Albion is a city in Calhoun County in the south central region of the Lower Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan.

The earliest English-speaking settlers also called this area The Forks, because it is at the confluence of the north and south branches of the Kalamazoo River.

In the early 20th century, immigrants came to Albion from various eastern European nations, including the current Lithuania and Russia.

In the 21st century, Albion's culture is changing to that of a college town whose residents have a strong interest in technology and sustainability.

The first European-American settler, Tenney Peabody, arrived in 1833 along with his brother-in-law, Charles Blanchard, and another young man, Clark Dowling.

Many early settlers migrated to Albion from western New York and New England, part of a movement after the construction of the Erie Canal and the opening of new lands in Michigan and other Great Lakes territories.

Heavy rains and warmer conditions in early March created water saturation in the ground and risk of flooding because of the rivers' high flow.

In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, numerous Lithuanian and other Eastern European immigrants settled there, most working for the Albion Malleable Iron Company, and some in the coal mine north of town.

The iron company initially made agricultural implements, but around World War I shifted to making automotive parts.

In 1975 the closure of a major factory began a difficult period of industrial restructuring and decline in jobs and population.

Amtrak provides daily service to Albion, operating its Wolverine both directions between Chicago, Illinois and Pontiac, Michigan, via Detroit.

Greyhound Lines provides daily intercity city bus service to Albion between Chicago and Detroit.