Kalamazoo is a city in the southwest area of the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 77,145. It is the county seat of Kalamazoo County6. Kalamazoo is home to Western Michigan University, a nationally recognized research institution that has benefited from the local presence of Pfizer 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 prestigious liberal arts school located adjacent to Western's campus. The city is named after the Kalamazoo River, but no one is certain as to where the name Kalamazoo actually comes from. A lack of evidence means that the truth will likely never be found, but there are a number of theories and folk etymologies accounting for the name.