Battle Creek is a city located in northwestern Calhoun County, Michigan, United States, where the Kalamazoo and Battle Creek rivers meet. According to the 2020 census, the city had a total population of 52,731. It is the main city of the Battle Creek metropolitan area, which includes all of Calhoun County. Known as the "Cereal City," Battle Creek is famous for being the home of WK Kellogg Co and the founding city of Post Consumer Brands. In Battle Creek, the Kellogg brothers accidentally created the first cereal while trying to make granola.

Toponym

One local story explains that Battle Creek was named after an event in March 1824. A group of land surveyors led by Colonel John Mullett met two Potawatomi people near the area. The Potawatomi asked for food because they were hungry, as the U.S. Army had not yet delivered supplies promised to them by the 1821 Treaty of Chicago. After a long discussion, the Native Americans reportedly tried to take food from the surveyors. One of the surveyors shot and seriously injured one Potawatomi person. After this event, the survey party returned to Detroit. Early white settlers named the nearby stream Battle Creek River, and the town later took its name from that.

Another story about the river’s name says the Native Americans called it Waupakisco. This name was thought to refer to a battle or fight between indigenous tribes before Europeans arrived. However, Virgil J. Vogel, a professor of history and social science at Harry S. Truman College in Chicago, believes the name Waupakisco does not relate to blood or battle.

History

In about 1774, the Potawatomi and Ottawa Native American tribes formed a village together near the future location of Battle Creek, Michigan. The first permanent European homes in Battle Creek Township began around 1831, after the Potawatomi were moved to a reservation. People from New York and New England started moving to Michigan after the Erie Canal was completed in 1824. Most settlers chose to live on the Goguac prairie because the land was good for farming. A post office opened in Battle Creek in 1832, run by Postmaster Pollodore Hudson. The first school was taught in a small log house around 1833 or 1834. Asa Langley built the first sawmill in 1837. A brick-making factory, called the oldest business in the township, was started in 1840 by Simon Carr and operated until 1903. The township was officially created by a law passed in 1839.

Before the Civil War, Battle Creek was an important stop on the Underground Railroad, where escaped enslaved people traveled to freedom in Michigan and Canada. It was also where Sojourner Truth, a famous abolitionist, lived after escaping slavery.

Battle Creek played a key role in the early history of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. A church founding meeting took place there in 1863. The church’s first hospital, college, and publishing office were also built in the city. After a fire destroyed the hospital and publishing office in 1902, the church decided to move many of its institutions elsewhere. The first Adventist church, rebuilt in the 1920s, is still in use today.

World Heavyweight Champion Jack Johnson was once arrested in Battle Creek for marrying his White wife and taking her across state lines. He was held in the city, visited a friend, went on a sleigh ride, and stayed at the home of patrolman John Patterson, Battle Creek’s first African American police officer. Federal officers from Chicago took him into custody the next day.

During the late 1800s and early 1900s, Battle Creek was known for health reform. The Battle Creek Sanitarium was started by the Seventh-day Adventist Church and Dr. John Harvey Kellogg. Some of Kellogg’s unusual treatments were shown in the movie The Road to Wellville. He also supported groups that promoted eugenics ideas, which were linked to euthenics. The Race Betterment Foundation was one such group. Kellogg also supported the “separate but equal” philosophy and invited Booker T. Washington to speak at the sanitarium to raise money. Washington was the author of the speech The Atlanta Compromise, which helped define his role as an accommodationist and provided a way for Southern Whites to fund his school, the Tuskegee Institute.

W. K. Kellogg worked for his brother, John Harvey Kellogg, at the Battle Creek Sanitarium. Frustrated by being in his brother’s shadow, he left to sell brooms in Oklahoma oil towns but failed. He returned to work for his brother. While working in the sanitarium’s lab, W. K. spilled cornmeal on a heating device, which cooked it into flakes. He tasted the flakes, added milk, and got his brother to let him give some to patients. The patients loved the product so much that W. K. decided to leave the sanitarium and build a factory to meet the demand for his “corn flakes.”

When the brothers went their separate ways, Dr. John Harvey Kellogg sued W. K. for copyright infringement. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in favor of W. K. Kellogg because his company had greater sales and public recognition.

Inspired by Kellogg’s work, C. W. Post created Grape-Nuts and started his own cereal company in Battle Creek. The city is now known as “the Cereal City.”

