Colony Farm

As a neighborhood, Colony Farm is arguably the most unique in terms of its foundation. Its name was taken after a 320 acre parcel that sits behind the coveted Asylum Lake Preserve, which was originally purchased by the state to allow patients at the Kalamazoo Psychiatric Hospital to come to live, work, and express physical and creative outlets when they became well enough to do so. Much like the reputation of the hospital, it was groundbreaking for its humane treatment for the patients they served.

Today, Colony Farm is a small neighborhood in the southwestern outskirts in Kalamazoo. Beyond Asylum Lake, there are several cottages from the original Colony Farm that still exist, and Colony Farm is also home to the Western Michigan Univerity's Business, Technology, and Research Park.