Indigenous
Kalamazoo
Michigan (MI)est. 1829pop. 73,598/kal-uh-muh-ZOO/
The meaning
“Boiling water / where the water boils”
How it got the name
The Potawatomi term is usually rendered 'boiling water,' describing either the river's rapids or the mirage-like shimmer over it. A local legend says it refers to a footrace a chief demanded of a suitor — run to the river and back before the pot boils. The linguistic reading is less romantic and better supported.
Disputed / alternate theory
The footrace legend is repeated in local histories but has no documentary basis.
Former names
- Bronson
- Kalamazoo