KALAMAZOO, WO-a-mg-zoo, Mich., city, railway centre and county-seat of Kalamazoo County; on the Kalamazoo River and on the Michigan Central, the Lake Shore and Michigan Southern, the Kalamazoo and South Haven, the Grand Rapids and Indiana and the Chicago, Kalamazoo and Saginaw railways; 143 miles west of Detroit, 60 miles southwest of Lansing and 45 miles south of Grand Rapids. It is in a rich agricultural region, the chief products of which are celery, fruit and grains: Unlike the average city in western Michigan, Kalama zoo never was a lumber town. Located in the midst of a broad area of prairie land and oak openings, it was from the beginning an agri cultural centre with fresh water, inland lakes in all directions, and with the Kalamazoo River flowing along its eastern portion. Few cities of the United States of a corresponding popu lation show such a diversity of industrial cor porations. There are over 276 factories em ploying about 10,000 persons, and representing an investment of $28,745,000. The chief manu factures of the city are paper, medicines, wom en's clothing, wagons and carriages, machinery, caskets, coffins, foundry products, windmills, furniture, stoves, corsets, shoes, automobiles and motor-trucks and regalia. The 13 paper mills employ more than 5,000 workers; the regalia and clothing factories, 1,000. The celery raising industry, by which Kalamazoo is per haps best known, employs more than 700 skilled workmen, chiefly from Holland, and represents an annual output valued at nearly $3,000,000.
The four national and savings bank reported in 1916, $1,000,000 capital; $539,367 surplus; $9,804,867.62 loans. discounts and stocks; and ;10,455,063.15 deposits. The total bank clear ings were $38,650,359. The freight shipped and received in 1915 aggregated 876,432 tons. The total postal receipts were $461,044.26. Some of the prominent public institutions are the Kala mazoo College, opened in 1855 under the aus pices of the Baptist Church; Nazareth Acad emy, Roman Catholic; Western State Normal School, Borgess and Bronson Hospitals, Tuber culosis Hospital, Saint Anthony's School for Feeble-Minded Children, Michigan Asylum for the Insane, Academy of Music, Fuller Theatre and the public library. Other prominent build ings are the Y. M. C. A., the City Hall, several fine churches and the high school, also the County Court House and the Masonic Temple. The government is vested in a mayor, public commissioners and a council of nine members, elected annually. The school board is chosen by popular election. Kalamazoo was settled in June 1829 by Titus Bronson of Connecticut. It was incorporated as a village in April 1843, and for many years enjoyed the distinction of being the largest village in the United States. It was made a city in April 1884. The water works and electric-plant are the property of 'the municipality. Pop. 48,200.