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Kalamazoo, Michigan
—  City  —
Official seal of Kalamazoo, Michigan Seal
Nickname(s): The Mall City, K-zoo, The Zoo
Location of Kalamazoo within Kalamazoo County, Michigan
Coordinates: 42°17′24″N 85°35′24″W / 42.29°N 85.59°W / 42.29; -85.59Coordinates: 42°17′24″N 85°35′24″W / 42.29°N 85.59°W / 42.29; -85.59
Country	United States
State	Michigan
County	Kalamazoo
Settled	1829
Incorporation	1883
Government
• Type	Commission-Manager
• Mayor	Bobby J. Hopewell
• City Manager	Kenneth P. Collard
Area
• City	25.2 sq mi (65.2 km2)
• Land	24.7 sq mi (63.9 km2)
• Water	0.5 sq mi (1.3 km2)
Elevation	784 ft (239 m)
Population (2010)
• City	74,262
• Density	3,006.6/sq mi (1,162.2/km2)
• Urban	187,961
• Metro	326,589
Demonym	Kalamazooan
Time zone	Eastern (UTC-5)
• Summer (DST)	Eastern (UTC-4)
Area code(s)	269
FIPS code	26-42160[1]
GNIS feature ID	0629439[2]
Website	www.ci.kalamazoo.mi.us

Kalamazoo ( /ˌkæləməˈzuː/) is a city in the southwest region of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is the county seat of Kalamazoo County. Kalamazoo is located geographically in Western and Southern Michigan. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 74,262. It is the major city of the Kalamazoo-Portage metropolitan area, which has a population of 326,589 as of 2010.^[3]

Kalamazoo is home to Western Michigan University (often abbreviated as "WMU"), a large public university, and Kalamazoo College (often referred to as "K College"), a liberal arts school whose campus abuts WMU's.

Name origin[link]

Originally known as Bronson, after founder Titus Bronson, in the township of Arcadia, the names were both changed to "Kalamazoo" in 1836 and 1837, respectively.^[4] The Kalamazoo name comes from a Potawatomi word, first found in a British report in 1772. However, the Kalamazoo River, which passes through the modern city of Kalamazoo, was located on the route between Détroit and Fort Saint-Joseph (nowadays Niles, Michigan). Canadians (French-speaking), French traders, missionaries, and military personnel were quite familiar with this area during the French era and thereafter. The name for the Kalamazoo River was then known by Canadians and French as La rivière Kikanamaso. The name "Kikanamaso" was also recorded by Father Pierre Potier, a Jesuit missionary for the Huron-Wendats at the Assumption mission (south shore of Détroit), while en route to Fort Saint-Joseph during the fall of 1760.^[5] Legend has it that "Ki-ka-ma-sung," meaning "boiling water," referring to a footrace held each fall by local Native Americans, who had to run to the river and back before the pot boiled.^[6] Still another theory is that it means "the mirage or reflecting river."^[7] 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, which sounds unusual to English-speaking ears, has become a metonym for exotic places, as in the phrase "from Timbuktu to Kalamazoo".^[8] Today, t-shirts are sold in Kalamazoo with the phrase "Yes, there really is a Kalamazoo".^[9]

History[link]

The area on which the modern city stands was once home to Native Americans of the Hopewell culture, 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.^[10] The Potawatomi culture lived in the area when the first European explorers arrived.

René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle, passed just southeast of the present city in late March 1680. The first Europeans to reside in the area were itinerant fur traders 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.^[11][12]

During the War of 1812, the British established a smithy and a prison camp in the area.^[13]

The 1821 Treaty of Chicago 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 Potawatomi Chief Match-E-Be-Nash-She-Wish. Six years later, as a result of the 1827 Treaty of St. Joseph, the tract that became the city was also ceded.

In 1829, Titus Bronson, originally from Connecticut, became the first white settler to build a cabin within the present city limits.^[14] He platted the town in 1831 and named it the village of Bronson—not to be confused with the much-smaller Bronson, Michigan, about fifty miles (80 km) to the south-southeast.

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.^[15] 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.

On August 27, 1856, Abraham Lincoln spoke at a rally in Bronson Park, promoting the presidential candidacy of John C. Fremont, who was running on the ticket of the new Republican Party. It was Lincoln's only public speech during his only visit to Michigan.

