Battle Creek

Toponym

One local legend says Battle Creek was named after an encounter between a federal government land survey party led by Colonel John Mullett and two Potawatomi in March 1824. The two Potawatomi had approached the camp asking for food because they were hungry as the U.S. Army was late delivering supplies promised to them under the 1821 Treaty of Chicago. After a protracted discussion, the Native Americans allegedly tried to take food. One of the surveyors shot and seriously wounded one Potawatomi. Following the encounter, the survey party retreated to Detroit. Early white settlers called the nearby stream Battle Creek River and the town took its name from that.

Another folk etymology is attributed to the local river, which was known as Waupakisco by Native Americans. The Waupakisco or Waupokisco was supposedly a reference to a battle or fight fought between indigenous tribes before the arrival of Europeans. However, Virgil J. Vogel, professor emeritus of history and social science at Harry S. Truman College in Chicago, believes the native name has "nothing to do with blood or battle".

History

In about 1774, the Potawatomi and the Ottawa Native American tribes formed a joint village near the future Battle Creek, Michigan. The first permanent European settlements in Battle Creek Township, after the removal of the Potawatomi to a reservation, began about 1831. Westward migration from New York and New England had increased to Michigan following the completion of the Erie Canal in New York in 1824. Most settlers chose to locate on the Goguac prairie, which was fertile and easily cultivated. A post office was opened in Battle Creek in 1832 under Postmaster Pollodore Hudson. The first school was taught in a small log house about 1833 or 1834. Asa Langley and several workers (Adrian Godbey, Jackson Morgan, Ethan baker, etc.) built the first sawmill in 1837. A brick manufacturing plant, called the oldest enterprise in the township, was established in 1840 by Simon Carr and operated until 1903. The township was established by act of the legislature in 1839.

In the antebellum era, the city was a major stop on the Underground Railroad, used by fugitive slaves to escape to freedom in Michigan and Canada. It was the chosen home of noted abolitionist Sojourner Truth after her escape from slavery.

Battle Creek figured prominently in the early history of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. It was the site of a Protestant church founding convention in 1863. The denomination's first hospital, college, and publishing office would also be constructed in the city. When the hospital and publishing office burned down in 1902, the church elected to decentralize, and most of its institutions were relocated. The first Adventist church (rebuilt in the 1920s) is still in operation.

World Heavyweight Champion Jack Johnson was once arrested here for marrying his White wife and transporting her across state lines. He was detained in Battle Creek, where he visited a former acquaintance, went for a sleigh ride and spent the night at the house of patrolman John Patterson, Battle Creek's first African American police officer. Federal authorities from Chicago took him into custody the next day.

The city was noted for its focus on health reform during the late 1800s and early 1900s. The Battle Creek Sanitarium was founded by the Seventh-day Adventist Church and Dr. John Harvey Kellogg. In addition to some of his sometimes bizarre treatments that were featured in the movie The Road to Wellville, Kellogg also funded organizations that promoted eugenics theories at the core of their philosophical agenda, which was seen as a natural complement to euthenics. The Race Betterment Foundation was one of these organizations. He also supported the "separate but equal" philosophy and invited Booker T. Washington to speak at the Battle Creek Sanitarium in order to raise money. Washington was the author of the speech "The Atlanta Compromise", which solidified his position of being an accommodationist while providing a mechanism for southern Whites (and their sympathizers), to fund his school (the Tuskegee Institute).

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 43.73 square miles (113.26 km2), of which 42.61 square miles (110.36 km2) is land and 1.12 square miles (2.90 km2) is water, making Battle Creek the third largest city in Michigan by area, and one of only three incorporated municipalities in the state over 40 sq mi (100 km2) in size.

Approximately 60% of the city's land is developed. Of the undeveloped land, 38% is zoned agricultural, 26% is zoned general industrial, 17.5% is zoned residential, 16% is the Fort Custer Army National Guard Base/Industrial Park, and 2.5% is zone commercial.

After Battle Creek Township merged into the city of Battle Creek in 1983, the city's declining population rose by nearly 18,000 new residents. Prior to the merge, the city measured 18.6 square miles (48.17 km2).

Battle Creek is variously considered to be part of West Michigan or Southern Michigan.

