Michigan, to a point just west of the city of Kalamazoo, Michigan, where there is a trai ...

, heavily used by cyclists, runners, walkers, and snowmobilers, extends to downtown Kalamazoo. It runs between South Haven, to a trailhead just west of Kalamazoo. Between that trailhead and South Haven the trail is run by Van Buren County, even the parts within Kalamazoo County. A trail pass is no longer required. The Kal-Haven is a

rail trail A rail trail is a shared-use path on railway right of way. Rail trails are typically constructed after a railway has been abandoned and the track has been removed, but may also share the right of way with active railways, light rail, or streetcar ...

, built on the former right-of-way of the

Kalamazoo and South Haven Railroad The Kalamazoo and South Haven Railroad is a defunct railroad which operated in southern Michigan during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The company incorporated on April 2, 1869 with the intention of constructing a line from Kalamazoo t ...

. The section east of the trailhead was opened in 2008 and extends to downtown Kalamazoo. It's known as the

Kalamazoo River Valley Trail The Kalamazoo River Valley Trail is a planned-to-be 35-mile non-motorized trail in Kalamazoo County, Michigan. It currently sits at 22 miles. A master plan for the Trail was completed and portions of the trail are finished and open to the public. ...

and is run by

. No pass is required on that section.

In popular culture

Kalamazoo's name is a familiar reference in popular music, since its unique sound makes it a "great word for a lyric". Its use as

for a remote place is discussed above—"although when it comes to both Timbuktu and Kalamazoo, most of that brag-worthy exotic allure is merely in their names". Nonetheless, numerous songs use the city's name in their song title or lyrics. Probably the most famous and first was "

(I've Got a Gal In) Kalamazoo "(I've Got a Gal in) Kalamazoo" is a #1 popular song recorded by Glenn Miller and His Orchestra in 1942. It was written by Mack Gordon and Harry Warren and published in 1942. It was featured in the musical film ''Orchestra Wives'' and was recorde ...

" (1942) by the

Glenn Miller Alton Glen Miller (March 1, 1904 – December 15, 1944) was an American big band founder, owner, conductor, composer, arranger, trombone player and recording artist before and during World War II, when he was an officer in the United States Arm ...

Orchestra with Tex Beneke. This #1 popular song was written by Mack Gordon and Harry Warren. The performance was recreated with Gene Morrison Orchestra as the

Glenn Miller Orchestra Glenn Miller and His Orchestra was an American swing dance band formed by Glenn Miller in 1938. Arranged around a clarinet and tenor saxophone playing melody, and three other saxophones playing harmony, the band became the most popular and com ...

and the Nicholas Brothers (doing a memorable dance) in the 1942 movie '' Orchestra Wives''.Lyrics, Glenn Miller "I've Got a Gal in Kalamazoo". This was nominated: Best Music, Original Song in Academy Awards)

Harry Warren Harry Warren (born Salvatore Antonio Guaragna; December 24, 1893 – September 22, 1981) was an American composer and the first major American songwriter to write primarily for film. He was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Song ...

(music), Mack Gordon (lyrics). See also

Boom Shot (song) Boom Shot is a 1942 song composed by Glenn Miller and Billy May for the 20th Century Fox movie ''Orchestra Wives'' starring George Montgomery and Ann Rutherford. Billy May is credited as his first wife, Arletta May, because he had signed an excl ...

. See

15th Academy Awards The 15th Academy Awards was held in the Cocoanut Grove at The Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles on March 4, 1943, honoring the films of 1942. The ceremony is most famous for the speech by Greer Garson; accepting the award for Best Actress, Gar ...

. At least a dozen (and many more versions) of "Kalamazoo" songs have been recorded. In chronological order others include: " I've Been Everywhere" by Hank Snow (1962) (album of the same title) and

Johnny Cash John R. Cash (born J. R. Cash; February 26, 1932 – September 12, 2003) was an American country singer-songwriter. Much of Cash's music contained themes of sorrow, moral tribulation, and redemption, especially in the later stages of his ca ...

(1996) '' Unchained''—reworked from the original 1959

Geoff Mack Albert Geoffrey McElhinney OAM (20 December 1922 – 21 July 2017), better known by his stage name Geoff Mack, was an Australian country singer, songwriter and aircraft mechanic. As a songwriter, he wrote the song "I've Been Everywhere" which w ...

Australian-place-names version made popular by the singer Lucky Starr; " Down on the Corner" (1969) by

Creedence Clearwater Revival Creedence Clearwater Revival, also referred to as Creedence and CCR, was an American rock band formed in El Cerrito, California. The band initially consisted of lead vocalist, lead guitarist, and primary songwriter John Fogerty; his brother, ...

on their fourth studio album, ''

Willy and the Poor Boys ''Willy and the Poor Boys'' is the fourth studio album by American rock band Creedence Clearwater Revival, released by Fantasy Records in November 1969. It was the last of three studio albums the band released that year, arriving just three mon ...