In 1959, the city created the Kalamazoo Mall, 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.^[16] Two of the mall's four blocks were reopened to auto traffic in 1999 after much debate.^[17]

An F3 tornado struck downtown Kalamazoo on May 13, 1980, killing five and injuring 79.^[18]

• North Burdick Street, Kalamazoo, MI.jpg

  North Burdick St. in 1908

• 

  Academy St. in 1908

• Old Public Library, Kalamazoo, MI.jpg

  Old public library in 1908

• Kalamazoo Paper Mills, Kalamazoo, MI.jpg

  Paper mills in 1908

Geography[link]

Most of the city is on the southwest bank of a major bend in the Kalamazoo River, with a small portion, about 2.8 square miles (7.3 km²), on the opposite bank. Several small tributaries of the river, including Arcadia Creek and Portage Creek, wind through the city. The northeastern portion of the city sits in the broad, flat Kalamazoo Valley, while the western portions climb into low hills to the west and south. Several small lakes are found throughout the area.

The city covers 25.2 square miles (65 km²), of which 24.7 square miles (64 km²) is land and 0.5 sq miles (2%) is water, according to the United States Census Bureau.

The city's suburban population is located primarily to the south, in the city of Portage, and to the west in Oshtemo Township and Texas Township, Michigan.

At least part of the municipal water supply for Kalamazoo is provided by the watershed contained within the Al Sabo Preserve^[19] in Texas Charter Township, Michigan, immediately southwest of Kalamazoo.

Another watershed, Kleinstuck Marsh,^[20] 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.

Demographics[link]

As of the census^[1] of 2008, there were 76,145 people, 29,413 households, and 14,353 families residing in the city. The population density was 3,125.4 inhabitants per square mile (1,206.7 /km²). There were 31,798 housing units at an average density of 1,288.2 per square mile (497.5/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 70.77% White, 20.64% Black or African American, 0.58% Native American, 2.39% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 2.38% from other races, and 3.18% from two or more races. 4.28% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 29,413 households out of which 24.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 30.6% were married couples living together, 14.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 51.2% were non-families. 34.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.30 and the average family size was 2.99.

In the city the population was spread out with 20.3% under the age of 18, 27.6% from 18 to 24, 26.8% from 25 to 44, 15.2% from 45 to 64, and 10.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 26 years. For every 100 females there were 93.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.9 males.

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.

Government[link]

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, elected on a non-partisan basis every two years. Whoever receives the most votes during an election becomes the council president and ceremonial mayor of the city. The member that receives the second highest number of votes becomes vice mayor.^[21] The current mayor, Bobby J. Hopewell, was elected November 13, 2007, beating Hannah McKinney, who automatically became vice mayor.^[22]

In the November 3, 2009, and November 8, 2011, elections voters returned Hopewell as mayor and McKinney as vice-mayor.

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

Neighborhoods[link]

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.

Education[link]

Waldo Library and the University Computing Center, joined by the Stewart Clocktower, on Western Michigan University's campus.

The campus of Kalamazoo College.

Kalamazoo is home to Western Michigan University. The college has four campuses in Kalamazoo, (West Campus, East Campus, Parkview Campus and Oakland Drive Campus) as well as several satellite campuses throughout Michigan. West Campus, located just west of downtown, has the largest concentration of university students, programs and school services. In 2005, Western Michigan ranked #2 Wireless Campus in the U.S. in a national survey done by the Intel Corporation.^[23]

Each May, WMU hosts the International Congress on Medieval Studies. 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 Kalamazoo Valley Community College, Davenport University, and Kalamazoo Area Mathematics and Science Center (KAMSC). It had also been the home of Nazareth College, which closed in 1992.

The public schools are managed by Kalamazoo Public Schools. 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. Books and room and board are not included.^[24]

Economy[link]

The Radisson Plaza Hotel & Suites hotel in Kalamazoo is a popular site for conventions.

In 2012 Kiplinger's Personal Finance ranked Kalamazoo fourth of the Ten Best Cities for Cheapskates.^[25]

Breweries[link]

Kalamazoo has three local breweries and brewpubs that produce a variety of beer styles.

Perhaps the best-known is Bell's Brewery, established as the Kalamazoo Brewing Company in 1985 by Larry Bell.^[26] The brewery has expanded from its original Kalamazoo location, which houses the Eccentric Cafe, to another brewery in nearby Comstock. Bell's beer is sold by retailers in many parts of the country.

Olde Peninsula, one of Kalamazoo's small breweries.

Flavorings[link]

The A.M. Todd Company, one of the lead producers of peppermint oil and other flavorings, is headquartered in Kalamazoo.^[27] Its founder, Albert M. Todd, was elected to the United States House of Representatives for the 55th Congress.

Kalamazoo is also home to Kalsec, another flavorings company, which was founded by Paul H. Todd, Jr., Albert Todd's grandson and U.S. Representative in the 89th Congress. Founded as the Kalamazoo Spice Extraction Company, Kalsec is owned and managed by Todd family descendants.^[28]

Historical[link]

CNR derrick car (Sylvester Manufacturing Company, Kalamazoo Railway Supply Company). Mounted on a push car, pulled with a speeder or draisine.^[29]

In the past, Kalamazoo was known for its production of windmills, mandolins, buggies, automobiles, cigars, stoves, paper, and paper products. Agriculturally, it once was noted for celery and bedding plants. Although much has become suburbanized, the surrounding area still produces farm crops.

