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.
A long-anticipated $5.2 million renovation of Kalamazoo Central High School's baseball and athletic fields is taking place this summer, which means next year's teams will get to debut the fields. All thanks to a generous donation from KC famous alumnus and Hall of Famer Derek Jeter and his Turn2 Foundation. Play ball!
Kalamazoo knows how to have fun. Even before summer's official start on Wednesday, the city has been celebrating the sunny season: Kalamazoo Art Fair, Do-Dah Parade, Food Truck Fridays, Pride, Juneteenth, Queer the Block, and music everywhere! Our roving photographer extraordinaire Fran Dwight captured a few images of Kalamazoo charging with exuberance out of Covid hibernation. Enjoy!
Kalamazoo County continues to move ahead with spending for affordable housing and programs to assist both would-be-homeowners and those struggling to stay in their homes. For 2023, the County Board has approved the allocation of $6.2 million in funds from the countywide millage known as 'Housing for All.'
The search for housing can be its own form of trauma. For Tamika Williams a $1,215 unpaid rent payment has been standing between her and a place to stay for her and her two children as she has visited agency after agency since September of 2022. But there appears to be help on the horizon.
It's Pride Month, and in downtown Kalamazoo, flags are flying and crosswalks are rainbowed. Southwest Michigan Second Wave Writer Casey Grooten speaks to two LGBTQ+ allied business owners — one new and one that's been around for a decade — about their Kalamazoo Pride and concerns they share about a changing climate for LGBTQ+ folks.
With Kalamazoo's annual Pickleball Tournament just around the corner, Southwest Michigan Second Wave's Andy Robins takes a look at the current state of the country's fastest-growing recreational and competitive sport here in Kalamazoo County.
Five lives have been lost to gun violence in Kalamazoo just this year. On Monday, Moms Demand Action and supporters packed Bronson Park wearing orange to honor those who have been impacted. For June, which is Gun Violence Prevention Month, Urban Alliance is planning three Life Camps to help youth avoid gun violence, learn compassion, and understand "Hands are Meant to Heal, Not Kill."
While faith-based groups may disagree about the science of climate change, they typically agree on the importance of caring for creation. Using the approach of shared morality, Hope for Creation, an interfaith group, aims to "galvanize the faith community" to promote earth-friendly actions within a climate action framework, says organizer Joan Hawxhurst.
The third Kalamazoo Lyceum convened at the Kalamazoo Nature Center in May to focus on nature and what it means to the community. Protecting wild, urban spaces; cleaning up the Kalamazoo River; and halting pollution of our neighborhoods were just a few of the topics that arose. The general consensus: Hope plus action can equal impactful change.
Expanded trails and added bike lanes have been part of the push for cyclist safety in the Kalamazoo community. Still, getting from Point A to Point B can pose challenges, especially for those who are traveling with children. Avid cyclist and SW Second Wave Writer Mark Wedel speaks to local road-savvy bicyclists and shares some resources for choosing the safest routes.
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