Our Community
Comstock Township, Michigan is a mostly urban area (70% urban, 30% rural) located in the eastern portion of Kalamazoo County. Comstock Township residents, who may not have easy access to the Metro Transit and all that Kalamazoo County offers, enjoy exceptional natural beauty with 17 parks and scenic vistas of the Kalamazoo River.
Once the home for industry, Comstock Township’s economic base was adversely affected when General Motors and Georgia Pacific left the community. Since then, many greenhouse businesses have emerged and expanded, giving our Township the name of “Bedding Capital of the World.”
Our People:
Our population is fewer than 14,000, and 65% of residents are adults ranging between the ages of 44 and 63. Close to 80% of the households in Comstock Township do not have children attending school.
Although middle-class and affluent neighborhoods exist in the Township, 17% of the population is below the poverty line and many of those are families, as demonstrated by the 62% of children in Comstock Public Schools who receive free or reduced meals. The percentage of African-American and Hispanic students that attend public school (11%) is significantly higher than the percentage of African American and Hispanic residents in the township (6.5%).
Our Strengths:
Through hard times Comstock Township has pulled ahead because of our perseverance and pride in our community. We have so many things to offer:
- An economically diverse community with small businesses such as greenhouses and corporations like Pfizer and Eaton
- Access to higher education with two community colleges and one university
- Beautiful natural resources including parks, lakes and the Kalamazoo River
Our Challenges:
Stemming from tough economic times, unemployment is on the rise and our youth are dropping out of school. As a community, our major challenges are:
- Extreme economic disparity – from those who are affluent to those who are below the poverty line. Many community members feel a great physical and economic divide palpably felt by the east-west Amtrak railroad tracks
- Lack of significant tax base
- High poverty rate among children and families
- Lack of employment and recreational opportunities for young people
- Lack of community pride
Our Communities for All Ages:
Our Comstock Communties for All Ages team is focused on building pride, intergenerational connections and civic engagement, and increasing supports to Comstock residents of all ages through the development of an intergenerational community service corps by and for Comstock residents.