In the 1960s, Battle Creek faced racial challenges like other parts of the country. Dr. Martin Luther King, Senator Hubert Humphrey, President Lyndon B. Johnson, and Heavyweight Champion Muhammad Ali spoke there. African Americans were often stopped and searched while walking, and housing rules that excluded Black people were still in place. No Black people worked in the school system, and few held mid-level management jobs in local companies. The federal government had better opportunities at the Federal Center than at the local Veterans’ Administration Hospital.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city covers a total area of 43.73 square miles (113.26 km²), with 42.61 square miles (110.36 km²) being land and 1.12 square miles (2.90 km²) being water. This makes Battle Creek the third largest city in Michigan by area and one of only three officially recognized cities or towns in the state that are larger than 40 square miles (100 km²).

• About 60% of the city’s land is developed. The remaining undeveloped land is divided as follows: 38% is used for farming, 26% is designated for general industry, 17.5% is designated for homes, 16% is part of Fort Custer Army National Guard Base/Industrial Park, and 2.5% is designated for businesses.
• After Battle Creek Township merged with the city of Battle Creek in 1983, the city’s population increased by nearly 18,000 people. Before the merger, the city covered 18.6 square miles (48.17 km²).
• Battle Creek is sometimes thought of as part of West Michigan or Southern Michigan.

• Bedford Charter Township
• Emmett Charter Township
• Pennfield Charter Township
• City of Springfield
• Urbandale

Demographics

In 1982, Kellogg's strongly encouraged the city of Battle Creek to annex Battle Creek Township. This action nearly doubled the city's population. Kellogg's even warned that if the annexation did not happen, they might move their headquarters elsewhere.

Nick Buckley wrote in the Battle Creek Enquirer: "The 2020 Census is important for Battle Creek. If the city's population drops below 50,000, it would change from an 'urbanized area' to an 'urban cluster,' which could result in losing federal funding."

According to the 2020 Census, Battle Creek had a population of 52,721. The median age was 37.8 years. About 24.6% of residents were under 18, and 16.3% were 65 years or older. For every 100 females, there were 94.6 males. For every 100 females aged 18 and over, there were 91.2 males aged 18 and over.

Ninety-eight percent of residents lived in urban areas, while 2% lived in rural areas.

There were 21,466 households in Battle Creek. Of these, 29.8% had children under 18 living in them. Of all households, 35.0% were married-couple households, 21.6% had a male householder without a spouse or partner, and 34.5% had a female householder without a spouse or partner. About 34.2% of households were made up of single individuals, and 13.9% had someone 65 years or older living alone.

There were 23,515 housing units in the city. Of these, 8.7% were vacant. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.8%, and the rental vacancy rate was 9.3%.

As of the 2010 Census, there were 52,347 people, 21,118 households, and 12,898 families in the city. The population density was 1,228.5 people per square mile. There were 24,277 housing units, with an average density of 569.7 per square mile. The racial makeup of the city was 71.7% White, 18.2% African American, 0.7% Native American, 2.4% Asian, 2.7% from other races, and 4.3% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race made up 6.7% of the population.

In the 21,118 households, 33.6% had children under 18 living with them. Of these, 37.1% were married couples, 18.5% had a female householder without a husband, 5.5% had a male householder without a wife, and 38.9% were non-families. About 32.6% of households were made up of individuals, and 12.1% had someone 65 years or older living alone. The average household size was 2.41, and the average family size was 3.04.

The median age in the city was 36.3 years. About 26.1% of residents were under 18, 9% were between 18 and 24, 25.9% were between 25 and 44, 25.5% were between 45 and 64, and 13.4% were 65 years or older. The gender distribution was 47.9% male and 52.1% female.

As of April 2013, Battle Creek had the fifth-largest Japanese national population in Michigan, with 358 people.

As of the 2000 Census, there were 53,364 people, 21,348 households, and 13,363 families in the city. The population density was 1,246.0 people per square mile. There were 23,525 housing units, with an average density of 549.3 per square mile. The racial makeup of the city was 74.7% White, 17.8% Black or African American, 1.9% Asian, 0.8% Native American, less than 0.1% Pacific Islander, 2.1% from other races, and 2.7% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race made up 4.6% of the population.

