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.
Republic Services truck driver Dale Mentor and Kalamazoo’s Solid Waste Coordinator Chris Broadbent are integral in the recycling system for the community, managing waste collection and advocating for sustainable practices.
"Our core values are to be sober, safe, and self-sufficient. I think there is a balance between self-sufficiency and community. I don’t want the women to think they can do everything by themselves."
“I live an organic lifestyle, but I’m not overzealous. It is all about the quality of life and the quality of death. I enjoy being alive — and I respect life forms; I don’t step on a spider if I can help it. I didn’t study ecology. I lived it. My landscapes in my art represent that.”
Arcadia Creek Festival Site was hopping this past Saturday as the 30th Annual Blues Fest drew crowds to celebrate this year's theme, Blues in the Zoo. Check out Photographer Fran Dwight's photos!
Writer Mark Wedel wondered what there was to do in Kalamazoo After Dark. In this short series introduced last week, Wedel takes us on his first visit to hear the Andrew Fischer Quartet at Dabney & Co. 'Yes, there really is a nightlife in Kalamazoo.'
Modern paganism is a religious movement founded on principles derived from living on this planet we call home. And its practices and tenets have a lot to teach us about Earth and human care during this time of climate crisis.
Meet Felicia Nikia Thomas, founder and coach of the Kalamazoo Blaze, the area's new semi-pro women's basketball team.
The City of Kalamazoo aims to be 'net zero' by 2050. Kalamazoo's Sustainability Planner Justin Gish plans to help the city get there. VOY's Dmitri Agdanowski sits down with Gish to find out more.
"How is it we show Mother Earth that we care so much for her?... We need a transformation toward kinship, that's the living world. I hope you give it a try."
In its 52nd year, the Kalamazoo Chinese Academy serves more than 50 area families, teaching language, performing arts, and traditional dance to both Chinese and non-heritage learners.
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