Five Things You May Not Know About Parma

Cleveland skyline as seen from State Road in Parma, Ohio.

So, you think you know Parma? Like most residents, you probably know that Parma, with over 80,000 residents, is the seventh largest city in Ohio and Cleveland's largest suburb. You may even know that Parma is commonly considered to be the pierogi capital of Ohio and that plastic ornamental flamingos, especially those of the pink variety, seem to decorate many of Parma's neatly maintained front lawns. But here are five things you may not know about Parma, Ohio. 

Parma was recently ranked the third safest city in the United States and safest city in Ohio. This ranking, published by NeighborhoodScout.com which features enterprise-grade data for every neighborhood and city in the country, includes cities with populations over 25,000 and is based on the total number of violent and property crimes per 1,000 residents according to the most recent FBI crime statistics. Crime data for Parma shows a crime index score of 90 out of 100, indicating Parma is safer than 90 percent of the cities in the United States, with an annual violent crime rate of 0.69 per 1,000 residents and a property crime rate of 5.57 per 1,000 residents. The total annual crime rate is 6.26 per 1,000 residents.

Parma is consistently rated one of the best suburban values in the Greater Cleveland area according to Cleveland Magazine’s annual “Rating the Suburbs” feature. Other cities that made the list include Parma Heights, Lakewood, Brook Park, Berea, and North Olmsted.

Parma has taken the lead in becoming a more pet-friendly destination and distinguished itself as Ohio's first "Guardian City" by updating language in its animal-related ordinances to recognize and promote a higher standard of responsibility, care, and respect for animal companions. In doing so, Parma became the 18th city to join the ranks of pet-friendly guardian communities. These ranks include the cities of San Francisco, Beverly Hills, and West Hollywood, California; Boulder, Colorado; St. Louis, Missouri; and Bloomington, Indiana. 

Parma is shown to be the one of the top three most popular destinations for young adults between the ages of 25 and 34 according to a recent report titled "Mapping Human Capital: Where Northeast Ohio's Young and Middle-Age Adults are Migrating." Of the top three destinations, a closer look at the data reveals an increase of 3,148 young adults in Lakewood, 1,842 in downtown Cleveland, and 1,379 in Parma. “Right now, Parma is hot!” says the report's author, Richey Piiparinen, an urban planning researcher, co-editor of “Rust Belt Chic: A Cleveland Anthology,” and senior writer at Belt Magazine.

Parma has seen home prices rise by seven percent over the past two years as people continue to buy more homes in Parma than any other suburb in the Greater Cleveland area. With various ongoing improvements that include the exciting redevelopment of the soon-to-be pedestrian friendly Shoppes at Parma, two new large modern libraries, and revitalization of the city’s increasingly trendy and very walkable Polish Village and Ukrainian Village commercial districts, a thriving 21st century Parma continues to be a popular community of choice for those who value plentiful services, modern amenities, a competitive cost of living, and a high quality of life.

Stefan P. Stefaniuk

Stefan P. Stefaniuk has been a Parma resident since 1982 and enjoyed growing up in Parma's incredible historic downtown neighborhood. After serving five years in the U.S. Navy, he was honorably discharged in 2009 and returned to Parma with his wife and two children. Today, he works as a licensed Realtor at Howard Hanna Real Estate, is a graduate student at the Maxine Goodman Levin College of Urban Affairs, and is also actively involved with various neighborhood revitalization initiatives in the Parma area.

Read More on News
Volume 6, Issue 3, Posted 12:39 PM, 03.05.2014