Kalamazoo County is a county in Michigan, United States, centred on the city of Kalamazoo in the south-central part of the state. It had a population of 261,670 at the 2020 census and covers 580 square miles (1,500 km2) — 562 square miles (1,460 km2) of land and 19 square miles (49 km2) of water — centred near 42°14′N 85°32′W.
Kalamazoo is the county seat, and its postal code is 49001. The county contains 4 cities, 5 villages, 15 townships and a handful of unincorporated crossroads communities. It sits in the Eastern time zone, and its FIPS code is 26077.
Towns & Villages in Kalamazoo County
Kalamazoo County’s 4 incorporated cities and 5 villages hold most of the population; the rest of the county is unincorporated township land dotted with small crossroads and census-designated places (CDPs). The table below carries Type labels: City · seat, City, Village, CDP and Unincorp. for places with no municipal government of their own.
| Place | Type | Township | Pop. | ZIP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kalamazoo | City · seat | Kalamazoo | 73,598 | 49001–49009, 49048 |
| Portage | City | Portage | 48,891 | 49002, 49024, 49081 |
| Parchment | City | Kalamazoo | — | 49004 |
| Galesburg | City | Comstock / Charleston | — | 49053 |
| Augusta | Village | Ross | 864 | 49012 |
| Climax | Village | Climax | — | 49034 |
| Richland | Village | Richland | — | 49083 |
| Schoolcraft | Village | Prairie Ronde | — | 49087 |
| Vicksburg | Village | Schoolcraft | — | 49097 |
| Comstock | Unincorp. | Comstock | — | 49001, 49048 |
| Oshtemo | Unincorp. | Oshtemo | — | 49009 |
| Texas Corners | CDP | Texas | — | 49009 |
| Scotts | CDP | Pavilion | — | 49088 |
| Alamo | Unincorp. | Alamo | — | — |
| Fulton | Unincorp. | Climax | — | — |
| Gull Lake | Unincorp. | Ross / Richland | — | — |
Portage is not a suburb in name only — it was carved out of Portage Township and incorporated as its own city in 1963, and today it is nearly as populous as Kalamazoo itself. Comstock and Oshtemo are unincorporated township centres, not municipalities, so they carry no separate population count from the Census Bureau.
Townships
Kalamazoo County has 15 townships — 7 organised as charter townships (Brady, Comstock, Cooper, Kalamazoo, Oshtemo, Pavilion, Texas) and 8 as general-law civil townships (Alamo, Charleston, Climax, Prairie Ronde, Richland, Ross, Schoolcraft, Wakeshma). The Census Bureau does not publish standalone population totals for Michigan’s minor civil divisions in the same table as its city and village counts, so populations are omitted below rather than estimated.
| Township | Pop. (2020) | Main settlements |
|---|---|---|
| Alamo | — | Alamo Center |
| Brady | — | Vicksburg area farmland |
| Charleston | — | rural crossroads near Galesburg |
| Climax | — | Climax, Fulton |
| Comstock | — | Comstock, Galesburg |
| Cooper | — | Cooper Corners |
| Kalamazoo | — | Parchment, north Kalamazoo suburbs |
| Oshtemo | — | Oshtemo, Texas Corners area |
| Pavilion | — | Scotts |
| Prairie Ronde | — | Schoolcraft |
| Richland | — | Richland, Gull Lake |
| Ross | — | Augusta, Gull Lake |
| Schoolcraft | — | Vicksburg |
| Texas | — | Texas Corners |
| Wakeshma | — | rural farmland near Fulton |
ZIP Codes
- 49001, 49003–49009, 49019, 49048 — Kalamazoo (post office towns for the city and its immediate townships)
- 49002, 49024, 49081 — Portage
- 49004 — Parchment
- 49053 — Galesburg
- 49012 — Augusta
- 49034 — Climax
- 49083 — Richland
- 49087 — Schoolcraft
- 49097 — Vicksburg
- 49088 — Scotts
Smaller unincorporated places such as Alamo, Fulton and Gull Lake have no post office of their own and are served by the ZIP code of their nearest incorporated neighbor.
