Parma is a village in Jackson County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 780 at the 2020 census. The village is divided into three sections with boundaries in Parma Township and Sandstone Charter Township.
History
Parma was originally located a few miles east of its current location along the Michigan Central Railroad at a stop known as Gidley's Station. When it was moved to its current location, it was known as Groveland, after a noticeable grove of trees within the town. Part of this grove still exists where Grove St. curves around a copse of trees near its intersection with Westlawn St. in the eastern half of Parma. When the village was incorporated in 1847, its name was changed to Parma. In the early 1900s Parma was also known as Cracker Hill. A book titled Cracker Hill Crumbs, about the village's history, was published in 1975.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of , all land. Parma is bisected by a township line; as a result, the town lies in both Parma and Sandstone townships.
Demographics
2010 census
As of the census of 2010, there were 769 people, 287 households, and 207 families residing in the village. The population density was . There were 322 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the village was 95.8% White, 0.4% African American, 0.4% Native American, 0.9% Asian, 0.7% from other races, and 1.8% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.5% of the population.
There were 287 households, of which 41.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.8% were married couples living together, 16.4% had a female householder with no husband present, 7.0% had a male householder with no wife present, and 27.9% were non-families. 20.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.62 and the average family size was 3.01.
The median age in the village was 36.5 years. 29% of residents were under the age of 18; 8.9% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 22.6% were from 25 to 44; 26.7% were from 45 to 64; and 12.6% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the village was 51.5% male and 48.5% female.
2000 census
As of the census
In 1989, the Michigan Automotive Compressors, Inc. (MACI), an automotive parts plant owned jointly by two Japanese parent companies,
Toyota Motor Corporation, and Denso was built.
According to the company's webpage, MACI specializes in the manufacturing of automotive air conditioning compressors with a magnetic clutch, used in the production of various brands of cars.