Neighborhoods

Kalamazoo Neighborhoods

The city of Kalamazoo has more than 20 neighborhoods, each as unique as the people who live there. Learn more about them by connecting with the neighborhood associations below (descriptions are also included for neighborhoods without formal associations). Many neighborhoods also have groups on social media sites like Facebook and Nextdoor, which are great ways to connect with neighbors and stay informed about neighborhood issues.  

We are currently working with residents to create individual plans for their neighborhood's future. You can view completed neighborhood plans and find more information on planning at  Imagine Kalamazoo .

You can view a map of neighborhoods using the GIS maps. Expand the "General Information" layer and make sure Neighborhoods is checked.

 

 

View Neighborhoods on GIS   View Neighborhood Plans

Burke Acres

Burke Acres is in the northeastern-most corner of the city. It's mostly single-family homes and is a great neighborhood for first time home buyers. Shopping and dining are close by along Gull Road, and the city's largest park is in the neighborhood too. Spring Valley Park makes  recreation convenient, offering paved trails, playgrounds, disc golf, and fishing or kayaking on Spring Valley Lake. Averill Lake is nearby too. Burke Acres does not have an active association currently.

Colony Farm

Colony Farm is in the southwestern-most corner of the city divided by US-131. A small residential neighborhood lies to the west and Western Michigan University’s Business, Technology, & Research (BTR) Park located to the east. Colony Farm does not have an active association at this time.

Douglas

The Douglas neighborhood is located just east of downtown Kalamazoo. The neighborhood’s population is as diverse as its architecture, with both modern and historic homes and representation from varying cultural backgrounds. The neighborhood’s earliest homes date back to the 1850’s.

Hill-n-Brook

The Hill-n-Brook neighborhood is located amidst the gently rolling hills and small, picturesque waterways of southwest Kalamazoo. The area’s homes are mostly single-family residences. Shopping and local amenities are available along Oakland Drive, which serves as the neighborhood’s eastern boundary. Lake Hill N’ Brook, the city limits, and the Parkview Hills and Oakwood neighborhoods for its other boundaries. Hill-n-Brook does not have an active association currently.

Knollwood

The Knollwood neighborhood is in west Kalamazoo, next to Western Michigan University. Knollwood is home to a high concentration of college students living in multifamily homes, apartment buildings, and sorority & fraternity houses. Students enjoy easy access to Knollwood Park, WMU, and a variety of shopping, dining, and entertainment venues along West Michigan Avenue. Knollwood does not have an active association currently.

South Westnedge

South Westnedge has a variety of housing and convenient access to shopping and dining on Westnedge Avenue. Its boundaries include Whites Road to the north, Oakland Drive to the west, Kilgore Road to the south, and the railroad tracks running parallel to the east of South Burdick Street. South Westnedge does not have an active association currently. 

Southside

Southside is a mostly residential neighborhood just south of downtown. Its southern boundary is Crane Park, which offers hilltop views of the downtown as well as flower gardens and tennis courts. Crosstown Parkway serves as the north boundary, including the Crosstown Justice Center at Crosstown and South Burdick Street. Burdick is the Southside’s eastern boundary and offers several shops and restaurants. The neighborhood’s western boundary is South Westnedge Avenue, which connects residents to shopping and daily needs. Historically, the Southside area was one of Kalamazoo’s flower-growing districts. Today, a single pansy farm still exists. This is the only remaining business of its kind within the City of Kalamazoo. The Southside Neighborhood does not have an organized association currently. 

WMU/KRPH

Western Michigan University’s main campus covers more than 550 acres and includes more than 100 buildings and thousands of students. The main campus also includes the Kalamazoo Regional Psychiatric Hospital facility, which is on Oakland Drive near East Campus. There is no association affiliated with this area of the city.

West Main Hill

The West Main Hill neighborhood is a local historic district. It’s a unique part of the city with its naturalistic curvilinear land planning and layout, exceptional period revival houses, and association with Kalamazoo’s industrial, commercial, and social leaders.

Its early twentieth century suburban landscape and architecture is anchored by earlier grid planned streets with late nineteenth century homes. The product of a local businessman’s vision, the Henderson Park plat is the largest curvilinear plat in Kalamazoo and represents a very progressive approach to land development for its time. The houses lining its streets were homes of professional, civic, commercial, and industrial leaders, including business owners, professors, merchants, and other members of the important upper and middle class of Kalamazoo’s early twentieth century society. The houses and streetscapes create a park-like suburb, exclusive and expressive of the traditional values, romantic ideals, and concepts of status of the early twentieth century. Several buildings are architecturally notable as examples of their styles and type and the district is architecturally cohesive with a predominance of Colonial and Tudor Revival houses.