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.
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.
Wynton Marsalis is bringing world-class jazz to Kalamazoo, while spotlighting a decades-long relationship with local pastor, scholar, and trumpeter Rev. Millard Southern III that bridges music, faith, education, and American culture.
From cold brew to dog water, Kalamazoo's Good Trade Depot, a small batch canning company, is redefining contract manufacturing.
Through bikes, poetry, wetlands, old theaters, and everyday helpers, Second Wave writers and photographers revisit the stories that defined their year.
Metro Transit is adding extra weekday bus service on three high-ridership routes from Dec. 15 through 28 to improve reliability during icy conditions and meet increased holiday shopping demand in Kalamazoo.
Reach Sober Living, Inc. is expanding its sober home options, building more bridges for those crossing from addiction to recovery and a new sober life.
The Holiday Lights Ride brought bikes, music, and seasonal joy to downtown Kalamazoo, even as icy streets underscored the challenges of winter riding.
A grassroots Facebook group founded by Vicksburg resident and Army veteran Rebecca Walters is combating food insecurity in Kalamazoo County by organizing anonymous, community-driven meal trains for families in crisis.
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