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.
Thanks to Kalamazoo Forward Ventures, a wave of help is coming to address a potential 'Silver Tsunami' of mostly Baby Boomer-owned small business closures in Kalamazoo — the program aims to help preserve jobs, wealth, and legacy.
A new state-funded Michigan program is helping adults stay in their homes by offering free, personalized counseling on long-term care, and community-based support services.
Public transit services like Metro Connect help Kalamazoo residents with disabilities and mobility limitations maintain independence, access essential services, and stay connected to their community.
Edison residents kicked off Imagine Kalamazoo 2035 by turning potholes, sidewalks, and other everyday neighborhood concerns into hands-on input about the city’s long-term future.
HOPE Thru Navigation was awarded a $100,000 by the Kalamazoo County Board of Commissioners to operate an overnight emergency shelter for families for the next three months.
The Black Entrepreneurship Training Academy will launch its sixth annual spring session in Kalamazoo, offering cohort-based business training, mentorship, and grant funding to support the growth of BIPOC entrepreneurs.
As extreme cold hit Kalamazoo, St. Luke's Episcopal Church and local advocates opened an emergency warming shelter, underscoring both community compassion and gaps in services for the unhoused.
With intimate shows that blend punk, experimental music, performance art, and fundraising, Glow Hall’s founder is betting that Kalamazoo’s crowded creative scene still has room for events that are deliberately small, collaborative, and a little extra.
Kalamazoo organizations host month-long community celebration for National Day of Racial Healing.
Once nearly a thousand strong, the Nazareth Sisters of St. Joseph helped shape Kalamazoo’s identity. Today, even as their congregation shrinks, their commitment to serving the “dear neighbor” is only growing deeper.
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