Kalamazoo is the largest city in the southwest region of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is the county seat of Kalamazoo County, Michigan. As of the United States 2000 Census, the city had a total population of 77,145. It is the major city of the Kalamazoo-Portage, MI MSA metropolitan area, which had an estimated population of 323,264 as of 2007.

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,...

Kalamazoo is the largest city in the southwest region of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is the county seat of Kalamazoo County, Michigan. As of the United States 2000 Census, the city had a total population of 77,145. It is the major city of the Kalamazoo-Portage, MI MSA metropolitan area, which had an estimated population of 323,264 as of 2007.

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 (often referred to as'K College'), a liberal arts school located adjacent to WMU's campus.

Name origin


The city is named for the Kalamazoo River, but there is debate as to where the name Kalamazoo actually comes from. It is generally thought the name originates in the language of either the Potawatomi or Ottawa (tribe) peoples who were native to the area at the time of European settlement.

The common phrase'from Timbuktu to Kalamazoo'resulted from the strange name, and has served to enter it into pop culture. Today, t-shirts are sold in Kalamazoo with the phrase'Yes, there really is a Kalamazoo'.