Kalamazoo was the original home of Gibson Guitar Corporation, which spawned the still-local Heritage Guitars. 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 Electric Guitar. Operations were moved gradually from Kalamazoo to Nashville, Tennessee, (Electric Division) and Bozeman, Montana, (Acoustic Division) in the 1980s. Some workers from the original factory stayed in Kalamazoo to create the Heritage Guitar company.^[30]

Kalamazoo was once known as the "Paper City" because of the paper mills in and near the city. The Allied Paper Corporation operated several mills and employed 1,300 people in Kalamazoo during the late 1960s. As the forests of West Michigan were logged out, paper mills closed.^[31][32]

Early in the 20th century, Kalamazoo was home to the brass era automobile company Barley.

Kalamazoo was also headquarters of the Checker Motors Company, the former manufacturer of the Checker Cab, which also stamped sheet metal parts for other auto manufacturers. Checker closed on June 25, 2009, a victim of the Late-2000s recession.

Life Sciences[link]

The Upjohn Company was a pharmaceutical manufacturing firm founded in 1886 in Kalamazoo that is now 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 facilities exist in Portage, Michigan, but many also exist in Downtown Kalamazoo.

Michigan State University has a branch of its medical school and several post-doctoral residency training programs in Kalamazoo. Resident training programs in Pediatrics, Internal Medicine, Combined Internal Medicine/Pediatrics, General Surgery, Family Medicine, Orthopedic surgery, Emergency Medicine, Psychiatry, and a fellowship in sports medicine are centered at The Kalamazoo Center for Medical Studies (KCMS) founded by Michigan State University.

The city is also home to the Stryker Corporation, a surgical and medical devices manufacturer.

Kalamazoo has two hospitals: Bronson Methodist Hospital, and Borgess Medical Center.

Research[link]

The W. E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research, 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,^[33] a quarterly journal that provides economic analysis and forecasts on the West Michigan economy.

Other[link]

Other notable Kalamazoo businesses include:

• The Farmers' Market, located on Bank Street, is open on Tuesdays and Saturdays, May through November.
• National City (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 PNC Bank which still maintains a large corporate building in Texas Township, and several downtown along with branches in the region.

Culture[link]

The city has an Arts Council.^[34] On the first Friday of each month, the council organizes the Art Hop, in which patrons circulate among downtown businesses.

Groups often perform at the downtown State Theatre, Western Michigan University's Miller Auditorium, and Wings Stadium.

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.^[35]

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.^[36] Completed in 1936, the 18-hole, par-72 course is entirely within the city limits of Kalamazoo.

In 2002, the Kalamazoo Public Library was named "Library of the Year" by Library Journal.^[37] The library includes a main location and four branch libraries, and until 2010, a bookmobile system.^[38]

Animation festival[link]

A project of Kalamazoo Valley Community College, The Kalamazoo Animation Festival International (KAFI) encourages and educates animation artists, promotes Kalamazoo's animation industry, and provides community entertainment.^[39] 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.^{[citation needed]}

Museums[link]

The city's most prominent art museum is the Kalamazoo Institute of Arts, whose collection has more than 3,600 works and a focus on 20th-century American art. The KIA regularly mounts temporary exhibitions.

Downtown is the Kalamazoo Valley Museum, a "hands-on" museum aimed largely at children; it has a planetarium and a Challenger Learning Center.

Northeast of town, in Hickory Corners, is the Gilmore Car Museum, which includes cars used in Walt Disney movies.

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

Theater[link]

Kalamazoo's theaters and performing groups include the Kalamazoo Civic Players, New Vic Theatre, Farmer's Alley Theatre, Crawlspace Theatre Productions, and the Barn Theatre in nearby Augusta. Plays and musicals are also performed at Kalamazoo College and Western Michigan University.

Music[link]

The Gibson Guitar Corporation, founded in Kalamazoo in 1902, spurred local musicians playing in everything classical to folk, to modern rock. The Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra,^[40] founded in 1921, is directed by Raymond Harvey. The city also hosts the Irving S. Gilmore International Keyboard Festival and a Bach Festival.

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.

Sports[link]

Waldo Stadium, on the campus of Western Michigan University.

Kalamazoo plays host to four non-collegiate teams:

• The Kalamazoo Kings minor-league baseball team plays games at Homer Stryker Field and is a member of the independent Frontier League.
• The Kalamazoo Wings (aka K-Wings) minor-pro hockey team plays games in Wings Stadium and has played since 1974. The team is currently a member of the ECHL.
• The Kalamazoo Outrage is a soccer club and has men's, women's and junior teams and is a member of United Soccer League. Former USA international team player John Harkes played with the Owls in the 1990s, as well as current international player Frank Simek.

