Parma, Ohio

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 a city 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. 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 housed Nike missiles located in underground silos. Between 1950 and 1960 Parma's population soared from 28,897 to 82,845 (during the 1960's it was the fastest growing city in the U.S.). The population peaked in 1970 at 100,216 before falling to the currently estimated population of 81,000.

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 European, 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.

A section of Parma is named "Ukranian Village". The Serbian community is growing in population.

Geography
Parma is located at °N, °W (41.391852, -81.728502).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 20.0 square miles (51.7 km²), of which, 20.0 square miles (51.7 km²) of it is land and 0.04 square miles (0.1 km²) of it 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
As of the census of 2000, there were 85,655 people, 35,126 households, and 23,323 families residing in the city. The population density was 4,291.4 people per square mile (1,656.9/km²). There were 36,414 housing units at an average density of 1,824.3 per square mile (704.4/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 95.67% White, 1.06% Black, 0.14% Native American, 1.57% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.45% from other races, and 1.09% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.54% of the population.

There were 35,126 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.

The median income for a household in the city was $43,920, and the median income for a family was $52,436. Males had a median income of $39,801 versus $27,701 for females. The per capita income for the city was $21,293. About 3.3% of families and 4.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.6% of those under age 18 and 4.0% of those age 65 or over.

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.

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 the city's town hall is Parmatown Mall, which is the location of the Parma Area Chamber of Commerce.

Education
The city contains three public high schools: Parma Senior High School, and Normandy High School. Valley Forge High School, though part of the same district, is located in Parma Heights, Ohio. 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 and as of 2005 was the largest private, co-educational secondary school in northeast Ohio. 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 from Los Angeles's Mount Wilson (California) with concentration of antennas and transmitters.

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)

Notable natives

 * Erich Gliebe, CEO and acting chair of the white supremacist National Alliance, professional boxer known as the Aryan Barbarian
 * Michael Bierut, Graphic Designer, National President AIGA (1998–2001), Pentagram Partner
 * Hector Boiardi, better known as Chef Boyardee, died in Parma in 1985.
 * Sean Brennan, Parma City Council, Ward 2 (2005–2010), Parma City Council President (2011–Present)
 * Carmen Cozza, football coach at Yale University.
 * Timothy DeGeeter, State Representative
 * Dan Fritsche, NHL, Minnesota Wild
 * Tom Fritsche, NHL, Prospect of Colorado Avalanche
 * Mike Garcia, (starting pitcher for the Cleveland Indians in the 1950s—he ran "Big Bear Cleaners" in Parma, Ohio)
 * Michael T. Good, NASA astronaut
 * Brian Holzinger, NHL, Buffalo Sabres
 * 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
 * Alan Ruck, Actor (Ferris Bueller's Day Off, Spin City), graduate of Parma High
 * John D. Rockefeller, founded Standard Oil Company