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 I've noticed in Kalamazoo is, the city has been taking action to make some changes that in the short term some people might find uncomfortable, but in the long term are going to set the city on course for more vitality, more health, more equity, and I would say more happiness for the people who choose to live here."
Kalamazoo Rx Kids will provide participants a one-time, lump-sum, prenatal allowance of $1,500 and an additional $500 per month for the first 12 months of a newborn's life. Sponsored by the Kalamazoo Community Foundation and partners, the program will begin in February.
Shonda Buchanan, poet, memoirist, and Western Michigan University Professor of English, returned home to Kalamazoo where her family has deep roots. Her upcoming book, "The Lost Songs of Nina Simone" will be released in May 2025.
Wetlands located near freshwater dunes are 'globally imperiled,' according to Dr. Tiffany Schriever, a freshwater ecologist and WMU Associate Professor. Michigan's interdunal wetlands are home to rich and rare ecological diversity and need protection.
"These drivers bring a unique understanding of recovery through their own lived experiences, which helps clients feel safe, understood, and free from judgment as they take transformative steps toward recovery."
“We would very much like to have public art everywhere in our city, It conveys a message that people are invested here."
"Set the Wayback Machine to 1977." Flipside, Mr. President's, Sarkozy's, Missias — places that might jog a few memories. A December gathering that included former business owners explored the history of this iconic corner.
The new 64-unit senior housing development, 530 Rose Place, is a five-story structure that includes off-street parking on the ground level and lounges on each of its living floors. It will feature a central courtyard that will have greenspace and a fountain.
A look back at the stories of 2024 through the eyes of your Southwest Michigan Second Wave writers.
Through participatory defense support and community collaboration, Bent Not Broken aims to disrupt the systemic juvenile injustice cycles in Kalamazoo.
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