Parma is a city in
New Madrid County
; french: Comté de New Madrid) is a county located in the Bootheel of the U.S. state of Missouri. As of the 2020 census, the population was 16,434. The largest city and county seat is New Madrid, located on the northern side of the Kentucky Bend ...
,
Missouri
Missouri is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee ...
, United States. The population was 713 at the
2010 census.
History
Parma was first incorporated as a village in 1900.
At the turn of the 20th century, Parma contained two saw mills.
In 1903, Parma, along with the neighboring community of Lotta, was incorporated as a village, retaining the name "Parma."
It became a fourth class city in 1905.
On April 14, 2015, Tyus Byrd was sworn in as the first African-American woman mayor of Parma. Byrd succeeded Randall Ramsey, who had been mayor of Parma for a total of 37 years. Shortly before Byrd was to be sworn in, four of the city's six police officers resigned, along with the city's clerk and the supervisor of water treatment.
On November 23, 2020, Tyus Byrd was arrested in Jonesboro, Arkansas on stealing $25,000 or more and forgery charges.
On May 4, 2021, Tyus Byrd was charged with two counts of forgery and two counts of receiving stolen property.
Geography
Parma is located on
Missouri Route 153
Route 153 is a highway in southeastern Missouri, United States. Its northern terminus is at U.S. Route 60 midway between Sikeston and Dexter. Its southern terminus is at Route 25 north of Kennett.
Major intersections
References
...
one mile south of the
Stoddard-New Madrid county line. It is 6.5 miles northwest of
Malden and 15 miles west of
New Madrid.
According to the
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...
, the city has a total area of , all land.
Demographics
2010 census
As of the
census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses incl ...
of 2010, there were 713 people, 283 households, and 196 families residing in the city. The
population density
Population density (in agriculture: standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical term.Matt RosenberPopul ...
was . There were 342 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 67.46%
White
White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White on ...
, 29.45%
Black
Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white have o ...
or
African American
African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...
, 0.14%
Native American, 0.56%
Native Hawaiian
Native Hawaiians (also known as Indigenous Hawaiians, Kānaka Maoli, Aboriginal Hawaiians, First Hawaiians, or simply Hawaiians) ( haw, kānaka, , , and ), are the indigenous ethnic group of Polynesian people of the Hawaiian Islands.
Hawaii ...
or
Pacific Islander
Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe the original p ...
, 1.12% from
other races
Other often refers to:
* Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy
Other or The Other may also refer to:
Film and television
* ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack
* ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...
, and 1.26% from two or more races.
Hispanic
The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad.
The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to Vic ...
or
Latino
Latino or Latinos most often refers to:
* Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America
* Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States
* The people or cultures of Latin America;
** Latin A ...
of any race were 2.81% of the population.
There were 283 households, of which 36.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.4% were
married couples
Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between t ...
living together, 22.6% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.2% had a male householder with no wife present, and 30.7% were non-families. 25.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.52 and the average family size was 2.97.
The median age in the city was 39.8 years. 26.2% of residents were under the age of 18; 7.8% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 22.5% were from 25 to 44; 28.6% were from 45 to 64; and 15% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.9% male and 51.1% female.
2000 census
As of the
census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses incl ...
of 2000, there were 852 people, 333 households, and 229 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 383 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 57.39%
White
White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White on ...
, 41.55%
African American
African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...
, 0.12% from
other races
Other often refers to:
* Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy
Other or The Other may also refer to:
Film and television
* ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack
* ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...
, and 0.94% from two or more races.
Hispanic
The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad.
The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to Vic ...
or
Latino
Latino or Latinos most often refers to:
* Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America
* Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States
* The people or cultures of Latin America;
** Latin A ...
of any race were 0.82% of the population.
There were 333 households, out of which 30.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.4% were
married couples
Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between t ...
living together, 18.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.2% were non-families. 28.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.56 and the average family size was 3.11.
In the city, the population was spread out, with 27.3% under the age of 18, 9.4% from 18 to 24, 25.8% from 25 to 44, 21.0% from 45 to 64, and 16.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 85.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 78.4 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $18,804, and the median income for a family was $23,333. Males had a median income of $24,444 versus $15,804 for females. The
per capita income
Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population.
Per capita i ...
for the city was $11,031. About 29.5% of families and 34.1% of the population were below the
poverty line
The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...
, including 53.8% of those under age 18 and 15.0% of those age 65 or over.
Climate
Climate is characterized by relatively long, hot summers and cool winters with evenly distributed precipitation throughout the year. The
Köppen Climate Classification
The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, notabl ...
subtype for this climate is "
Cfa" (Humid Subtropical Climate).
Education
Public schools
Currently, Parma has no local school system. Students attend
New Madrid County Central New Madrid County Central is a secondary school located in New Madrid County, Missouri. It serves grades 912 and is located just outside Howardville, Missouri. The school serves to a majority of New Madrid County, except for Risco High School, Porta ...
R-I School District in
New Madrid.
History
After the founding of the community of Parma, rapid growth led to the formation of a school system. From the late 1890s to 1910, various one room structures in the Parma area were utilized for education. The first structure for strictly school purposes was erected in 1910. By 1935, an increasing student population demanded the need for a larger high school building. With 9.9 square feet per pupil, Amendment No. 3 or The School Bond was placed on the ballot. After a summer of strong campaigning from the school district and other community leaders, Amendment No. 3 passed by a vote of 284-29 on October 19, 1935. Construction commenced in the fall of 1936 and the first classes began in the fall of 1937. The original 1933 gymnasium burned in 1944. Once again, the citizens of Parma banded together to fund construction of a new gymnasium which was completed by fall of 1944. The athletic teams, known as the Parma Pirates, were the pride of the school and surrounding community. In 1980, the Parma Consolidated School District No. 5 was consolidated into the New Madrid County Central R-I School District. Over the next several decades, the school complex fell into a state of disrepair. A major fire in the fall of 2010 brought the entire high school complex to the ground.
2017 Memorial
![2017 Memorial](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e9/2017_Memorial.jpg)
In the summer of 2016, several PHS alumni and former community leaders formed the Parma School Memorial Committee. They were successful in their efforts to raise funds to construct a large monument on the grounds of the old high school building. The memorial was dedicated on July 1, 2017.
Public library
Parma has a lending library, a branch of the New Madrid County Library.
Notable people
*
Christene Merick
Southeast Missouri State University (SEMO) is a public university in Cape Girardeau, Missouri. In addition to the main campus, the university has four regional campuses offering full degree programs and a secondary campus housing the Holland Col ...
, American philanthropist who was born in Parma
References
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Cities in New Madrid County, Missouri
1900 establishments in Missouri
Populated places established in 1900
Cities in Missouri