In the 21,348 households, 32.3% had children under 18 living with them. Of these, 41.9% were married couples, 16.1% had a female householder without a husband, and 37.4% were non-families. About 31.6% of households were made up of individuals, and 12.1% had someone 65 years or older living alone. The average household size was 2.43, and the average family size was 3.04.

In the city, 27.2% of the population was under 18, 8.7% were between 18 and 24, 29.5% were between 25 and 44, 21.0% were between 45 and 64, and 13.5% were 65 years or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females, there were 91.9 males. For every 100 females aged 18 and over, there were 87.2 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $35,491, and the median income for a family was $43,564. Males had a median income of $36,838, while females had a median income of $26,429. The per capita income was $18,424. About 10.7% of families and 14.4% of the population lived below the poverty line, including 17.5% of those under 18 and 11.8

Government

The City of Battle Creek uses a type of government called the commission-manager system. In this system, a group of elected officials, called the City Commission or Council, selects a trained and experienced manager to handle the daily work of the city and to suggest ideas to the commission. The city also hires a City Attorney, who gives legal advice to the manager and the commission.

The City Commission is responsible for making all major decisions, such as reviewing, changing, and approving the city’s yearly budget. The budget is first proposed by the City Manager. The City Manager works under a contract with the commission and can be hired or fired at any time. All city workers, except those who work for the City Attorney, are managed by the City Manager.

There are five ward commissioners, who represent specific areas of the city. People living in those areas vote for their ward commissioner. In addition, voters choose four commissioners who can live anywhere in the city. All commissioners serve two-year terms, and their terms start and end at the same time as the elections.

Before 1961, residents voted directly for the mayor. After that, the mayor and vice mayor were chosen by the commissioners. In March 2020, voters approved a change to the city’s rules, allowing residents to vote for the mayor again. The first mayor election since 1961 happened in November 2020. The mayor leads commission meetings, appoints commissioners and residents to special groups, and can create committees to study community issues. The vice mayor helps if the mayor is not available.

As of 2017, the city collects a 1 percent income tax from residents and a 0.5 percent income tax from people who do not live in Battle Creek.

Economy

As of October 2023 , according to a Battle Creek Unlimited report, the twenty largest employers in the city are:

Education

• Kellogg Community College, a two-year college started in 1956
• Robert B. Miller College, a four-year college that shared Kellogg Community College’s buildings. This college closed in 2016.
• Western Michigan University’s Battle Creek Branch — The Kendall Center
• Western Michigan University’s College of Aviation, located at W. K. Kellogg Airport
• Spring Arbor University Battle Creek Branch
• Davenport University Battle Creek Campus. This campus closed in 2015.
• Central Michigan University, Battle Creek Campus on Air National Guard Base, W. K. Kellogg Airport

The following school districts include parts of the city:
• Battle Creek Public Schools
• Lakeview School District
• Climax-Scotts Community School District
• Pennfield School District
• Harper Creek Community Schools

• Battle Creek Central High School
• Harper Creek High School
• Battle Creek Area Learning Center, also called Calhoun Community High School
• Lakeview High School, including Lakeview High School Library, which received an award in 2008
• Michigan Youth Challenge Academy
• Pennfield Senior High School

• Battle Creek Academy
• Bedford Bible Church School
• Calhoun Christian School
• St. Philip Catholic Central High School

• Battle Creek Area Mathematics and Science Center, a school that focuses on science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) education. Underclassmen attend in the mornings, and upperclassmen attend in the afternoons.
• Calhoun Area Career Center, which provides career and technical education to mostly 11th and 12th grade students

The Battle Creek Japanese School (バトルクリーク補習授業校 Batoru Kurīku Hoshū Jugyō Kō), a weekend school that teaches Japanese, holds classes at the Lakeview School District building.

In 1980, the Western Michigan University Center for International Programs created a program for Japanese students living in the United States. This program was supported by Battle Creek Unlimited (BCU), and classes were held at the company’s building in Fort Custer Industrial Park.

Culture

The local daily newspapers are The Battle Creek Shopper and the Battle Creek Enquirer. The Battle Creek Enquirer is the newspaper of record and is owned and operated by Gannett.

