Kalamazoo is a city in the southwest area of the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 77,145. It is the county seat of Kalamazoo County6.
Kalamazoo is home to Western Michigan University a nationally recognized research institution that has benefited from the local presence of Pfizer 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 (often referred to as "K-College"), a prestigious liberal arts school located adjacent to Western's campus. As such, Kalamazoo is often referred to as a "college town with a strong white-collar presence"; this is in contrast to eastern parts of the state that are predominantly blue collar.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 65.2 km2 (25.2 mi2). 63.9 km2 (24.7 mi2) of it is land and 1.3 km2 (0.5 mi2) of it is water. The total area is 1.99% water, including several lakes. To the south is its largest suburb, Portage, Michigan, which includes the largest collection of major stores in the area.
The city has Kalamazoo-Battle Creek International Airport, which also serves Battle Creek, Michigan, used by several airlines. There is a downtown Amtrak passenger station, which also serves as a bus (coach) station. The Kal-Haven Trail, heavily used by bicyclists and snowmobilers, starts a few miles west of the city limits, though there are plans to extend the trail to the downtown.
Kalamazoo is served by highways Interstate 94, U.S. Highway 131, Michigan State Highway 43 and Michigan State Highway 96. It was on the original Territorial Road in Michigan of the 1800s, which started in Detroit and ran to Lake Michigan. Much of that, but not all, later became Old U.S. 12--the "old" designation came about when I-94 was built parallel to it--and also was called Red Arrow Highway after a World War I army division. The name "U.S. 12" was shifted south to what once was U.S. 112 between Detroit and Chicago. Some parts of Old U.S. 12 outside of town, especially in Van Buren County and Berrien County to the west, are still called Red Arrow Highway. The term "Old U.S. 12" has faded from use.
As of the census2 of 2000, there are 77,145 people, 29,413 households, and 14,353 families residing in the city. The population density is 1,206.9/km2 (3,125.4/mi2). There are 31,798 housing units at an average density of 497.5/km2 (1,288.2/mi2). The racial makeup of the city is 70.77% White, 20.64% Black or African American, 0.58% Native American, 2.39% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 2.38% from other races, and 3.18% from two or more races. 4.28% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 29,413 households out of which 24.9% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 30.6% are married couples living together, 14.7% have a female householder with no husband present, and 51.2% are non-families. 34.8% of all households are made up of individuals and 9.6% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.30 and the average family size is 2.99.
In the city the population is spread out with 20.3% under the age of 18, 27.6% from 18 to 24, 26.8% from 25 to 44, 15.2% from 45 to 64, and 10.1% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 26 years. For every 100 females there are 93.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 89.9 males.
The median income for a household in the city is $31,189, and the median income for a family is $42,438. Males have a median income of $32,160 versus $25,532 for females. The per capita income for the city is $16,897. 24.3% of the population and 13.6% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 26.0% of those under the age of 18 and 11.3% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.
At the time white explorers first began arriving, the area was home to the Potawatomi Indians. The 1821 Treaty of Chicago ceded all the territory south of the Grand River to the United States federal government. However, the area around present-day Kalamazoo was reserved as the village of Chief Match-E-Be-Nash-She-Wish. On the September 19, 1827, Treaty with the Potawatomi, the tract that became the city was also ceded. The village had been a fur trading center.
White settlers began to arrive in 1829, led by Titus Bronson, originally from Connecticut. He platted the town in 1831 and named it the village of Bronson (not to be confused with the much-smaller Bronson, about fifty miles (80 km) to the south-southeast). Bronson was frequently described as "eccentric" and argumentative and was later run out of town. The village of Bronson was renamed Kalamazoo in 1836 (due to Titus Bronson's conviction and imprisonment for stealing a tree). Today, a hospital and a park, among other things, are named after Titus Bronson.
Kalamazoo legally incorporated as a village in 1838 and as a city in 1883.
In 1959, Kalamazoo designed the first pedestrian mall in the U.S.
Source:
KalamazooMichigan.com
HOTELS • REAL ESTATE • JOBS