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)
• Lawson Arena (hockey)
• University Arena (basketball and Volleyball)
• Hyames Field (baseball)
• Ebert Field (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 Kalamazoo Valley Community College Cougars also have several collegiate athletic teams.

Kalamazoo is the hometown of New York Yankees all-star shortstop Derek Jeter, Green Bay Packers wide receiver Greg Jennings, and free agent running back T.J. Duckett. Washington Nationals pitcher Scott Olsen and Chicago White Sox first baseman and gold glove winner Mike Squires was born in Kalamazoo. Kalamazoo was also the hometown of longtime Detroit Tigers 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.

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, John McEnroe, Jim Courier, Andre Agassi, Pete Sampras, 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. www.kalamazoorugby.com

Local media[link]

Newspapers[link]

Kalamazoo is served by one daily newspaper, the Kalamazoo Gazette.

The main office of Business Review Western Michigan, a business-to-business publication, is located downtown next to the Kalamazoo Gazette.

Located on campus, but completely independent of the university, Western Herald is the morning, weekday, student-run newspaper at Western Michigan University, distributed free of charge on-campus and around the greater Kalamazoo area. Unlike most college newspapers, the Herald is funded entirely by advertising dollars and does not receive any student activity fees or other funding from the university or taxpayers.

The Index is the weekly student newspaper of Kalamazoo College.

Television[link]

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 Detroit Tigers owner) John Fetzer, as "WKZO-TV". Along with television, Fetzer introduced Kalamazoo to radio in 1931, when AM 590 WKZO signed on the air. Fezter also created Kalamazoo's first cable television system, then known as Fetzer Cable; it is a predecessor of Kalamazoo's current cable franchise, Charter Communications.

The Public Media Network, located in downtown Kalamazoo, hosts media outlets including Charter cable channels 19, 20, 21, 22, and 95 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), WZPX (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-CA Grand Rapids (MyNetworkTV, through WOKZ-CA). WOTV in Battle Creek broadcasts ABC 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[link]

WIDR is the college student-run, commercial free radio station at Western Michigan University. It is known for playing obscure and rarely heard underground music of all styles 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. The call letters stood for Kalamazoo District Schools (now Kalamazoo Public Schools). For most of its history, WKDS broadcasted 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 Kalamazoo Public Schools although the EFE program has been discontinued. High School students from around the area continue to operate the station.

FM radio stations which serve Kalamazoo include:

• WAYK 88.3 - Kalamazoo - Christian Top 40
• WIDR 89.1 - Kalamazoo - College/Variety
• WKDS 89.9 - Kalamazoo - High School/Variety
• WCSG 91.3 - Grand Rapids - Christian AC
• WZUU 92.5 - Mattawan/Kalamazoo - Classic Rock
• WBCT 93.7 - Grand Rapids - Country
• WVIC 94.1 - Jackon/Lansing/Battle Creek/Kalamazoo - Alternative Rock
• WTNR 94.5 - Grand Rapids - Country
• WNWN 95.5 - Kalamazoo - Urban Adult Contemporary (translator for AM 1560)
• WLKM-FM 95.9 - Three Rivers - Classic Hits
• WMAX-FM 96.1 - Grand Rapids - Sports
• WKZO-FM 96.5 - Portage/Kalamazoo - News/Talk (CBS) (simulcast of AM 590)
• WGRD 97.9 - Grand Rapids - Rock
• WNWN-FM 98.5 - Battle Creek - Country
• WBCH-FM 100.1 - Hastings - Country
• WQXC 100.9 - Otsego/Kalamazoo - Oldies
• WMUK 102.1 - Kalamazoo - NPR/Classical/Jazz
• WKFR 103.3 - Battle Creek/Kalamazoo - CHR/Top 40
• WBXX 104.9 - Battle Creek - Adult Contemporary
• WOOD-FM 105.7 - Grand Rapids - Adult Contemporary
• WJXQ 106.1 - Jackson/Lansing - Active Rock
• WVFM 106.5 - Kalamazoo - Adult Contemporary
• WBBL 107.3 - Greenville/Grand Rapids - Sports
• WRKR 107.7 - Portage/Kalamazoo - Classic Rock

AM radio stations which serve Kalamazoo include:

• WKZO 590 - Kalamazoo - News/Talk (CBS)
• WAKV 980 - Allegan/Otsego - Adult Standards
• WKMI 1360 - Kalamazoo - Talk (ABC)
• WKPR 1420 - Kalamazoo - Religious (daytime only)
• WNWN 1560 - Portage/Kalamazoo - Urban Adult Contemporary (daytime only; 24 hour FM translator at 95.5)
• WQLR 1660 - Kalamazoo - Sports (FOX)

Radio Stations from Battle Creek, Grand Rapids, and Lansing are also heard in Kalamazoo.

