Kalamazoo College Named One of the Most Beautiful in the U.S.

If you live in Kalamazoo, and drive across town regularly, it's entirely possible you drive right by one of the most beautiful college campuses in the state of Michigan, and don't even realize it.

Western Michigan University is obviously the big dog in town, and even spans across Stadium Drive from the main campus. But tucked in beside, and behind the brown and gold, is a community of red-bricked buildings sporting the black and orange banners of Kalamazoo College, and it was just named one of the Most Beautiful College Campuses in the United States.

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Travel and Leisure recently put together their list of the Most Beautiful College in every state, and for the state of Michigan, they skipped right over U of M, and Michigan State, took a trip to the west side, and landed in Kalamazoo.

Factors they considered not only included the physical aesthetic of the university, but also knowledge from campus visits, in-depth virtual tours, first-person references and word of mouth, extensive general research, and of course, hours of examining campuses from images shot from nearly "every imaginable angle."

Once it was all compiled, sure enough, Kalamazoo College rose above the rest in Michigan.

According to their summation of the college:

"Leafy, suburban Kalamazoo College is probably best described as pleasant. Understated by attractive red-brick buildings make up the majority of campus structures: Hodge House, the president's residents, is a good example."

It's a pretty brief rundown, and honestly BARELY scratches the surface of what this campus actually has to offer.

One of the most underrated aspects of Kalamazoo College is its location. It's tucked into a wedge just off of downtown Kalamazoo, between West Main and Stadium Drive, which are two of the busiest roads through town. But somehow, this campus maintains its beautiful, serene aesthetic. And don't get me STARTED when the trees turn green in the spring, or turn beautiful shades of red, orange, and yellow in the fall.

Kalamazoo College also happens to be one of the oldest colleges in the state, established in 1833, second only to the University of Michigan, which was founded in 1817.

So apparently the key to being the most beautiful campus in a state is Old School appeal, with small town charm - both of which, Kalamazoo College has in abundance.