Nearby municipalities

Bedford Charter Township

Emmett Charter Township

Pennfield Charter Township

City of Springfield

Urbandale

Demographics

In 1982, at the insistence of Kellogg's, the city annexed Battle Creek Township, nearly doubling the city's population. Kellogg's even went so far as to threaten to move their headquarters if the annexation failed to occur.

2020 census

Nick Buckley wrote in the Battle Creek Enquirer: "The 2020 Census is critical for Battle Creek. Falling below the 50,000-resident threshold would mean a change from "urbanized area" to "urban cluster" and a loss of federal entitlement funding."

As of the 2020 census, Battle Creek had a population of 52,721. The median age was 37.8 years. 24.6% of residents were under the age of 18 and 16.3% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 94.6 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 91.2 males age 18 and over.

98.0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 2.0% lived in rural areas.

There were 21,466 households in Battle Creek, of which 29.8% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 35.0% were married-couple households, 21.6% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 34.5% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 34.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

There were 23,515 housing units, of which 8.7% were vacant. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.8% and the rental vacancy rate was 9.3%.

2010 census

As of the census of 2010, there were 52,347 people, 21,118 households, and 12,898 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,228.5 inhabitants per square mile (474.3/km2). There were 24,277 housing units at an average density of 569.7 per square mile (220.0/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 71.7% White, 18.2% African American, 0.7% Native American, 2.4% Asian, 2.7% from other races, and 4.3% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 6.7% of the population.

In the 21,118 households 33.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 37.1% were married couples living together, 18.5% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.5% had a male householder with no wife present, and 38.9% were non-families. 32.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.41 and the average family size was 3.04.

The median age in the city was 36.3 years. 26.1% of residents were under the age of 18; 9% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 25.9% were from 25 to 44; 25.5% were from 45 to 64; and 13.4% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 47.9% male and 52.1% female.

As of April 2013, Battle Creek had the fifth largest Japanese national population in the state of Michigan, with 358.

2000 census

As of the census of 2000, there were 53,364 people, 21,348 households, and 13,363 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,246.0 inhabitants per square mile (481.1/km2). There were 23,525 housing units at an average density of 549.3 per square mile (212.1/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 74.7% White, 17.8% Black or African American, 1.9% Asian, 0.8% Native American, <0.1% Pacific Islander, 2.1% from other races, and 2.7% from two or more races. 4.6% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

In the 21,348 households 32.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.9% were married couples living together, 16.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.4% were non-families. 31.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.43 and the average family size was 3.04.

In the city, 27.2% of the population was under the age of 18, 8.7% from 18 to 24, 29.5% from 25 to 44, 21.0% from 45 to 64, and 13.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females, there were 91.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.2 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $35,491, and the median income for a family was $43,564. Males had a median income of $36,838 versus $26,429 for females. The per capita income for the city was $18,424. About 10.7% of families and 14.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 17.5% of those under age 18 and 11.8% of those age 65 or over.

Government

The City of Battle Creek has a commission-manager form of government. Cities that follow this plan of government have an elected commission (or council) that appoints a professionally trained and experienced manager to administer the day-to-day operations of the city and to make recommendations to the city commission. Battle Creek also appoints a City Attorney, who provides legal counsel to the city manager and City Commission.

The City Commission makes all policy decisions, including review, revision, and final approval of the annual budget, which is proposed annually by the City Manager. The City Manager serves as an "at-will" employee and they work under an employment contract with the commission. All other city employees, except for the City Attorney's staff, are under the supervision of the City Manager.

There are five ward commissioners. Residents cast votes for a ward representative, who must live within the area they are representing, as well as for four at-large commissioners. These candidates may live anywhere in the city. All commissioners serve two-year terms and all terms begin and end at the same election.

The position of mayor was voted on by the electorate until 1961, then was switched to the elected commissioners choosing from amongst themselves as to who would serve as the mayor and vice mayor for the next year. In March 2020, a majority of Battle Creek voters approved an amendment to the city charter to allow residents to directly vote for the mayor; the first general election for mayor, since 1961, was held in November 2020. The mayor presides over the commission meetings and appoints commissioners and residents to special committees. He may also form special committees to explore community challenges or potential policies. The vice mayor stands in if the mayor is unavailable.

As of 2017, the city levies an income tax of 1 percent on residents and 0.5 percent on nonresidents.

Economy

Largest employers

As of October 2023, according to a Battle Creek Unlimited report, the twenty largest employers in the city are:

Education

Colleges and universities

Kellogg Community College, a two-year college founded in 1956

Robert B. Miller College, a four-year institution which shared KCC's facilities. The college closed in 2016.