FM radio stations that can be heard in Battle Creek include:
• WSPB 89.7 – Battle Creek – Holy Family Radio (Roman Catholic Radio)
• WCFG 90.9 – Springfield – Christian Adult Contemporary (WCSG)
• WCSG 91.3 – Grand Rapids – Christian Adult Contemporary
• WMJC 91.9 – Richland – Religious (Strong Tower Radio)
• W222BB 92.3 – Battle Creek – Christian (WJKN 89.3)
• WZUU 92.5 – Mattawan/Kalamazoo – Classic Rock
• WGPG-LP 92.9 – Battle Creek – Religious
• WBCT 93.7 – Grand Rapids – Country
• WWDK 94.1 – Jackson/Lansing/Battle Creek/Kalamazoo – Classic Country
• WBCK 95.3 – Battle Creek – News/Talk
• W242BH 96.3 – Marshall – Contemporary Christian (Smile FM)
• WTOU 96.5 – Portage/Kalamazoo – Urban Contemporary
• WNWN 98.5 – Coldwater/Battle Creek/Kalamazoo – Country
• WFPM-LP 99.5 – Battle Creek – Gospel
• WBCH-FM 100.1 – Hastings – Country
• W266CG 101.1 – Battle Creek – Christian (FM translator for AM 1400)
• W274AQ 102.7 – Battle Creek – Classic Hits (FM translator for AM 930)
• WKFR 103.3 – Battle Creek/Kalamazoo – CHR/Top 40
• WBXX 104.9 – Marshall/Battle Creek – Urban Contemporary
• WSRW 105.7 – Grand Rapids – Adult Contemporary
• WJXQ 106.1 – Jackson/Lansing/Battle Creek – Mainstream Rock
• WVFM 106.5 – Kalamazoo – Adult Hits (Jack FM)
• WRKR 107.7 – Portage/Battle Creek/Kalamazoo – Classic Rock

AM radio stations that can be heard in Battle Creek include:
• WKZO 590 – Kalamazoo – News/Talk (FM translator at 106.9)
• WFAT 930 – Battle Creek – Classic Hits
• WILS 1320 – Lansing – News/Talk
• WKMI 1360 – Kalamazoo – News/Talk
• WBFN 1400 – Battle Creek – Christian
• WQLR 1660 – Kalamazoo – Sports

Television stations that serve Battle Creek include:
• WWMT – A CBS affiliate licensed to Kalamazoo, serving Battle Creek, Grand Rapids, and western Michigan.
• WOOD-TV – An NBC affiliate licensed to Grand Rapids, serving Battle Creek as the default NBC station.
• WOTV – An ABC/CW affiliate serving Battle Creek, Kalamazoo, and southwestern Michigan. It also serves as a secondary ABC affiliate for Grand Rapids.
• WXMI – The FOX affiliate from Grand Rapids.
• WZPX – An ION affiliate serving all of western Michigan.
• WLLA – An independent station broadcasting religious programming from Kalamazoo.
• WGVU – The PBS member station from Grand Rapids, broadcasting via satellite in Kalamazoo.
• AccessVision – A public-access television station on Comcast channels 16 and 17, broadcasting to Battle Creek and Newton Township.

Events and festivals in Battle Creek include:
• The World's Longest Breakfast Table
• The Battle Creek Field of Flight Entertainment Festival – An annual air show and balloon event.
• The International Festival of Lights

Battle Creek is home to the Music Center, which serves South Central Michigan. The Battle Creek Symphony Orchestra is based at the W. K. Kellogg Auditorium in downtown Battle Creek. The symphony is conducted by Anne Harrigan and is Michigan's longest-running symphony orchestra.

The Brass Band of Battle Creek includes 31 brass players and percussionists from the United States and Europe. Founded in 1989 by brothers Jim and Bill Gray, the band has become a popular attraction in Battle Creek. Their Christmas concerts feature a mix of modern and classical music.

Leilapalooza – A free summer music festival held at the Leila Arboretum. Proceeds support the Leila Arboretum Society and Kingman Museum.

Battle Creek hosts annual state championships for high school wrestling, volleyball, baseball, and softball. The town also hosts the Sandy Koufax 13S World Series for 13-year-old baseball players.

In August 2010, Battle Creek hosted the eighth edition of the International H.K.D. Games. In June 2024, the men’s 4 × 800 m relay team from Saint Philip Catholic Central High School placed third at the MHSAA Track and Field State Championship.

