Kalamazoo’s Three Nicknames and Their Origins

In the 1900s Kalamazoo was world-famous for 3 things that led to these nicknames.  Do you know all 3?

Shockingly, there are still people who think Kalamazoo is a mythical city like Atlantis.  This city, incorporated in 1884, has a rich history and was known around the planet back in the day.  You can find some interesting historical facts about Kalamazoo, Michigan at KalamazooMI.com.  That's where I found more info on three nicknames that I have heard through my years of living in and around Kalamazoo.

3 Kalamazoo Nicknames and Their Origins

#1 The Celery City.  Kalamazoo was once surrounded by muck fields where celery was the town's number 1 crop.  Kalamazoo County was considered the Celery Capital of the World in the early 1900's.

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#2. The Paper City.  Kalamazoo had many paper and cardboard manufacturers in the early 1900's.  Parchment, also in Kalamazoo County was named after a parchment paper mill.

#3. The Mall City.  The Kalamazoo Mall opened in 1959 making it the first outdoor pedestrian mall in the United States of America.

If you do a Google search on Kalamazoo nicknames you'll find websites that say things like, "The locals call it 'the zoo."  Um no, nobody that lives here has ever done that.  Maybe Kzoo out of sheer laziness, but not 'the zoo.'

Do you know of a Kalamazoo nickname we missed?  If so, let us know in the comments.

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