Transportation[link]

The Wolverine, eastbound, crosses Academy Street in Kalamazoo. The campus of Kalamazoo College lies to the right.

The train station component of the Kalamazoo Transportation Center.

Highways[link]

Interstates[link]

• I-94
• I-94 Business Loop

U.S. Highways[link]

• U.S. Route 131
•  
  BUS US 131 traversing downtown Kalamazoo.

State Highways[link]

• M-43
• M-96

Intercounty Highways[link]

• 25px A-45

Kalamazoo is served by highways I-94, US 131, M-43 and M-96. It was on the original Territorial Road in Michigan of the 19th century, which started in Detroit and ran to Lake Michigan. Much of that, but not all, later became Old U.S. 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 "U.S. 12" was shifted south to what once was U.S. 112 between Detroit and Chicago. Some parts of Old U.S. 12 outside of town, especially in Van Buren County and Berrien County to the west, are still called Red Arrow Highway. The term "Old U.S. 12" has faded from use.

Rail[link]

• Kalamazoo has rail service provided by Amtrak, with the station located downtown and combined with a newly renovated bus terminal.
• 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[link]

• Bus service to and through the city is provided by Greyhound, Indian Trails and [the kalamazoo trolley].
• Public bus services within the city are provided by Metro Transit.

Air[link]

• On the southern end of the city is the Kalamazoo/Battle Creek International Airport, which offers flights on various airlines to hubs and leisure destinations.

Other[link]

The Kal-Haven Trail, heavily used by cyclists and snowmobilers, extends to downtown Kalamazoo. It runs 34 miles (55 km) between South Haven, Michigan, 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 section east of the trailhead was opened in 2008 and extends to downtown Kalamazoo. It's known as the Kalamazoo River Valley Trail and is run by Kalamazoo County. No pass is required on that section.

Popular culture[link]

Kalamazoo's name (it is exotic and a "great word for a lyric") and culture is an explicit reference in popular music.^[41] Its use as metonym 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."^[8] 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" (1942) by the Glenn Miller band 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 Band and the Nicholas Brothers (doing a memorable dance) in the 1942 movie Orchestra Wives.^[42][43] This was nominated: Best Music, Original Song in Academy Awards) Harry Warren (music), Mack Gordon (lyrics).^[43][44] See 15th Academy Awards.

At least a dozen songs (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)^[45] and Johnny Cash (1996) Unchained^[46]  — reworked from the original 1959 Geoff Mack Australian-place-names version made popular by the singer Lucky Starr; "Down on the Corner" (1969) by Creedence Clearwater Revival on their fourth studio album, Willy and the Poor Boys  — covered by a dozen other groups;^[47] "Kalamazoo" (1995) by Luna on Penthouse^[48]; "Cold Rock a Party" (1997) by MC Lyte on Bad As I Wanna B^[49]; "Kalamazoo" a song by the rock trio Primus on the 1997 Brown Album'^[50]; "All Over The World" by Rascalz (1999) on Global Warning^[51]; "Kalamazoo", a song by Ben Folds Five on the 2004 EP Super D^[52]; "65 Miles from Kalamazoo" (2008) by R.J. Miller (a lament for a lost Gibson guitar and a metaphor about "an old girlfriend from Kalamazoo");^[53] and "Kalamazoo" (2009) by Mike Craver on his album Shining Down.^[54] 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.^[55][41]

Sister cities[link]

The city of Kalamazoo, Michigan has three sister cities.

• Kingston, Jamaica
• Numazu, Japan
• Pushkin, Russia

See also[link]

• People from Kalamazoo, Michigan
• Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety

Notes[link]

External links[link]

• City of Kalamazoo
• Kalamazoo Regional Chamber of Commerce
• Kalamazoo living
• Discover Kalamazoo Michigan
• Central City, Kalamazoo's Downtown
• Everything Kalamazoo
• Vanished Kalamazoo
• Kalamazoo at the Open Directory Project