Sports teams in Battle Creek include:
• The Battle Creek Battle Jacks (formerly known as the Bombers) – A collegiate baseball team in the Northwoods League. They began play in 2007 and won their first NWL championship in 2011. Their home is C.O. Brown Stadium.
• The Michigan Battle Cats / Battle Creek Yankees / Southwest Michigan Devil Rays – A Class A minor league baseball team that played in the Midwest League from 1995 to 2006. Their home was C.O. Brown Stadium.
• The Battle Creek Crunch – A member of the Great Lakes Indoor Football League (GLIFL), active in 2006 before ceasing operations due to financial issues. Their home was Kellogg Arena.
• The Battle Creek Belles – A member of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League, active in 1951 and 1952 before relocating to Muskegon.
• The Battle Creek Revolution – A member of the All American Hockey League from 2008 to 2011. Their home

Points of interest

• Art Center of Battle Creek
• Bailey Park & C.O. Brown Stadium
• Battle Creek Sanitarium (now the Hart–Dole–Inouye Federal Center)
• Battle Creek Tabernacle (Seventh-day Adventist Church)
• Binder Park Zoo
• Fort Custer Recreation Area
• Historic Adventist Village
• Kimball House Museum
• Kiwanis Outdoor Center
• Battle Creek Regional History Museum
• Kingman Museum and Planetarium
• Leila Arboretum
• Linear Park
• Willard Beach and Park
• Willard Library
• Saint Philip Roman Catholic Church
• Springfield Burma Center
• Battle Creek Country Club
• Historic Bridge Park
• Ott Preserve

Camp Custer, founded in 1917, was used as a training area during World War I and continues to be used today. Over time, parts of the camp became the Battle Creek Veteran’s Hospital, Fort Custer National Cemetery, Fort Custer Recreation Area, and Fort Custer Industrial Park. The industrial park includes more than 90 companies.

The U.S. government still owns the land, and the state of Michigan manages it. Most of the area remains undeveloped and covered with trees. The part of the base in Battle Creek that is now the industrial park covers 4.69 square miles (12.15 km²), which is about 10.6% of the city’s total area. A much larger part of the base is located in Kalamazoo County. The nearby W. K. Kellogg Airport is shared by civilians and the Air National Guard. Fort Custer Recreation Area is a state park in the Battle Creek-Springfield area.

Transportation

Battle Creek is located on Interstate 94 (I-94) halfway between Detroit and Chicago.

The Battle Creek Amtrak Station serves Amtrak trains on the south side of the station and Greyhound and Indian Trails buses on the north side. The Canadian National Railway and Norfolk Southern Railway offer freight service to the city.

Battle Creek Transit provides public transportation for residents in the Battle Creek area. Regular bus routes serve the entire city.

• I-94
• BL I-94
• I-194
• M-37
• M-66
• M-89
• M-96

The Kalamazoo-Battle Creek International Airport in Kalamazoo serves Battle Creek. Locally, the W. K. Kellogg Airport meets the general aviation needs of the community. The airport is also home to Western Michigan University’s College of Aviation, Duncan Aviation, WACO Classic Aircraft Corp., a bi-plane manufacturer, and previously, the Michigan Air National Guard’s 110th Attack Wing, which operates the MQ-9 Reaper UAV.

Shopping malls and plazas

McCamly Place was a festival marketplace in Battle Creek, Michigan, United States. It was located next to the Stouffer Battle Creek Hotel (formerly McCamly Plaza Hotel and now DoubleTree by Hilton Battle Creek) and the Kellogg Arena. McCamly Place was developed by the Enterprise Development Company (EDC), which is part of the Enterprise Foundation. The Enterprise Foundation was started by James W. Rouse after he left The Rouse Company in 1979. McCamly Place was part of the EDC’s plan to bring the festival marketplace idea, used earlier in places like Harborplace in Baltimore and Faneuil Hall Marketplace in Boston, to smaller cities.

Both McCamly Place and DoubleTree by Hilton Battle Creek were part of the McCamly Square complex. The EDC built the retail space as a 40,000-square-foot "mini-mall" that connected the hotel and arena. The project was a festival marketplace, similar to Rouse’s earlier work in Harborplace, Faneuil Hall Marketplace, and Pier 17 in New York. The EDC also built Flint’s Water Street Pavilion, which is also in Michigan.

