Parma, Ohio

City of Parma
—  City  —
Stearns Homestead
Location of Parma in Ohio
Location of Parma in Cuyahoga County (County Council District 4)
Coordinates: 41°23′31″N 81°43′43″W
Country	United States
State	Ohio
County	Cuyahoga
Founded	1816
Township	March 7, 1826
Incorporated	Fall, 1924 (village) & January 1, 1931 (city)
Government
• Mayor	Timothy J. DeGeeter
Area
• City	20.07 sq mi (51.98 km2)
• Land	20.02 sq mi (51.85 km2)
• Water	0.05 sq mi (0.13 km2)
Elevation	866 ft (264 m)
Population (2010)
• City	81,601
• Estimate (2011)	80,968
• Density	4,076.0/sq mi (1,573.8/km2)
• Metro	2,068,283 (US: 28th)
Time zone	EST (UTC-5)
• Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC-4)
Area code(s)	440 216
FIPS code	39-61000
GNIS feature ID	1049063
Website	http://www.cityofparma-oh.gov

Parma is a city in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, United States. It is the largest suburb of Cleveland and the seventh largest city in the state of Ohio. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 81,601.

History

Parma is southwest of Cleveland; it is bounded by Cleveland and Brooklyn on the north, Brooklyn Heights, and Seven Hills on the east, North Royalton and Broadview Heights on the south, and Brook Park, Middleburg Heights, and Parma Heights on the west. Parma was originally part of Parma Township, created on March 7, 1826. The first settlers were the Benaiah Fay family from New York state, who settled along the Cleveland-Columbus Road in 1816. The name was taken from Parma, New York, where it was probably derived from the early 19th century fascination with classical Italy. During the 19th century, Parma remained largely agricultural. In 1912, a portion of the township seceded to form the village of Parma Heights. In the fall of 1924, Parma was incorporated as a village, and in 1926 it adopted the mayor-council form of government. On January 1, 1931, a proposition to annex it to the city of Cleveland was defeated, and Parma became a city. The water-supply reservoir in Parma Reservoir Park, planned in the 1920s and completed in 1936 using WPA labor, is still in use today.

Parma's tremendous growth came after World War II as young families began moving from Cleveland into the suburbs. During the Cold War, Parma's Nike Site Park, now James Day Park, housed Nike missiles located in underground silos. Between 1950 and 1960, Parma's population soared from 28,897 to 82,845 (during the 1960s it was the fastest growing city in the U.S.). The population peaked in 1970 at 100,216 before falling to the 2010 population of 81,601.

Parma was, throughout the 1960s and 1970s, the butt of jokes by local movie show hosts Ghoulardi, Big Chuck & Little John, and The Ghoul, due to its Eastern Europe and, most specifically, Polish, make-up. Ghoulardi famously made a series of shorts called "Parma Place." The jokes dealt with Parmans' alleged love of white socks, pink flamingos, chrome balls, kielbasa and pierogi and the polka.

There are sections of Parma named both the "Ukrainian Village", and the "Polish Village". Parma is the seat of both a Ukrainian Catholic diocese and a Ruthenian Catholic diocese, in each case one of four in the United States.

Geography

Parma is located at 41°23′31″N 81°43′43″W (41.391852, -81.728502).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 20.07 square miles (51.98 km²), of which, 20.02 square miles (51.85 km²) is land and 0.05 square miles (0.13 km²) is water.

Two major changes and developments have recently occurred regarding several principal sites within the city:

1. The West Creek Preservation Agency has worked to preserve various historic and natural sites in the city, including the Henninger House and the West Creek Watershed.
2. Henninger House, the oldest home in Parma, which was built in 1849, is planned to be part of the proposed Quarry Creek Historic District.

Demographics

Historical populations
Census	Pop.		%±
1930	13,899		—
1940	16,365		17.7%
1950	28,897		76.6%
1960	82,845		186.7%
1970	100,216		21.0%
1980	92,548		−7.7%
1990	87,876		−5.0%
2000	85,655		−2.5%
2010	81,601		−4.7%
Est. 2011	80,968		−0.8%
Population 1930-2000. U.S. Decennial Census 2011 estimate

87.03% spoke English, 2.26% Ukrainian, 1.68% Polish, 1.27% Spanish, 1.24% German, and 1.18% Italian as their first language.

