County: Kalamazoo (39)

Kalamazoo County, Michigan was organized in 1830. The village of Kalamazoo, then known as Bronson, became the county seat in 1831. The name "Kalamazoo" may mean "the mirage or reflecting river". The original Indian name was "Kikalamazoo". 

The city of Kalamazoo was founded in 1831 by Titus Bronson. Bronson purchased a burr oak plain near the Kalamazoo River. The site intersected the planned Territorial Road.  Governor Lewis Cass selected the village as the county seat, which led to the community's rapid development. Five years later, a group of influential men in town changed the town's name to "Kalamazoo". They were dismayed by Bronson's eccentricities, including his conviction for stealing a cherry tree. 

Kalamazoo has a history of inventions, including: Stoves, Gibson guitars, Checker cabs. Kalamazoo was also the first city to install curb cuts in the 1940s. In 1959, the city created the Kalamazoo Mall, the first outdoor pedestrian shopping mall in the United States. [GGAI]