McCamly Place was managed by TRC of Michigan, Inc. (formerly The Rouse Company of Michigan, Inc.), a company owned by The Rouse Company based in Columbia. The mall was named after Sands McCamly, a city founder, and it opened on April 18, 1986, with more than 6,000 people attending, including Governor James J. Blanchard. The mall had nearly 30 stores and restaurants, including Piccadilly Grill & Pub, which was a main restaurant on the second floor.

The mall once had a statue of the Godness of Grain on a pillar above the escalators. However, some leaders in Kalamazoo said McCamly Place might fail because Battle Creek did not have many tourists, the festival marketplace idea relied heavily on tourism, and the mall was too small with only 29 tenant spaces. Then-Mayor John J.H. Schwarz disagreed, saying, "I want to tell a city 24 miles to the west that Battle Creek is alive and well. We are on our way. This is a laboratory for other cities this size, so they can learn from us. Success here has national implications." Kellogg’s had its headquarters near McCamly Place.

Although McCamly Place had a successful opening and Schwarz was optimistic, Kalamazoo’s predictions about failure were correct. Starting in the late 1980s and early 1990s, McCamly Place did not attract enough visitors and had many empty spaces. The EDC later reduced the mall’s size, turning some spaces into offices. A major event was in 1996, when Piccadilly Grill closed permanently.

Efforts were made in the early and mid-2010s to improve McCamly Place and attract new businesses, especially after Festival Market Square, an outdoor area, opened in May 2015 near the mall’s entrance. However, the area continued to struggle as a retail center.

The Lord Companies and Aries Capital, LLC bought McCamly Place and the McCamly Plaza Hotel in late 2017. They planned a $3.5 million redevelopment, which included turning the hotel into a mixed-use building with living spaces and apartments, and updating the first floor of McCamly Place for better visibility and entrances. The hotel’s upper floors would become DoubleTree by Hilton. However, the project was delayed and did not finish by October 1, 2018. This led to a lawsuit by Battle Creek Unlimited (BCU) against Aries Capital for failing to maintain the hotel and mall and missing a $3.5 million loan payment in 2018.

McCamly Place and the McCamly Plaza Hotel closed in November 2019. BCU took over ownership in November 2020 and continued redevelopment plans. However, the original plans were changed. The hotel was renamed DoubleTree by Hilton Battle Creek, and instead of fixing McCamly Place, the mall was completely torn down on April 15, 2022. This happened because McCamly Place proved that the festival marketplace idea was not sustainable for smaller cities, which is why The Rouse Company stopped building them after 1987. The former site of McCamly Place is now green space.

Other shopping malls and plazas in Battle Creek include:

Notable people

See also People from Battle Creek, Michigan

• Lepha Eliza Bailey (1845−1924) – author and lecturer
• Frankie Ballard – country music singer
• Lance Barber – television actor
• Johnny Bristol – Motown singer, songwriter and producer
• Nate Huffman – professional basketball player, 2001 Israeli Basketball Premier League MVP
• Betty Hutton – film actress
• Dr. John Harvey Kellogg, M.D. – doctor and health food advocate
• William Keith Kellogg – cereal mogul
• John Kitzmiller – film actor
• Thomas Kneir – law enforcement
• Tony McGee – National Football League lineman
• Dick Martin – comedian and actor
• S. Isadore Miner (1863–1916), American journalist, poet, teacher, feminist
• Jason Newsted – Bassist, played for Metallica from 1986 to 2001
• Lisa Rainsberger – Boston/Chicago Marathon winner
• Mike Reilly – former Major League Baseball umpire
• Bob Rush – Major League Baseball pitcher
• John Schwarz – Former United States House of Representatives
• Emma L. Shaw – editor
• Rick Snyder – former Governor of Michigan
• John Stone – Colorado politician, sheriff of Jefferson County, Colorado when the Columbine High School massacre occurred
• Sojourner Truth – abolitionist and women's rights activist
• Rob Van Dam – professional wrestler
• Junior Walker – Motown saxophonist and singer
• Bill Dowdy – Blue Note Recording Artist with the Jazz trio, The Three Sounds
• Tauren Wells – Grammy nominated Christian pop singer
• Ellen G. White – American author and co-founder of the Seventh-day Adventist Church

Sister cities

Battle Creek has sister city relationships with Santo André, Brazil, and Takasaki, Japan.

Since 1981, Battle Creek and Takasaki have started summer exchange programs every year for middle school and high school students and teachers.