1967 Map of Portage

About this map

Austin Lake and Long Lake dominate the southern landscape of this Kalamazoo County region, where residential growth in Portage began to intensify during the mid-1960s. The map illustrates a community in transition, balancing suburban expansion like the Southgate Shopping Center with preserved natural spaces such as the Gourdneck State Game Area. Evidence of the area's agricultural past and early settlement is preserved in several small burial grounds, including the Dry Prairie Cem and Smith Cem. Transport and industry are central to the district's character, defined by the expansive Kalamazoo Municipal Airport and the rail corridors of the Penn Central and Grand Trunk Western. Numerous schools like Pershing Sch and Lake Center Sch dot the map, reflecting the postwar population boom that reshaped this Michigan landscape.