		Grand Rapids
	Benton Harbor		Battle Creek
		Kalamazoo    East
		Three Rivers

v t e Municipalities and communities of Kalamazoo County, Michigan, United States County seat: Kalamazoo Cities Galesburg Kalamazoo Parchment Portage Villages Augusta Climax Richland Schoolcraft Vicksburg Charter townships Comstock Cooper Kalamazoo Oshtemo Texas General law townships Alamo Brady Charleston Climax Pavilion Prairie Ronde Richland Ross Schoolcraft Wakeshma Unincorporated communities Comstock Comstock Northwest Eastwood Scotts Westwood

v t e  State of Michigan Lansing (capital) Topics Index Congressional delegation Geography Governors History Islands Legislature Lieutenant Governors Lighthouses Museums National Historic Landmarks National Register of Historic Places listings People State Historic Sites State parks Supreme Court Tallest buildings Timeline Topics Visitor attractions Regions Upper Peninsula Copper Country Keweenaw Peninsula Gogebic Range Lower Peninsula Central Michigan Southern Michigan Flint/Tri-Cities The Thumb The Greater Tri Cities Michiana Northern Michigan Southeast Michigan Metro Detroit West Michigan Largest Municipalities Alpena Ann Arbor Battle Creek Bay City Bloomfield Township Canton Township Chesterfield Township Clinton Township Commerce Township Dearborn Dearborn Heights Detroit East Lansing Eastpointe Farmington Hills Flint Flint Township Georgetown Township Grand Rapids Holland Jackson Kalamazoo Kentwood Lansing Lincoln Park Livonia Macomb Township Meridian Township Midland Muskegon Novi Pontiac Portage Redford Rochester Hills Roseville Royal Oak Saginaw Saginaw Township St. Clair Shores Shelby Township Southfield Sterling Heights Taylor Troy Warren Waterford Township West Bloomfield Westland Wyoming Ypsilanti Township Counties Alcona Alger Allegan Alpena Antrim Arenac Baraga Barry Bay Benzie Berrien Branch Calhoun Cass Charlevoix Cheboygan Chippewa Clare Clinton Crawford Delta Dickinson Eaton Emmet Genesee Gladwin Gogebic Grand Traverse Gratiot Hillsdale Houghton Huron Ingham Ionia Iosco Iron Isabella Jackson Kalamazoo Kalkaska Kent Keweenaw Lake Lapeer Leelanau Lenawee Livingston Luce Mackinac Macomb Manistee Marquette Mason Mecosta Menominee Midland Missaukee Monroe Montcalm Montmorency Muskegon Newaygo Oakland Oceana Ogemaw Ontonagon Osceola Oscoda Otsego Ottawa Presque Isle Roscommon Saginaw Sanilac Schoolcraft Shiawassee St. Clair St. Joseph Tuscola Van Buren Washtenaw Wayne Wexford

State of Michigan
Flag Seal
Nickname(s): The Great Lakes State, The Wolverine State, The Mitten State, Water (Winter) Wonderland
Motto(s): Si quaeris peninsulam amoenam circumspice (Latin: If you seek a pleasant peninsula, look about you)
Official language(s)	None (English, de-facto)
Demonym	Michigander, Michiganian or Yooper (in the Upper Peninsula)
Capital	Lansing
Largest city	Detroit
Largest metro area	Metro Detroit
Area	Ranked 11th in the U.S.
- Total	96,716 sq mi (250,493 km2)
- Width	386[1] miles (621 km)
- Length	456[1] miles (734 km)
- % water	41.5
- Latitude	41° 41' N to 48° 18' N
- Longitude	82° 7' W to 90° 25' W
Population	Ranked 8th in the U.S.
- Total	9,876,187 (2011 est)[2]
- Density	174/sq mi  (67.1/km2) Ranked 17th in the U.S.
- Median household income	$44,627 (21st)
Elevation
- Highest point	Mount Arvon[3][4] 1,979 ft (603 m)
- Mean	900 ft  (270 m)
- Lowest point	Lake Erie[3][4] 571 ft (174 m)
Before statehood	Michigan Territory
Admission to Union	January 26, 1837 (26th)
Governor	Rick Snyder (R)
Lieutenant Governor	Brian Calley (R)
Legislature	Michigan Legislature
- Upper house	Senate
- Lower house	House of Representatives
U.S. Senators	Carl Levin (D) Debbie Stabenow (D)
U.S. House delegation	9 Republicans 6 Democrats (list)
Time zones
- most of state	Eastern: UTC-5/-4
- 4 U.P. counties	Central: UTC-6/-5
Abbreviations	MI Mich. US-MI
Website	www.michigan.gov

Michigan State symbols
Animate insignia
Bird(s)	American Robin (Turdus migratorius)
Fish	Brook Trout (Salvelinus fontinalis)
Flower(s)	Apple blossom (Malus domestica) Wildflower: Dwarf Lake Iris (Iris lacustris)
Mammal(s)	Unofficial:Wolverine (Gulo gulo luscus) Game animal: White-tailed Deer (Odocoileus virginianus)
Reptile	Painted Turtle (Chrysemys picta)
Tree	Eastern White Pine (Pinus strobus)
Inanimate insignia
Fossil	Mastodon (Mammut americanum)
Gemstone	Isle Royale greenstone or Chlorastrolite
Rock	Petoskey stone
Soil	Kalkaska Sand
Song(s)	My Michigan website
Route marker(s)
State Quarter
Released in 2004
Lists of United States state insignia

Michigan (ⁱ/ˈmɪʃɨɡən/) is a state located in the Great Lakes region of the Midwestern United States. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake".^[1][5] Michigan is the 8th most populous of the 50 United States, with the 11th most extensive total area. Its capital is Lansing, and the largest city is Detroit. Michigan was admitted into the Union on January 26, 1837 as the 26th state.