Geography
Kalamazoo County lies in the rolling glacial-outwash country of southwestern Michigan, its terrain shaped by moraines and kettle lakes left by the last ice age. The Kalamazoo River runs west through the county past the city of Kalamazoo on its way to Lake Michigan, and Gull Lake, on the Ross–Richland township line, is the county’s largest inland lake and a longstanding summer-cottage destination.
The county is bordered by Barry County to the north, Calhoun County to the east, Branch County to the southeast, St. Joseph County to the south, Cass County to the southwest, Van Buren County to the west, and Allegan County to the northwest.
Demographics
Kalamazoo County had 261,670 residents at the 2020 census, making it one of Michigan’s larger counties by population. Kalamazoo (73,598) and Portage (48,891) together hold roughly half of that total, with the remaining population spread across the county’s smaller cities, villages and townships. Kalamazoo County’s median household income runs below the Michigan median of $69,183, reflecting the presence of the county’s two large universities and their student populations. Population density works out to roughly 466 residents per square mile of land.
Economy & Local Life
Higher education and healthcare anchor the county’s economy. Western Michigan University and Kalamazoo College are both based in the city of Kalamazoo, and Bronson Methodist Hospital and Ascension Borgess Hospital are among the county’s largest employers. Pharmaceutical manufacturing has deep roots here — the Upjohn Company, founded in Kalamazoo in 1886, grew into a global drugmaker before merging into Pfizer, which still operates a major facility in the county. Portage is home to Stryker Corporation, a medical-device maker and one of the largest private employers in the region. The Kalamazoo County Growlers, a summer-collegiate baseball team, and the annual Kalamazoo County Fair are among the county’s better-known local institutions.
History
Kalamazoo County was organized on May 7, 1830, carved from the Michigan Territory’s unorganized western lands as settlement pushed out from Detroit. Its name comes from the Kalamazoo River, an Algonquian word most often translated as “the mirage” or “the reflecting river,” referencing the way sunlight plays on the water. The county’s early economy ran on grain milling and the celery industry that gave Kalamazoo the nickname “Celery City” in the late 1800s, before pharmaceuticals and papermaking (Parchment’s namesake paper mills) took over as the dominant industries in the 20th century.
Getting There
Interstate 94 runs east–west through the southern half of the county, connecting Kalamazoo and Portage to Chicago and Detroit, while US-131 runs north–south through the city of Kalamazoo toward Grand Rapids.
- Grand Rapids — 50 miles north
- Chicago, Illinois — 140 miles west
- Detroit — 140 miles east
- Battle Creek — 22 miles east
Kalamazoo/Battle Creek International Airport, in Portage, is the county’s own commercial airport with regional and connecting flights. Amtrak’s Wolverine and Blue Water lines both stop at the Kalamazoo Transportation Center downtown.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Kalamazoo County?
It is in southwestern Michigan, about halfway between Chicago and Detroit along the I-94 corridor.
What is the population of Kalamazoo County?
261,670 residents at the 2020 census.
How big is Kalamazoo County?
580 square miles (1,500 km2), of which 562 square miles is land.
What is the county seat of Kalamazoo County?
Kalamazoo is the county seat.
How many towns and villages are in Kalamazoo County?
4 incorporated cities and 5 villages, plus 15 townships and several unincorporated crossroads communities.
What ZIP codes are in Kalamazoo County?
ZIP codes range from 49001 in Kalamazoo to 49097 in Vicksburg; see the ZIP Codes section above for the full list.
Why is Kalamazoo called the “Celery City”?
Dutch immigrant farmers drained the marshy soil around the city in the late 1800s and found it ideal for growing celery, which became a signature local crop and export before the pharmaceutical industry took over as the county’s main economic driver.
More counties in this state: Towns and villages in Michigan.