Western Michigan University's Battle Creek Branch — The Kendall Center

Western Michigan University's College of Aviation, located at W. K. Kellogg Airport

Spring Arbor University Battle Creek Branch

Davenport University Battle Creek Campus. This campus of the college closed in 2015.

Central Michigan University, Battle Creek Campus on Air National Guard Base, W. K. Kellogg Airport

Public school districts

The following school districts include portions of the city limits:

Battle Creek Public Schools

Lakeview School District

Climax-Scotts Community School District

Pennfield School District

Harper Creek Community Schools

Battle Creek Central High School

Harper Creek High School

Battle Creek Area Learning Center, better known as Calhoun Community High School

Lakeview High School, including Lakeview High School Library, a 2008 American Library Association award recipient

Michigan Youth Challenge Academy

Pennfield Senior High School

Battle Creek Academy

Bedford Bible Church School

Calhoun Christian School

St. Philip Catholic Central High School

Battle Creek Area Mathematics and Science Center, an accelerated secondary school that focuses primarily on STEM education The Battle Creek Area Mathematics and Science Center is attended by underclassmen in the mornings and upperclassmen in the afternoons.

Calhoun Area Career Center, provides career and technical education to primarily 11th and 12th grade students

Foreign-language education

The Battle Creek Japanese School (バトルクリーク補習授業校 Batoru Kurīku Hoshū Jugyō Kō), a supplementary weekend Japanese school, holds its classes at the Lakeview School District building.

In 1980 the Western Michigan University Center for International Programs developed a program for Japanese expatriate K-12 students that was sponsored by Battle Creek Unlimited (BCU); the classes were held in the company facility at Fort Custer Industrial Park.

Culture

Print media

The local daily newspapers are The Battle Creek Shopper and the newspaper of record is the Battle Creek Enquirer, owned and operated by Gannett.

Radio

FM radio stations that originate or can be heard over the air in Battle Creek:

WSPB 89.7 - Battle Creek - Holy Family Radio Roman Catholic Radio

WCFG 90.9 - Springfield - Christian Adult Contemporary (WCSG)

WCSG 91.3 - Grand Rapids - Christian Adult Contemporary

WMJC 91.9 - Richland - Religious (Strong Tower Radio)

W222BB 92.3 - Battle Creek - Christian (WJKN 89.3)

WZUU 92.5 - Mattawan/Kalamazoo - Classic Rock

WGPG-LP 92.9 - Battle Creek - Religious

WBCT 93.7 - Grand Rapids - Country

WWDK 94.1 - Jackson/Lansing/Battle Creek/Kalamazoo - Classic Country

WBCK 95.3 - Battle Creek - News/Talk

W242BH 96.3 - Marshall - Contemporary Christian (Smile FM)

WTOU 96.5 - Portage/Kalamazoo - Urban Contemporary

WNWN 98.5 - Coldwater/Battle Creek/Kalamazoo - Country

WFPM-LP 99.5 - Battle Creek - Gospel

WBCH-FM 100.1 - Hastings - Country

W266CG 101.1 - Battle Creek - Christian (FM translator for AM 1400)

Festivals

The World's Longest Breakfast Table

The Battle Creek Field of Flight Entertainment Festival is an air show and balloon event held yearly in Battle Creek.

International Festival of Lights

Music

Battle Creek is home to the Music Center, which serves South Central Michigan.

The Battle Creek Symphony Orchestra is based at the W. K. Kellogg Auditorium in downtown Battle Creek. The symphony is conducted by Anne Harrigan. It is Michigan's longest-running symphony orchestra.

The Brass Band of Battle Creek is composed of 31 brass players and percussionists from around the United States and Europe. "Created in 1989 by brothers Jim and Bill Gray, podiatrists and amateur brass players from Battle Creek, MI, the BBBC has grown to cult status in Battle Creek, where BBBC concerts are regularly sold out and waiting lists are created weeks in advance." The Brass Band of Battle Creek's Christmas concerts features many different songs ranging from modern hits to classical Christmas songs.

Leilapalooza - The Leila Arboretum Music Festival is a free summer music festival held at the Leila Arboretum. Proceeds benefit the Leila Arboretum Society and Kingman Museum.