Michigan has the longest freshwater coastline of any political subdivision in the world, being bounded by four of the five Great Lakes, plus Lake Saint Clair.^[6] Michigan is one of the leading U.S. states for recreational boating.^[7] The state has 64,980 inland lakes and ponds.^[8] A person in the state is never more than six miles (9.7 km) from a natural water source or more than 85 miles (137 km) from a Great Lakes shoreline.^[9] It is the largest state by total area^[10] east of the Mississippi River.

Michigan is the only state to consist of two peninsulas. The Lower Peninsula, to which the name Michigan was originally applied, is often noted to be shaped like a mitten. The Upper Peninsula (often referred to as "the U.P.") is separated from the Lower Peninsula by the Straits of Mackinac, a five-mile (8 km) channel that joins Lake Huron to Lake Michigan. The two peninsulas are connected by the Mackinac Bridge. The Upper Peninsula is economically important due to its status as a tourist destination. There is also a variety of natural resources to be found there, including a sizable amount of iron ore.

History[link]

When the first European explorers arrived, the most populous tribes were Algonquian peoples, which include the Ottawa, the Ojibwe or Anishnabe (called Chippewa in French), and the Potawatomi. The Anishnabe, whose numbers are estimated to have been between 25,000 and 35,000, were the largest.

The Anishnabe were established in Michigan's Upper Peninsula and northern Michigan, and also inhabited northern Ontario, northern Wisconsin, southern Manitoba, and northern and north-central Minnesota. The Ottawa lived primarily south of the Straits of Mackinac in northern and western Michigan, while the Potawatomi were primarily in the southwest. The three nations co-existed peacefully as part of a loose confederation called the Council of Three Fires. Other tribes in Michigan, in the south and east, were the Mascouten, the Menominee, the Miami, and the Wyandot, who are better known by their French name, Huron.

17th century[link]

Père Marquette and the Indians (1869), Wilhelm Lamprecht

French voyageurs and coureurs des bois explored and settled in Michigan in the 17th century. The first Europeans to reach what later became Michigan were those of Étienne Brûlé's expedition in 1622. The first permanent European settlement was founded in 1668 on the site where Père Jacques Marquette established Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan as a base for Catholic missions.^[11] Missionaries in 1671–75 founded outlying stations at Saint Ignace and Marquette. Jesuit missionaries were well received by the Indian populations in the area, with relatively few difficulties or hostilities. In 1679, Robert Cavelier, Sieur de la Salle built Fort Miami at present-day St. Joseph.

18th century[link]

Approximate area of Michigan highlighted in Guillaume de L'Isle's 1718 map.

In 1701, French explorer and army officer Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac founded Fort Pontchartrain du Détroit or "Fort Pontchartrain on-the-Strait" on the strait, known as the Detroit River, between lakes Saint Clair and Erie. Cadillac had convinced King Louis XIV's chief minister, Louis Phélypeaux, Comte de Pontchartrain, that a permanent community there would strengthen French control over the upper Great Lakes and discourage British aspirations.

The hundred soldiers and workers who accompanied Cadillac built a fort enclosing one arpent^[12][13] (about 0.85 acres (3,400 m²), the equivalent of just under 200 feet (61 m) per side) and named it Fort Pontchartrain. Cadillac's wife, Marie Thérèse Guyon, soon moved to Detroit, becoming one of the first European women to settle in the Michigan wilderness. The town quickly became a major fur-trading and shipping post. The Église de Saint-Anne (Church of Saint Ann) was founded the same year. While the original building does not survive, the congregation of that name continues to be active today. Cadillac later departed to serve as the French governor of Louisiana from 1710 to 1716.

At the same time, the French strengthened Fort Michilimackinac at the Straits of Mackinac to better control their lucrative fur-trading empire. By the mid-18th century, the French also occupied forts at present-day Niles and Sault Ste. Marie, though most of the rest of the region remained unsettled by Europeans.

