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Coordinates: 42°17′24″N 85°35′09″W. Kalamazoo ( / ˌkæləməˈzuː / KAL-ə-mə-ZOO) is a city in the southwest region of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is the county seat of Kalamazoo County. At the 2020 census, Kalamazoo had a population of 73,598.
- Homer Stryker Field
Homer Stryker Field became the home of the Kalamazoo Kings...
- Kalamazoo Mall
The Kalamazoo Mall, the first outdoor pedestrian shopping...
- Stryker Corporation
Stryker Corporation is an American multinational medical...
- Kalamazoo-Portage
The Kalamazoo–Portage Metropolitan Area is a United States...
- Western Michigan University
Western Michigan University (Western Michigan, Western or...
- Homer Stryker Field
The Michigan Central line first spanned the territory between Detroit and Kalamazoo in 1846 and its link to Chicago was completed in 1852. By 1905 at least six railroads connected Kalamazoo with the rest of the continent. By that time, however, the importance of the railways began to fade.
Kalamazoo is a city in the southwest region of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is the county seat of Kalamazoo County. At the 2020 census, Kalamazoo had a population of 73,598. Kalamazoo is the major city of the Kalamazoo-Portage Metropolitan Statistical Area, which had a population of 261,670 in 2020.
- Kalamazoo Wasn’T The City’S Original name.
- Kalamazoo Played An Active Role in The Anti-Slavery Movement.
- Abraham Lincoln Visited Kalamazoo Michigan in 1856.
- Kalamazoo Was Home of The Checker Taxi Company.
- Gibson Guitars Were Once Crafted in Kalamazoo Michigan
- Kalamazoo Is Known For Its Craft Beer.
- Kalamazoo Michigan Was Home to The First Outdoor Pedestrian Mall.
- Kalamazoo’s Name Has Seen Its Share of Cultural References.
- Kalamazoo Has A History of Medical Innovation.
- Pills Are Easier to Swallow Because of Kalamazoo Michigan.
Want to know one of the most interesting tidbits of Kalamazoo history? That wasn’t the city’s original name! It was originally called Bronson. One of the first white settlers of the area, Titus Bronson, named the town in 1831 after himself. He literally was the person who first put this city on the map. Or more so his bad behavior, which got him ch...
The abolitionist movement is an important part of Kalamazoo’s history. In nearby Schoolcraft, the home of Nathan Thomaswas a stop on the Underground Railroad. Nathan Thomas was Kalamazoo’s first physician and a founder of the Michigan Republican Party. Between 1840 and 1860, Thomas and his wife helped 1,000-1,500 slaves escape the cruel bonds of sl...
Abraham Lincoln only graced the soil of Michigan once in his life. He did so on August 27, 1856, right in Bronson Park. While he was campaigning (not for himself), the thrust of his speechwas about restricting the expansion of slavery into the new territories. Applause erupted at the end of his oration. Later, as Lincoln himself became president, h...
Manufacturing has long been part of Kalamazoo history. Did you know that Checker Motors Corporationcalled Kalamazoo home until their last car rolled off the line in 1982? Checker cabs were visible more than just on the street. The fleet of cars used in the sitcom “Taxi” was from the Checker Motors Corporation. Kalamazoo Valley Museum displays one o...
Gibson guitars are an icon in the music industry. The Les Paul, the Flying V and B.B. King’s “Lucille” were all crafted in Kalamazoo, Michigan. While Gibson moved to Tennessee in 1984, some of theworkers stayed behind and opened Heritage Guitarsin the old factory at 225 Parsons Street. In 2021, an announcement was madethat REVERB by Hard Rock would...
Michigan is home to some of the greatest craft brewers in the country. Pioneer Larry Bell may be the one to thank for that. When Bell started selling craft beers in the 1980s under the name Kalamazoo Brewing Company, he was the first to do so east of Colorado. Bell served his first brew out of a 15-gallon soup pot. The brewing company moniker later...
The national designation as “Mall City” is an important part of Kalamazoo history. Kalamazoo was home to the first outdoor pedestrian mall. Motor vehicles were prohibited from certain sections of Burdick Street to encourage an urban atmosphere. The opening of the mall in 1959 drew over 50,000 spectators.
While the exact meaning of the word Kalamazoo is unknown, it does have a verbal appeal. Dr. Seuss and Carl Sandburg both utilized the name in their literature. Credence Clearwater Revival mentions Kalamazoo guitars in the song, “Down on the Corner.” Perhaps most notable is the song “I’ve Got a Gal in Kalamazoo” by Glenn Miller. It was the best-sell...
While Homer Stryker gained his medical degree from the University of Michigan, he returned to his hometown of Kalamazoo to practice medicine. During that time, he invented the oscillating electric saw. It had the ability to make a shortcut to remove casts, without damaging the skin. The patent still exists on the “Stryker Saw” and is the standard i...
Another medical pioneer in Kalamazoo history is William Erastus Upjohn, who invented pills that were easily digested. This huge success led to the development of a pharmaceutical industry bearing his name. Upjohn’s further medicinal advancements included the development of Prednisone and Motrin. Later Upjohn was purchased by New York-based Pfizer, ...
With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of 96,716 sq mi (250,490 km 2 ), Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and the largest by area east of the Mississippi River. [b] Its capital is Lansing, and its largest city is Detroit.
- 96,716 sq mi (250,493 km²)
What is the story behind the name? Welcome to one of the most popular yet least understood subjects in this southwest Michigan city. Even with its obvious Indian roots, the exact origins of the word “Kalamazoo” remain shrouded in mystery. The truth will probably never be found.
Kalamazoo/Battle Creek International Airport (IATA: AZO, ICAO: KAZO, FAA LID: AZO) is a county-owned public airport in Kalamazoo, Kalamazoo County, Michigan, US, 3 miles (4.8 km) southeast of Downtown Kalamazoo. The airport is located approximately 20 miles (32 km) west of the city of Battle Creek.