Sports

Battle Creek hosts the annual Michigan High School Athletic Association team wrestling, volleyball, baseball, and softball state championships. The town receives quarterly boosts to its economy from the fans who flock there to follow their teams.

Each year, Battle Creek hosts the Sandy Koufax 13S World Series, for 13-year-old baseball players.

In August 2010, Battle Creek was host to the eighth edition of the International H.K.D. Games.

In June 2024, the mens 4 × 800 m relay team from Saint Philip Catholic Central High School took third place at the MHSAA Track and Field State Championship.

The Battle Creek Battle Jacks (formerly Bombers) are a collegiate baseball team, a member of the Northwoods League, who began play in 2007. After a last-place finish in 2010, the Bombers went 47–26 in 2011 and won their first NWL championship. It was the first championship in Battle Creek since 2000, when the Michigan Battle Cats won the Midwest League championship. The team's home is C.O. Brown Stadium. In 2011, the team signed a five-year lease, which guarantees the team's ten-year anniversary in Battle Creek in 2017. Actor Tyler Hoechlin, who starred alongside Tom Hanks in the critically acclaimed film Road to Perdition, previously played for the Battle Creek Bombers.

The Michigan Battle Cats/Battle Creek Yankees/Southwest Michigan Devil Rays were a Class A minor league baseball team that played in the Midwest League from 1995 through 2006. The team's home was C.O. Brown Stadium.

The Battle Creek Crunch were a member of the Great Lakes Indoor Football League (GLIFL), that began play in 2006. They played one season in Battle Creek before ceasing operations due to financial trouble. The team's home was Kellogg Arena.

The Battle Creek Belles, a member of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League, played two seasons, 1951 and 1952, before relocating to Muskegon.

Points of interest

Art Center of Battle Creek

Bailey Park & C.O. Brown Stadium

Battle Creek Sanitarium (now the Hart–Dole–Inouye Federal Center)

Battle Creek Tabernacle (Seventh-day Adventist Church)

Binder Park Zoo

Fort Custer Recreation Area

Historic Adventist Village

Kimball House Museum

Kiwanis Outdoor Center

Battle Creek Regional History Museum

Kingman Museum and Planetarium

Leila Arboretum

Linear Park

Willard Beach and Park

Willard Library

Saint Philip Roman Catholic Church

Springfield Burma Center

Battle Creek Country Club

Historic Bridge Park

Ott Preserve

Fort Custer Army National Guard Base

Founded in 1917, Camp Custer, as it was then known, served over the next decades as a training ground, from World War I until the present. Parts of the base were spun off and developed as the Battle Creek Veteran's Hospital, Fort Custer National Cemetery, Fort Custer Recreation Area and Fort Custer Industrial Park. This industrial park contains more than 90 different companies.

The United States Government still owns the land, under an arrangement by which the state of Michigan administers and manages the property. The base, which is still mostly undeveloped, wooded land, takes up a sizable portion of Battle Creek's land area. The part of the base in Battle Creek that is now the industrial park measures 4.69 square miles (12.15 km2) in area, which is approximately 10.6% of the city's area. A much larger part of the base lies in Kalamazoo County. The adjoining W. K. Kellogg Airport is a joint civilian-Air National Guard facility. Battle Creek is also home to Fort Custer Recreation Park, a state park located in the Battle Creek-Springfield Area.

Transportation

Battle Creek is situated on Interstate 94 (I-94) midway between Detroit and Chicago.

Railroad and bus lines

The Battle Creek Amtrak Station serves Amtrak trains on the south end of the station and Greyhound and Indian Trails bus lines on the north side of the station. The Canadian National Railway and Norfolk Southern Railway provide freight service to the city.

Public transportation

Battle Creek Transit provides public transit services to Battle Creek area residents. Regular route bus service is provided throughout the City of Battle Creek.

Major highways

I-94

BL I-94

I-194

M-37

M-66

M-89

M-96

Aviation

Kalamazoo's Kalamazoo-Battle Creek International Airport serves Battle Creek. Locally, W. K. Kellogg Airport serves the general aviation needs of the community. The airport is also home to Western Michigan University's College of Aviation, Duncan Aviation, WACO Classic Aircraft Corp. a bi-plane manufacturer, and formerly, the Michigan Air National Guard's 110th Attack Wing, which flies the MQ-9 Reaper UAV.

