Living in the ‘Zoo

Kalamazoo History

Kalamazoo is the largest city in the southwest region of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is the county seat of Kalamazoo County. Kalamazoo is home to Western Michigan University, a nationally recognized research institution that has benefited from the local presence of Pfizer, Eaton Corporation and Stryker Corporation. This has enabled the school to offer strong programs in both its College of Engineering and Applied Sciences, and Haworth College of Business. The city is also home to Kalamazoo College a liberal arts school located adjacent to WMU’s campus.

In the past, Kalamazoo was known for its production of windmills, mandolins, buggies, automobiles, cigars, stoves, paper, and paper products. Agriculturally, it once was noted for celery and bedding plants. Although much has become suburbanized, the countryside still continues to produce significant quantities of farm crops. One notable business founded in Kalamazoo was the Gibson Guitar Corporation (which spawned the still-local Heritage Guitars). Other notable businesses founded in the city include the Shakespeare Company, a fishing and tackle manufacturer; and the Checker Motors Company, an automobile manufacturer, best known for the Checker Cab, now stamps sheet metal parts for other auto manufacturers. The eponymous Kalamazoo Stove Company used to have such slogans as “A Kalamazoo direct to you.”

Living in Kalamazoo

• The restaurants, nightclubs, microbreweries, and specialty shops downtown create the kind of energy that only a vibrant city center can offer.
• Kalamazoo’s Radisson Plaza Hotel and Webster’s Restaurant is the only hotel-restaurant combination in Michigan to receive “four diamonds” — AAA’s highest rating.
• The Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra is the state’s third largest orchestra, and performs free summer concerts in Bronson Park.
• Five, live-stage theatres draw more than 150,000 people downtown each year.
• The Epic Center, a performing arts collaborative center in the heart of downtown, houses a dozen or more independent dance and theater companies.
• Downtown is home to a major art center, newly renovated and expanded, as well as many smaller galleries.
• Kalamazoo hosts a major International Keyboard Festival every other year, with performances at many downtown sites.
• The $20 million Kalamazoo Valley Museum attracts visitors from throughout the Midwest.
• The Kalamazoo Library’s stunning downtown facility registered 10,000 new users last year and features Internet-connected computers.
• Semi-professional baseball, soccer and football games are played in a newly renovated sports/river park on the edge of downtown.
• The city is also home to a semi-professional hockey team.