Парма, Миссури: История и современность маленького города

Parma is a city in New Madrid County, Missouri, United States. The population was 713 at the 2010 census.

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.

Parma is located on Missouri Route 153 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 city has a total area of 0.69 square miles (2 km2), all land.

As of the census of 2010, there were 713 people, 283 households, and 196 families residing in the city. The population density was There were 342 housing units at an average density of The racial makeup of the city was 67.46% White, 29.45% Black or African American, 0.14% Native American, 0.56% Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, 1.12% from other races, and 1.26% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino 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 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.

Currently, Parma has no local school system. Students attend New Madrid County Central R I School District in New Madrid.

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.

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.

Parma has a lending library, a branch of the New Madrid County Library.