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.
Approved in 2020, the Kalamazoo County Homes for All Millage was a historic gesture by voters to increase housing affordability in the area. What's been the progress so far? County Housing Director Mary Balkema recently gave a rundown of past, present, and future projects.
With the holiday weekend approaching, there's a lot to be said for staying close to home. In the first of this summer series focused on touring Calhoun County, we share fun family things to do in Battle Creek. Next up: new and old ways to learn about Cereal City's rich history.
Long-awaited Eastside Square, a mixed-use housing and commercial development on East Main conceived of by residents in partnership with the Kalamazoo County Land Bank, is complete and ready for occupancy.
There's the story. And then there's the story behind the story. Zinta Aistars uncovers a moving tale of how two community-positive entrepreneurs (who happen to be sisters) took very different paths in life — that ultimately converged in their hometown of Kalamazoo.
"Can you hear us NOW?" Drama Mamas (Papas and rising student stars, too) are raising money to purchase microphones to make sure that Kalamazoo Central High School cast members have their stage voices heard.
“The refugia model calls us to look for the seed of life where we are, concentrate on protecting and nurturing a few good things, letting what is good and beautiful grow and connect and spread."
Writer Casey Grooten attended this year's Kalamazoo Pride as the new Executive Director of the Kalamazoo Poetry Festival. While volunteering at the KPF booth, they learned a few things about themselves — and about what Pride has come to mean to them.
To honor Father's Day, Al Jones (a father of five himself!) speaks to a cross-section of Kalamazoo men about the rigors and joys of being a dad.
'Better When Shared' is a tagline of Kalamazoo's Love Muffins which features scrumptious carrot cake based on a family heirloom recipe. Love Muffins will soon add a storefront and also be sharing a kitchen at the former Boonzaaijer Bakery, which continues to sell baked goods at the Kalamazoo Farmers' Market.
“As it turns out, programming a 120-year-old a cappella choral masterwork alongside soul, rap, folk, and spoken word doesn’t just work, it brings together the community in a way that programming doesn’t always when we focus on one genre."
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