''—covered by a dozen other groups—though the reference is not to the city but to one of the "Kalamazoo" line of budget priced guitars manufactured by Gibson; "Kalamazoo" (1995) by Luna on ''

Penthouse Penthouse most often refers to: *Penthouse apartment, a special apartment on the top floor of a building *Penthouse (magazine), ''Penthouse'' (magazine), a British-founded men's magazine *Mechanical penthouse, a floor, typically located directly u ...

''; "Cold Rock a Party" (1997) by MC Lyte on '' Bad As I Wanna B''; "Kalamazoo" a song by the rock trio Primus on the 1997 '' Brown Album''; " Top of the World" by Rascalz (1999) on '' Global Warning''; Andrew Peterson lost his luggage in Kalamazoo, according to the song "Isn't It Love" in his 2001 album,

Clear to Venus Clear to Venus is the third album by American singer-songwriter Andrew Peterson, released in 2001. Background Peterson worked with Glenn Rosenstein, in the production of this album. Essential Records released the album on September 11, 2001. M ...

. "Kalamazoo", a song by

Ben Folds Benjamin Scott Folds (born September 12, 1966) is an American singer-songwriter, musician, and composer, who is the first artistic advisor to the National Symphony Orchestra at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., since May 2017. Folds was th ...

on the 2004 EP ''

Super D ''Super D'' is an EP by Ben Folds, the last of 3 in a series released between ''Rockin' the Suburbs'' and ''Songs for Silverman''. It has three original songs and two covers: The Darkness' "Get Your Hands Off My Woman", and a live performance o ...

''; and "Kalamazoo" (2002) by

Mike Craver Mike Craver is an American composer and lyricist. He was born in North Carolina. Biography Mike Craver graduated from the University of North Carolina. He was also, for 12 years, a member of the band, Red Clay Ramblers. He has appeared in Sam Sh ...

on his album ''Shining Down''. The city was also mentioned in the opera '' Einstein on the Beach'' by Philip Glass and in the chorus of the song " Gotta Get Away" by The Black Keys, from their album '' Turn Blue'' ("I went from

San Berdoo San Bernardino (; Spanish language, Spanish for Bernardino of Siena, "Saint Bernardino") is a city and county seat of San Bernardino County, California, United States. Located in the Inland Empire region of Southern California, the city had a ...

to Kalamazoo/Just to get away from you..."). Like Miller, the Creedence and Axton lyrics probably use the word "Kalamazoo" as an oblique reference to Gibson Guitars, which made various models named " Kalamazoo", all prominently adorned with the city's name as their origin. In 2011 rap artist Young Jeezy mentioned the city in the song "Higher Learning" on his album TM:103 Hustlerz Ambition. In 2014 Kalamazoo was mentioned again by Rittz in the song "Bounce" on his album '' Next to Nothing''. The "Kalamazoo" was one of several names of a railroad Handcar, and was produced by the

Kalamazoo Manufacturing Company The Kalamazoo Manufacturing Company located in Kalamazoo, Michigan, was a railroad-equipment manufacturer and, later, a materials-handling company that was founded in 1883 and closed in the 1990s. It made four passenger vehicles for use at the 1964 ...

. In Dr. Seuss's classic children's book '' Horton Hatches the Egg'', Horton the Elephant visits Kalamazoo while he is in the circus. Comedian and political commentator

Jordan Klepper Jordan Klepper (born March 9, 1979) is an American comedian, writer, producer, political commentator, television host, and actor. He began his career as a member of The Second City and Upright Citizens Brigade. From 2014 to 2017, he was a corre ...

was born in Kalamazoo.

Sister cities

The city of Kalamazoo, Michigan has three sister cities. *

Kingston, Jamaica Kingston is the capital and largest city of Jamaica, located on the southeastern coast of the island. It faces a natural harbour protected by the Palisadoes, a long sand spit which connects the town of Port Royal and the Norman Manley Inter ...

* Numazu,

Shizuoka Shizuoka can refer to: * Shizuoka Prefecture, a Japanese prefecture * Shizuoka (city), the capital city of Shizuoka Prefecture * Shizuoka Airport * Shizuoka Domain, the name from 1868 to 1871 for Sunpu Domain, a predecessor of Shizuoka Prefecture ...

, Japan * Pushkin, St. Petersburg, Russia

References

External links

*
Kalamazoo Regional Chamber of Commerce

Discover Kalamazoo Michigan
* {{Authority control Cities in Kalamazoo County, Michigan County seats in Michigan Populated places established in 1831 1831 establishments in Michigan Territory