<P> Early in the 20th century, Kalamazoo was home to the brass era automobile company Barley . </P> <P> Kalamazoo was also headquarters of the Checker Motors Company, the former manufacturer of the Checker Cab, which also stamped sheet metal parts for other auto manufacturers . Checker closed on June 25, 2009, a victim of the Late - 2000s recession . </P> <P> Most of Kalamazoo is on the southwest bank of a major bend in the Kalamazoo River, with a small portion, about 2.8 square miles (7.3 km), on the opposite bank . Several small tributaries of the Kalamazoo River, including Arcadia Creek and Portage Creek, wind through the city . The northeastern portion of Kalamazoo sits in the broad, flat Kalamazoo Valley, while the western portions of Kalamazoo climb into low hills to the west and south . Several small lakes are found throughout the area . </P> <P> According to the United States Census Bureau, Kalamazoo has a total area of 25.11 square miles (65.03 km), of which 24.68 square miles (63.92 km) is land and 0.43 square miles (1.11 km) is water . </P>

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