Shopping malls and plazas

McCamly Place (1986–2019) and DoubleTree by Hilton Battle Creek

McCamly Place was a festival marketplace in Battle Creek, Michigan, United States. It was adjacent to the Stouffer Battle Creek Hotel (then McCamly Plaza Hotel and now DoubleTree by Hilton Battle Creek), and the Kellogg Arena.

McCamly Place was developed by the for-profit Enterprise Development Company (EDC), a subsidiary of the non-profit Enterprise Foundation, which was founded by James W. Rouse after he retired from the Rouse Company as CEO in 1979. McCamly Place was part of the EDC's focus of bringing the festival marketplace concept, previously used for Harborplace in Baltimore and Faneuil Hall Marketplace in Boston, to smaller cities. Both McCamly Place and DoubleTree by Hilton Battle Creek were part of the McCamly Square complex.

History

James Rouse's Enterprise Development Company was brought in to develop the retail space as a 40,000-square-foot (3,700 m2) "mini-mall" connecting the hotel and arena. The project was a festival marketplace, mirroring Rouse's development of Harborplace, Faneuil Hall Marketplace, and South Street Seaport in New York.

The EDC also developed Flint's Water Street Pavilion, which is in Michigan as well.

McCamly Place was licensed by the Rouse Company, and was named after city founder Sands McCamly, and the mall had its grand opening on April 18, 1986, with over 6,000 people in attendance, including governor James J. Blanchard. The mall had nearly 30 stores and restaurants. Piccadilly Grill & Pub was an anchor restaurant on the second floor. The mall once included a Godness of Grain statue on a pillar on top of the escalators.

However, community leaders in Kalamazoo warned that McCamly Place might fail because of three factors: Battle Creek did not have a lot of tourism, the festival marketplace concept relied too heavily on tourism in contrast from a traditional shopping mall, and McCamly Place was deemed "too small," featuring 29 tenant spaces. Then-mayor John J.H. Schwarz disagreed with such claims. His response was, "I want to tell a city 24 miles to the west that Battle Creek is alive and well. We are on our way. This is a laboratory for other cities this size, so they can learn from us. Success here has national implications."

Kellogg's had its headquarters nearby McCamly Place.

Despite McCamly Place's successful grand opening celebration, and Schwarz's optimism, several factors is what actually made Kalamazoo's predictions for failure accurate.

Beginning in the late 1980s and early 1990s, McCamly Place failed to meet expected numbers of visitors and experience vacancies, and the EDC eventually downsized the mall, converting vacant spaces into office. A major turning point occurred in 1996, when Piccadilly Grill closed permanently. Attempts were made in the early and mid-2010s to revitalize McCamly Place and attract new tenants, following the opening of Festival Market Square, an outdoor space, in May 2015, which sits in front of McCamly Place's main entrance. However, the area continued to struggle as a retail center. The Lord Companies and Aries Capital, LLC acquired McCamly Place and McCamly Plaza Hotel in late 2017. They announced a $3.5 million redevelopment that involved converting the hotel into a mixed-use tower. Floors 2 through 5 would be converted into studios and apartments, and the first floor of McCamly Place would be reconstructed into an updated layout, offering future tenants superior visibility and street-side entrances. The tower's remaining floors would be rebranded to DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel.

Notable people

See also People from Battle Creek, Michigan

Lepha Eliza Bailey (1845−1924) - author and lecturer

Frankie Ballard - country music singer

Lance Barber - television actor

Johnny Bristol - Motown singer, songwriter and producer

Nate Huffman - professional basketball player, 2001 Israeli Basketball Premier League MVP

Betty Hutton - film actress

Dr. John Harvey Kellogg, M.D. - doctor and health food advocate

William Keith Kellogg - cereal mogul

John Kitzmiller - film actor

Thomas Kneir - law enforcement

Tony McGee - National Football League lineman

Dick Martin - comedian and actor

S. Isadore Miner (1863–1916), American journalist, poet, teacher, feminist

Jason Newsted - Bassist, played for Metallica from 1986 to 2001

Lisa Rainsberger - Boston/Chicago Marathon winner.

Mike Reilly - former Major League Baseball umpire

Bob Rush - Major League Baseball pitcher

Sister cities

Battle Creek has sister city relationships with Santo André, Brazil and Takasaki, Japan.

Since 1981, Battle Creek and Takasaki have organized annual summer exchange programs for junior high and high school students and teachers.