The median income for a household in the city was $48,950, and the median income for a family was $57,826. The per capita income for the city was $24,528. About 7.5% of the population were below the poverty line.

2010 census

As of the census of 2010, there were 81,601 people, 34,489 households, and 21,646 families residing in the city. The population density was 4,076.0 inhabitants per square mile (1,573.8 /km²). There were 36,608 housing units at an average density of 1,828.6 per square mile (706.0 /km²). The racial makeup of the city was 93.0% White, 2.3% African American, 0.2% Native American, 1.9% Asian, 1.0% from other races, and 1.6% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.6% of the population. 22.5% were of German, 17.6% Polish, 14.8% Italian, 13.8% Irish, 7.4% Slovak, 6.7% English, 5.3% Ukrainian, 2.6% French, 2.2% Serbian, 1.9% Czech, 1.4% Arab, and 1.2% Croatian, Lithuanian, and Russian ancestries according to the 2010 Census.

There were 34,489 households out of which 27.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.7% were married couples living together, 12.4% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.6% had a male householder with no wife present, and 37.2% were non-families. 31.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.34 and the average family size was 2.95.

The median age in the city was 41.5 years. 20.4% of residents were under the age of 18; 8.5% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 25.7% were from 25 to 44; 27.7% were from 45 to 64; and 17.7% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.1% male and 51.9% female.

2000 census

In 2000, there were 35,326 households out of which 27.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.7% were married couples living together, 10.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.6% were non-families. 29.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.40 and the average family size was 2.99.

In the city the population was spread out with 22.3% under the age of 18, 7.0% from 18 to 24, 29.6% from 25 to 44, 21.5% from 45 to 64, and 19.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 91.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.3 males.

Crime

Parma ranks as one of the safest cities in the United States with a population between 60,000 and 100,000. Parma's ranking has declined in recent years from 17th safest to 19th safest. As of 3 November 2006, the rank has fallen further to 32nd.

Transportation

Parma's major north-south roads, in order from west to east, are:

• West 130th Street, which forms part of the western border of Parma,
• Chevrolet Boulevard/Stumph Road/York Road,
• Ridge Road (State Route 3),
• West 54th Street
• State Road (State Route 94),
• Broadview Road (State Route 176), which forms part of the eastern boundary of Parma. The State Route 176 designation continues northward via the Jennings Freeway, connecting Parma to downtown Cleveland.

Its major east-west roads, in order from north to south, are:

• I-480, running just north of Parma's northern border,
• Brookpark Road (State Route 17), forming Parma's northern border with Cleveland,
• Snow Road,
• West Ridgewood Drive,
• West Pleasant Valley Road, and
• Sprague Road, which forms the southern border of Parma.

Also, Pearl Road (U.S. Route 42) runs from southwest to northeast through northern Parma for less than two miles.

Public transportation in Parma includes bus routes operated by the Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority, which serves the city of Cleveland and Cuyahoga County suburbs.

Economy

During the population boom between 1950 and 1980, Parma's commercial sector grew to match its residential sector. Since the 1950s, Parma has fostered the growth of many small businesses and been an operating hub for such well-known companies as General Motors, the Union Carbide Research Center (now GrafTech International) and Cox Cable Television.

Located close to City Hall, at Ridge Rd. and West Ridgewood Dr., is Parmatown Mall, which is the location of the Parma Area Chamber of Commerce.

Education

The Parma City School District serves Parma, Parma Heights and Seven Hills and contains three public high schools: Parma Senior High School, and Normandy High School in Parma; Valley Forge High School, though part of the same district, is located in Parma Heights. The schools share a common stadium for football and track events, called Byers Field. The rivalry that exists between these schools is well documented. Normandy High School is located in the southeastern part of the city, and its population is made up of students from south Parma, and Seven Hills. Valley Forge is located in the southwestern portion of Parma Heights, and includes students from southwestern Parma, as well as Parma Heights. Parma High School is located in the center of the city, and includes students from central and northern Parma.

Each high school has a corresponding middle school, and each middle school has a specific group of elementary schools. Together, each set of schools is known as a "cluster."

The city also is home to a private Catholic high school, Padua Franciscan High School. Founded in 1961 as a school for boys, Padua Franciscan became co-educational in 1983. Padua's principal rivalry is with Holy Name High School, located in nearby Parma Heights.

