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.
Downtown Kalamazoo's six-year, $50 million-plus two-way street conversion begins July 15, with phased construction leading to a slower, more connected downtown by 2030.
Kalamazoo County voters will decide in August whether to approve a first-of-its-kind child care millage that would create long-term funding to lower costs for families, support early childhood educators, and expand access to quality child care.
A proposal to convert a former Kalamazoo cannabis grow facility into an AI data center has sparked community debate over its potential impacts.
As the transit millage nears, Metro Share highlights the need for senior transportation, providing free rides that help older adults access essential services and social activities throughout Kalamazoo County.
On Friday nights at Martini's, The Birdseed Salesmen's jazz drifts across the wildflower-edged patio where conversations about sled dogs, art weirdos, punk rock, and everyday life reveal the quirky sense of place that makes Vine unlike anywhere else in town.
The greatest challenge of the 21st Century may be remembering our place in the natural world. In this commentary, Planet Z Project Editor Harper Horvath explores how our growing disconnection from nature threatens both environmental sustainability and human well-being.
From assistance with finding housing and food to accessing treatment and employment services, Milestone Senior Services helps older adults overcome barriers created by mental illness.
As rumors swirled about the future of Kalamazoo Gospel Ministries amid downtown redevelopment, CEO Pastor John Simpson reaffirms the organization's commitment to remaining downtown while championing a faith-based model of dignified sheltering and long-term transformation for people experiencing homelessness.
The inaugural cohort of Kalamazoo Forward Ventures’ Tsunami Lab brings together 13 aspiring business owners from more than 100 applicants to learn how to acquire and lead existing small businesses, addressing the growing need for succession planning as Baby Boomer owners retire.
For Cancer Survivor's Month, we share the story of a Battle Creek oncologist who reflects on the patients he has treated and explains why colorectal cancer screening — now recommended beginning at age 45 — can detect cancer early and, in many cases, prevent it altogether.
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