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is a city in Calhoun County in the south central region of the Lower Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 9,144 at the 2000 census and is part of the Battle Creek Metropolitan Statistical Area. From the time that the earliest English-speaking settlers arrived, the area has also been known as
, because it is situated at the confluence of the north and south branches of the Kalamazoo River. The
The presence of several major manufacturers since the 19th century has given Albion the reputation of a factory town. Albion College is a private liberal arts college with a student population of about 1,950. Albion is a sister city with Noisy-le-Roi, France.
Albion is the birthplace of food writer M. F. K. Fisher.
The first European-American settler Tenney Peabody arrived in 1833. As local legend goes, Peabody's wife decided to name the city after Albion, Oswego County, New York, former residence of prominent pioneer Jesse Crowell. The city was almost named
Crowell arrived in 1835 and established the Albion Company to lay out the plan for the village and sell property to other pioneers as they arrived. He became the first postmaster in 1838. Albion incorporated as a village in 1855 and as a city in 1885.
In 1835, Methodist Episcopal settlers established Albion College, which was known by a few other names before 1861 when the college was fully authorized to confer four-year degrees on both men and women. The first classes were held in Albion in 1843.
The forks of the Kalamazoo River provided power for mills, and Albion quickly became a mill town as well as an agricultural market. A railroad line arrived in 1852, fostering the development of other industries.
In 1973 Albion was named an All-America City by the National Civic League. It celebrated winning the award on May 15, 1974 when the Governor of Michigan, William Milliken, and many dignitaries came to town. However, in 1975 the closure of a major factory cut the celebration short and new challenges were created overnight.
Since that time citizens have mobilized, with support from the Albion Community Foundation founded in 1968, and the Albion Volunteer Service Organization, founded in the 1980s with support from Albion College, to address the challenge of diminishing economic opportunity.