From 1660 to the end of French rule, Michigan was part of the Royal Province of New France.^[14] In 1759, following the Battle of the Plains of Abraham in the French and Indian War (1754–1763), Québec City fell to British forces. This marked Britain's victory in the Seven Years War. Under the 1763 Treaty of Paris, Michigan and the rest of New France east of the Mississippi River passed to Great Britain.^[15]

During the American Revolutionary War, Detroit was an important British supply center. Most of the inhabitants were French-Canadians or Native Americans, many of whom had been allied with the French. Because of imprecise cartography and unclear language defining the boundaries in the 1783 Treaty of Paris, the British retained control of Detroit and Michigan after the American Revolution. When Quebec split into Lower and Upper Canada in 1790, Michigan was part of Kent County, Upper Canada. It held its first democratic elections in August 1792 to send delegates to the new provincial parliament at Newark (now Niagara-on-the-Lake).^[16]

Under terms negotiated in the 1794 Jay Treaty, Britain withdrew from Detroit and Michilimackinac in 1796. Questions remained over the boundary for many years, and the United States did not have uncontested control of the Upper Peninsula and Drummond Island until 1818 and 1847, respectively.

19th century[link]

During the War of 1812, Michigan Territory (effectively consisting of Detroit and the surrounding area) was surrendered after a nearly bloodless siege in 1812. An attempt to retake Detroit resulted in a severe American defeat in the River Raisin Massacre. This battle is still the bloodiest ever fought in the state and had the highest number of American casualties of any battle in the war. Ultimately, Michigan was recaptured by Americans in 1813 after the Battle of Lake Erie. An invasion of Canada which culminated in the Battle of the Thames was then launched from Michigan. The more northern areas were held by the British until the peace treaty restored the old boundaries. A number of forts, including Fort Wayne were built in Michigan during the 19th century out of fears of renewed fighting with Britain.

Lumbering pines in the late 1800s

The population grew slowly until the opening in 1825 of the Erie Canal connecting the Great Lakes and the Hudson River and New York City. The new route brought a large influx of settlers, who became farmers and merchants and shipped out grain, lumber, and iron ore. By the 1830s, Michigan had 80,000 residents, more than enough to apply and qualify for statehood. In October 1835 the people approved the Constitution of 1835, thereby forming a state government, although Congressional recognition was delayed pending resolution of a boundary dispute with Ohio known as the Toledo War. Congress awarded the "Toledo Strip" to Ohio. Michigan received the western part of the Upper Peninsula as a concession and formally entered the Union on January 26, 1837. The Upper Peninsula proved to be a rich source of lumber, iron, and copper. Michigan led the nation in lumber production from the 1850s to the 1880s. Railroads became a major engine of growth from the 1850s onward, with Detroit the chief hub.

The first statewide meeting of the Republican Party took place July 6, 1854 in Jackson, Michigan, where the party adopted its platform. The state was heavily Republican until the 1930s. Michigan made a significant contribution to the Union in the American Civil War and sent more than forty regiments of volunteers to the federal armies.

Modernizers and boosters—especially Yankees set up systems for public education, including founding the University of Michigan (1817; moved to Ann Arbor in 1841), for a classical academic education; and Michigan State Normal School, (1849) now Eastern Michigan University, for the training of teachers. In 1899, it became the first normal college in the nation to offer a four-year curriculum. Michigan Agricultural College (1855), now Michigan State University in East Lansing, was founded as the pioneer land-grant college, a model for those authorized under the Morrill Act (1862). Many other private colleges were founded as well, and the smaller cities formed high schools late in the century.^[17]

20th and 21st centuries[link]

B-24s under construction at Ford's Willow Run line.

Michigan's economy underwent a transformation at the turn of the 20th century. Many individuals, including Ransom E. Olds, John and Horace Dodge, Henry Leland, David Dunbar Buick, Henry Joy, Charles King, and Henry Ford, provided the concentration of engineering know-how and technological enthusiasm to start the birth of the automotive industry.^[18] Ford's development of the moving assembly line in Highland Park marked the beginning of a new era in transportation. Like the steamship and railroad, it was a far-reaching development. More than the forms of public transportation, the automobile transformed private life. It became the major industry of Detroit and Michigan, and permanently altered the socio-economic life of the United States and much of the world.

With the growth, the auto industry created jobs in Detroit that attracted immigrants from Europe and migrants from across the U.S., including those from the South. By 1920, Detroit was the fourth largest city in the U.S. Residential housing was in short supply, and it took years for the market to catch up with the population boom. By the 1930s, so many immigrants had arrived that more than 30 languages were spoken in the public schools, and ethnic communities celebrated in annual heritage festivals. Over the years immigrants and migrants contributed greatly to Detroit's diverse urban culture, including popular music trends, such as the influential Motown Sound of the 1960s led by a variety of individual singers and groups.

Skyscrapers in downtown Detroit

Grand Rapids, the second-largest city in Michigan, is also an important center of manufacturing. Since 1838, the city has also been noted for its furniture industry and is home to five of the world's leading office furniture companies. Grand Rapids is home to a number of major companies including Steelcase, Amway, and Meijer. Grand Rapids is also an important center for GE Aviation Systems.