The city also is home to Cuyahoga Community College Western Campus.

Television and radio towers

Parma is the location of most of the Cleveland area's television and FM radio transmission towers.

When Cleveland started to get television service in the late 1940s, WEWS-TV (Channel 5), the first television station in Ohio, picked a site on State Road. At the time, Parma was transitioning from a rural enclave to an urban area. Parma was selected for its high elevation. At almost 1,100 feet above sea level, it is 500 feet higher than downtown Cleveland. Other local stations followed, and nearly all local TV and FM radio outlets broadcast from Parma, or from other nearby suburbs.

The television towers are taller than downtown Cleveland's tallest buildings, and can be seen from great distance in Cleveland, and most of its southern suburbs. Airline pilots and broadcast experts call the collection of towers in and near Parma the Cleveland area's "antenna farm". Parma is second only to Los Angeles's Mount Wilson (California) with the greatest concentration of antennas and transmitters in the U.S.^{[citation needed]}

Heights of Parma's television towers

• WEWS-TV 5 (ABC) - 1,060 feet (State Road)
• WJW-TV 8 (FOX) - 1,080 feet (Pleasant Valley Road at State Road)
• WOIO-TV 19 (CBS) - 1,149 feet (Broadview Road)
• WKYC 3 (NBC) - 1,150 feet (Broadview Road) To be replaced in the spring 2009 and shared with WVIZ-TV
• WBNX-TV 55 (CW) - 1,020 feet (West Ridgewood Drive)
• WQHS-TV 61 (Univisión) - 916 feet (Hawthorne Drive)
• WUAB 43 (My) - 915 feet (Bruening Drive)

Mayors

Frank D. Johnson	1928-1933
Anthony A. Fleger	1934-1935
Roland E. Reichert	1936-1942
Sylvester Augustine	1942-1945
Roland E. Reichert	1946-1949
Lawrence Stary	1950-1951
Stephen A. Zona	1952-1957
Joseph W. Kadar	1958-1959
Sylvester Augustine	1960-1961
John Bobko	1961
James W. Day	1962-1967
John Petruska	1967-1987
Michael A. Ries	1988-1994
Gerald Boldt	1994-2003
Dean DePiero	2004–2012
Timothy DeGeeter	2012–Present

Notable natives

• Michael Bierut, graphic designer, National President AIGA (1998–2001), Pentagram Partner
• Hector Boiardi, better known as Chef Boyardee, died in Parma in 1990.
• Carmen Cozza, football coach at Yale University.
• Timothy DeGeeter, state representative
• Dan Fritsche, NHL, Minnesota Wild
• Tom Fritsche, NHL, Colorado Avalanche
• Mike Garcia, (starting pitcher for the Cleveland Indians in the 1950s—he ran "Big Bear Cleaners" in Parma, Ohio)
• Erich Gliebe, CEO and acting chair of the white supremacist National Alliance, professional boxer known as the Aryan Barbarian
• Michael T. Good, NASA astronaut
• Brian Holzinger, NHL, Buffalo Sabres
• James Hoye, umpire in Major League Baseball
• William Kowalski, prolific author and educator.
• Ted Levine, actor (Silence of the Lambs, The Mangler, Monk, The Hills Have Eyes)
• James A. Lovell, NASA Astronaut (Apollo 13 mission) (a native of Cleveland, he spent part of his youth on Parma's north side)
• Mike Mizanin, former WWE Champion, Professional WWE Wrestler known under the ring name The Miz
• Clint Nageotte, professional baseball player
• Ransom E. Olds, automotive pioneer lived in Parma as a boy from 1874 to 1878.
• Kermit Poling, conductor, violinist and composer; Music Director of the South Arkansas Symphony; concertmaster of the Shreveport Symphony Orchestra
• John D. Rockefeller, founded Standard Oil Company
• Frank Romano, guitarist, songwriter and record producer
• Alan Ruck, actor (Ferris Bueller's Day Off, Spin City), graduate of Parma High
• Andrew Baron, Famous Calvin Klein underwear model

References

References for Police Chiefs:

• Law Enforcement News
• RECORD REVOLUTION No. 6, INC., Plaintiff-Appellant, v. THE CITY OF PARMA, et al., Defendant-Appellee

External links

• City of Parma
• Parma Area Chamber of Commerce
• City Data