Kalamazoo’s name is so distinctive strangers around the world have been known to break into song at hearing the name. With such a recognizable moniker you’d think Kalamazoo wouldn’t need nicknames, but through the years changing names have reflected the city’s refusal to stand still. The Zoo, Celery City and the Mall City are a few. The innovative thinking that brought downtown K’zoo the nation’s first pedestrian mall in 1959 continues to work today. Innovators have developed thriving life sciences, biotechnology and pharmaceutical firms. They build on the expertise of Kalamazoo’s universities. Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo College, Kalamazoo Valley Community College and Davenport College all are centers of research, development and technology. They surround a downtown vibrating with condos, apartments and homegrown, top-notch restaurants. The universities are woven into the city’s social fabric and contribute to a cultural scene that Kalamazooans love to boast about. The Kalamazoo Symphony, Kalamazoo Institute of Art and a vibrant local theater community are a few of the offerings. Locals also love their festivals that fill the air with music and the scents of ethnic foods wafting over the Arcadia Festival grounds and the Kalamazoo River. Outdoor activities from biking on the Kal-Haven trail to disc golf and standard golf on a nationally-acclaimed course in Milham Park are the start of the city’s leisure side. Sports fans have competitive college teams, minor league baseball and hockey to follow. And it all comes with a Promise. All high school graduates who live in Kalamazoo qualify for a scholarship that pays 100 percent of their tuition at any public university or community college.
What was intended to be a short-term solution to a serious problem created long-term problems for residents on Northside streets with certain parking signs when the signs stayed up for two decades.
Helen L. Fox encouraged those she met. Now the music center named for her encourages youngsters to appreciate music and the benefits it brings.
A $10.1 million investment is expected to generate 80 jobs over three years at Schupan & Sons.
Owner and chef Christen McKinney comes from a long line of cooks, including her mother. She's incorporated her mother's recipes in a blend of Southern, Lousiana, and Midwestern soul food.
When a pastor and a police officer get out of a cruiser together at a scene to which the police have been called will the interaction go better for all involved? Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety is testing that expectation.
S.T.R.E.E.T. afterschool program empowers young people by giving them leadership opportunities and many other experiences to help them grow.
To stay sober and out of prison, it takes a job and a place to live. Six tiny houses on the Northside will provide both.
When it comes to businesses that sell liquor, beer and wine how many is too many? The Edison Neighborhood Association thinks they've reached peak alcohol. Is anyone at the state level listening?
If a test garden planned by Rise Kalamazoo works next year it could be producing locally-grown produce for Northside residents.
National topics and what's happening at my schools are just as likely to come up when youth get a chance to talk face-to-face with Michigan legislators.
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