Kalamazoo Essential Info
Overview
Kalamazoo is a city in Southwestern Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 77,145, with a metropolitan area of 452,851, which includes neighboring Battle Creek. It is the county seat of Kalamazoo County.
The city has a strong higher education presence, being home to Western Michigan University (with 25,000 students), Kalamazoo College (a private, liberal arts institution), and Kalamazoo Valley Community College.
Because of the the first downtown pedestrian mall in America, Kalamazoo got the nickname the "Mall City" in 1959.
Description is available from Wikitravel under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 license. A list of contributors is available at the original article.
Basics
Best Time To Go
Apr-Sep
Current Time
Current Weather
Cloudy
Fun Facts
- Orville Gibson began to sell his instruments in 1894 out of a one-room workshop in Kalamazoo. He was the founder of Gibson Brands, Inc.
- Well-known professional athletes, Greg Jennings of the Minnesota Vikings and Derek Jeter of the New York Yankees, are both graduates of Kalamazoo Central High School.
- Kalamazoo has been called the Paper City for its many paper and cardboard mills made possible by the rivers
- Abraham Lincoln’s only visit to Michigan was at a rally in Bronson Park in Kalamazoo in 1856.
- The United Kennel Club, the nation’s second oldest and second largest all-breed dog registry, was founded in Kalamazoo in 1898.
Popular Foods
- BBQ Pulled Pork
- Chicken Gumbo Soup