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History · Parma

Parma dates to 1900

Most of Parma was built recently: 9% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1970. Below: maps from 1940 on and the census since 1910.

1900founded
0on the National Register
9%homes built before 1940
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Photo: Zachhedrick · CC BY-SA 4.0
Quick answers

How Parma began

When was Parma founded?

1900

Parma dates its founding to 1900 (Wikidata). The census first counted it in 1910.

First census: 905 in 19102020 census: 555126 years
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1903.The full story ↓

What stands out about Parma’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of Parma are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Boom and bustPeaked at 1,241 in 1920; 555 people lived here in 2020.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Parma’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Parma’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
People over time

Parma, census by census

02004006008001,0001,200192019401960198020002020Peak: 1,241

Peaked at 1,241 in 1920; 555 people lived here in 2020.

12 censuses, 1910–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Parma’s Wikipedia page.

The story

How Parma came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Parma.

Read it all →

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."

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.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Parma, 1900 to 1940

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 20th century
  2. 1900
    FoundingParma is established
  3. 1903Post officeThe Parma post office opens
  4. 1920CensusPopulation peaks at 1,241
  5. 1940On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
By decade

Parma, decade by decade

Today2 recent
2017 Memorial20172017 MemorialParma Aerial2016Parma Aerial
On the map

Parma on the map, 1940 to 1978

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Parma. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Parma on the 1940 USGS mapParma on the 1956 USGS mapParma on the 1978 USGS map1940Malden sheet · 1:62,500

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Parma.

Famous people

Famous people close to Parma

Nobody well known was born in Parma itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.

See all →
George WoodsAmerican shot putter · b. 1943
Carl Edward BaileyArkansas politician · b. 1894
A.C. ReedAmerican blues saxophonist · b. 1926
Andrew J. HinshawAmerican politician · b. 1923
Bill BurlisonAmerican politician · b. 1931
A
April ScottAmerican actress-model · b. 1979

Questions about Parma’s history

What year was Parma founded?

In 1900, according to Wikidata. Parma’s post office opened in 1903, and the census of 1910 counted 905 people here.

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
Start a conversation
Sources

Where this page comes from

Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021). How TownRatings grades history →

From Wikimedia Commons (2), Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.