The combination of the city's history in the Underground Railroad movement and its longstanding nickname of “Cereal City” demonstrates the unique and diverse history of Michigan’s Battle Creek. The city was once the home of the American hero Sojourner Truth and a stop on the Underground Railroad, after which it would become the birthplace of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, WK Kellogg Company and Post Consumer Brands. While the Kellogg Company remains one of the city’s largest employers today, other major employers include Denso Manufacturing Michigan, Inc., FireKeepers Casino Hotel and the Veterans Administration Medical Center. The city is home to more than 25 international corporations, a handful of medical centers and more than 52,000 people.
Known as "Cereal City", Battle Creek is the founding city of Post Consumer Brands.
Battle Creek is home to the Kellogg Company Corporate Headquarters.
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Quickly moving housing market
Battle Creek’s housing market offers condos and townhomes alongside a mix of single-family ranch-style homes, Colonial Revivals and split levels built between 1940 and 1970. Since the city features urban and rural properties, lot sizes can vary significantly depending on location. Homes in the residential pockets sit on lots that are roughly 1/10th of an acre, while homes in more rural areas come with an acre or more. Battle Creek homes tend to sell relatively fast, spending an average of 23 days on the market. “We’re experiencing our own rebirth,” says Mark Haddock, Realtor with Re/Max Perrett Associates. “Really, what we’ve got is affordable housing. A couple hundred thousand goes a long way.” Small worker’s cottages and ranch-style homes start at the lower end of the price range at $120,000, while homes with more than 2,500 square feet can sell for as high as $820,000. The median price is $180,000, up 8% from the previous year.
Battle Creek’s housing market offers condos and townhomes in private communities.
Split-level homes in rural settings can be found in Battle Creek.
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Boutiques and restaurants in downtown Battle Creek
The city’s restaurant scene combines local joints and national chains. Larger thoroughfares like Main Street and Highway 96 hold a range of local restaurants from Mexican to Italian and American. Shoppers can head to Lakeview Square Mall, which has nearly 40 stores, a collection of restaurants and a movie theater. Harper Village shopping center is home to national retailers like Aldi and Kohl’s. Downtown Battle Creek features boutiques and specialty shops along the sidewalk-lined Michigan Avenue. For fresh produce, the Battle Creek Farmers Market takes place every Wednesday from May through October and holds a Night Market every Friday during the same period.
Downtown Battle Creek features a variety of boutiques and restaurants along Michigan Avenue.
Lakeview Square Mall in Battle Creek has a number of stores, restaurants and a movie theater.
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Hundreds of acres of green spaces
Battle Creek Recreation Department manages more than 29 parks and over 26 miles of trails. While most of the parks are moderately sized community parks, the city is home to mini parks, neighborhood parks and specialty facilities like the Binder Park Zoo and the Woodland Park Nature Preserve. Linear Park is a continuous, paved trail incorporating six loops that take trail-goers all over Battle Creek. The city also sits alongside the North Branch Kalamazoo River and holds the 352-acre Goguac Lake, where residents cruise on pleasure boats or throw out a line. For open water boating and more, the shores of Lake Michigan are 60 miles directly west. For those more worried about water hazards than water activities, numerous public golf courses and private country clubs are within the city limits.
Woodland Park Nature Preserve visitors can traverse over three miles of trails in Battle Creek.
Residents of Battle Creek can go to Goguac Lake for ice fishing, or boating during the summer.
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A cultural hub for Southwest Michigan
“We’re known to have the world’s longest breakfast table,” Haddock says. “They serve breakfast to all comers. That’s been going on forever.” The breakfast table is part of the city’s National Cereal Festival, which occurs each June and features live music and guest appearances from cereal icons Tony the Tiger and Sugar Bear. Haddock says the city is slowly adding to its repertoire of events as development provides the necessary funding. “Hilton just finished a $150 million renovation downtown,” he says. “And they included a world-class cocktail lounge there.” Other venues around the city include the Art Center of Battle Creek, which hosts roughly 10 shows a year and an annual outdoor concert series.
The Art Center of Battle Creek hosts various exhibits and classes throughout the year.
The Alloy is a world-class cocktail lounge located in the DoubleTree by Hilton Battle Creek.
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Between Chicago and Detroit
Running through the southside of Battle Creek, Interstate 94 puts downtown Detroit 122 miles away and downtown Chicago 170 miles away. In addition to the Tele-Transit service that caters to ADA-certified passengers, Battle Creek Transit offers eight bus routes throughout the city. The city also offers BCGo, an app connecting residents to on-demand public transportation. Travelers can take a train out of the Battle Creek Amtrak Station or head 20 miles west to the Kalamazoo-Battle Creek International Airport, which offers three major airline services and connections to almost 200 other cities around the country.
Calhoun County school districts
Multiple school systems serve Battle Creek students, including Lakeview School District, Harper Creek Community Schools, Climax-Scotts Community Schools, Pennfield Schools and Battle Creek Public Schools. The districts earn varying grades on Niche, but Battle Creek Public Schools receives the lowest, earning a C-minus. Lakeview earns a B, the highest grade of the districts serving Battle Creek. Kellogg Community College offers career pathways for degrees that help students land jobs in fields like health care and computer programming, as well as academic tracks for anyone interested in finishing at a four-year university.
Westlake Elementary School is part of the Lakeview School District in Battle Creek, Michigan.
Kellogg Community College was founded in 1956 by the Battle Creek Board of Education.
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Environmental factors and crime
According to FBI statistical data, Battle Creek’s property and violent crime rates trend higher than the state of Michigan and U.S. averages. Data indicates that, though there are numerous bodies of water nearby and plenty of foliage, the city has only a minor risk of flood and wildfire damage to property.
Written By
Konrad Solberg
Photography Contributed By
Jonathan Fairfield
Video By
Francisco de la Vera
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GreatSchools:
The GreatSchools Rating helps parents compare schools within a state based on a variety of school quality indicators and provides a helpful picture of how effectively each school serves all of its students. Ratings are on a scale of 1 (below average) to 10 (above average) and can include test scores, college readiness, academic progress, advanced courses, equity, discipline and attendance data. We also advise parents to visit schools, consider other information on school performance and programs, and consider family needs as part of the school selection process.
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On average, homes in Battle Creek, MI sell after 29 days on the market compared to the national average of 56 days. The median sale price for homes in Battle Creek, MI over the last 12 months is $187,500, up 4% from the median home sale price over the previous 12 months.
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