Best Web Design in Albion, MI (2026)

Web Design for Albion, Michigan

Albion is a historic college and factory town in Calhoun County, set at 'The Forks' where the north and south branches of the Kalamazoo River meet. It is home to Albion College, founded in 1835 and the first private college in Michigan to earn a Phi Beta Kappa chapter, and it built its industrial identity on mills and the Albion Malleable Iron Company. Its annual Festival of the Forks celebrates the diverse ethnic heritage of the immigrants who powered those factories.

AppWT serves Albion and the surrounding Michigan area from Livonia, Michigan.

About Albion

Also known as. The Forks.

History. First European-American settler Tenney Peabody arrived in 1833 with his brother-in-law Charles Blanchard; in 1835 the Albion Company, formed by Jesse Crowell, platted the village. Peabody's wife named the settlement 'Albion' after Jesse Crowell's former New York residence, reportedly after considering 'Peabodyville.' Albion College was founded in 1835 (first classes 1843) as a Methodist-affiliated institution and became the first private college in Michigan with a Phi Beta Kappa chapter. River-powered mills for lumber and grain formed the foundation for later heavy manufacturing. The Great Flood of 1908 followed the failure of the Homer Dam, causing severe damage and collapsing six buildings. Lithuanian and other Eastern European immigrants came to work the factories; Lithuanian settlers built Holy Ascension Orthodox Church in 1916.

Local economy. The Albion Malleable Iron Company was the industrial backbone, first making agricultural implements and later automotive parts; it merged with the Hayes Corporation in 1969 (Hayes-Albion). Union Steel Products, which moved to Albion in 1905, became the world's largest maker of oven and broiler pan shelves and once employed more than 1,000 people before being sold to Eagle-Picher Industries in 1969. Cascarelli's, begun as a fruit push-cart in 1897 and established at its South Superior Street location in 1909, is among the longest-running downtown businesses and today operates as a restaurant. The city's manufacturing base declined in the late 20th century, and the modern economy leans on Albion College, downtown revitalization, and the Albion Economic Development Corporation.

Culture and community. The Festival of the Forks, held annually since 1967, celebrates Albion's diverse ethnic heritage and is the city's signature street festival, named for The Forks of the Kalamazoo River. Albion College's teams compete as the Britons in NCAA Division III. A rich immigrant church heritage, including the Lithuanian-built Holy Ascension Orthodox Church (1916). Albion is a sister city with Noisy-le-Roi, France.

What makes Albion distinct. Albion's original English-speaking settlers called it 'The Forks,' and the nickname long outlived the formal name, eventually attaching to the city's famous street festival. Food writer M.F.K. Fisher, children's author Jon Scieszka (The Stinky Cheese Man), avant-garde musician Kim Cascone, and jazz bassist and producer Bill Laswell all have Albion roots. For much of the 20th century a single Albion factory (Union Steel Products) supplied a huge share of the world's oven and broiler pan shelves. The city's population peaked at 12,749 in 1960 and fell to about 7,700 by 2020 as its factories closed.

Albion Landmarks and Local Life

• Albion College - an 1835 liberal-arts campus at the heart of the city
• The Bohm Theatre - a restored historic downtown movie theater
• The National Historic District in downtown Albion along Superior Street.
• The Forks - the confluence of the north and south branches of the Kalamazoo River that gives the city its nickname