What is Parma really like? (Cleveland, Akron: real estate, apartment complexes, city hall)

[citydudeallover]

well who would have known , that Parma is a ghetto , and to say brookpark is nicer?
what are u thinking , and for all the people who just do not get the building of the
whole county and why u would find newer home ect. south of snow ur only guessing in fact, in 1929 a vote was cast by Parma Twp, residents ,to become part of The City of Cleveland,
it lost by only a few votes, Thats the problem around here, hell we could have grown
as one , like Chicago , if the people only knew, that even though it is not part of the City of Cleveland , it's a Ghetto ,I just found this site,do u people really move around,
and see different things, or , stay glued to ur computer ?

[BelieveInCleve]

Originally Posted by WeSoHood

I have come to the conclusion you may be in high school?

I did not read this until now, but no I am not in high school I am 27 years old. Also, I wouldnt really call Parma ghetto by any standards. Im not saying that Parma is Pepper Pike but calling it ghetto is a stretch. There is a little bit of trash and a little bit of decay but hardly any and other than that its not bad, definitely a huge step up from the city of Cleveland. North of snow road is really the only actually "bad" part of Parma if you can call it that.

Never did I think that I would actually hear someone call Parma a "ghetto" or anything related to that. Just because it has older housing and its a inner ring suburb of Cleveland doesnt mean its ghetto or even bad.

[Chef Boyardee]

Originally Posted by quijote

I've been to Cleveland and took a drive through some of the surrounding suburbs, but didn't get a chance to explore much in depth. The inner-ring suburb of Parma seems to have the (outdated?) reputation as a community of Catholic, ethnic people who like to bowl, eat pierogies, and put pink flamingoes on the lawn.... When I drove through Parma (a few years ago) I didn't see any pink flamingoes or bowling alleys, though. So what is it really like? Is it basically a mix of older ethnic people with younger newcomers? Is it blue collar, white collar, or...? Just curious-- In Milwaukee the communities of West Allis and Cudahy still carry the blue collar and bowling rep, and in Buffalo the city of Cheektowaga is still seen as predominantly Polish and blue collar. Just wondering if Parma is similar, or if things have changed (or never were that way)!

Yeah, Parma, just like everything else, has changed dramatically. People like to say, "it's diverse." What this actually means is:
~There are stores on Brookpark Road that you will get lots of cold stares in if you are not the "right" race/religion.
~You will see people at the mall that you only thought you would see on East 105th and Superior, West 25th and Lorain or in National Geographic.

Other changes include, a lot more blight than there used to be.

Given the alternatives, Parma is not a bad choice. Property is relatively inexpensive, taxes are decent, schools are relatively decent (Although personally, I think sending a child to any public school nowadays = abuse and neglect).

[2112]

I spent a lot of time in Parma in the late 90's. It wasn't ghetto by any stretch of the imagination... I *never* felt like I was in danger there. All in all I found it to be a kitschy city with horrible roads, too much traffic and a liberal (working-class, not progressive) feel.

One thing that I wasn't as fond of with Parma was that it took 15 minutes to get to a highway from where I was. That just seemed to make otherwise short trips too long.

[Chef Boyardee]

Originally Posted by 2112

I spent a lot of time in Parma in the late 90's. It wasn't ghetto by any stretch of the imagination... I *never* felt like I was in danger there. All in all I found it to be a kitschy city with horrible roads, too much traffic and a liberal (working-class, not progressive) feel.

One thing that I wasn't as fond of with Parma was that it took 15 minutes to get to a highway from where I was. That just seemed to make otherwise short trips too long.

It has changed.

[enigmakairos]

Heh. I'm really enjoying this thread.

Alumna of Parma City Schools here, and a minority to boot.

1: It's the largest suburb of Cleveland, so it's a little hard to attach one label to it. It's not "ghetto" but there are parts that may be called "ghetto" with validity. Ditto with the "run down" label.

2) Lots of Eastern European immigrants, from 1st to 5th or so generation. I can't tell you how many chicks named Miroluba I went to school with.

3) I experienced some minor racially-motivated incidents, all of which occurred at school (swastikas etched into desks I sat at, stuff like that.) Never anything..blatent. Lots of places to go that still aren't crazy about waiting on you or serving you if you're a minority. Had a few friends I could never visit at their home; parents would never allow a Negro in. So yeah, there are still plenty of racial issues. On the other hand, some of the nicest people I've ever had the privilege to meet were my neighbors in Parma. A lot of it depends on which part of Parma you move to.

4) Yeah, it's working class. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise. It's also RETIREMENT-CLASS. Darn near impossible to get a school levy passed because of the high concentration of seniors that don't care to pay for other people's kids to get ed-u-ma-kated. Lots of old folks. Lots and lots and lots.

5) The flamingos do exist, though they're rare (see above; OLD PEOPLE.) Parma also still had a problem with women thinking big hair was still in style, but that may have changed in the last... 7 years or so.

I'd agree with 2112 that it has kind of a kitchy feel to it. I enjoyed living there but it wouldn't be my destination nowadays.

Out of curiosity, does anyone remember the John Demjanjuk controversy? That was interesting to grow up around.

[BelieveInCleve]

Parma appears on the top 25 safest cities list pretty often. Of course thats not too reliable because Parma is a big suburb and doesnt really have to deal with the city problems that Cleveland does with the large poor population and the huge business and Industrial districts that sometimes attract crime. Also, there are very few suburbs with a population over 75,000 which is all the list includes, but still Parma is still pretty safe. It is mostly working class though.

[Sam_in_ND]

Originally Posted by enigmakairos

Heh. I'm really enjoying this thread.

Alumna of Parma City Schools here, and a minority to boot.

1: It's the largest suburb of Cleveland, so it's a little hard to attach one label to it. It's not "ghetto" but there are parts that may be called "ghetto" with validity. Ditto with the "run down" label.

2) Lots of Eastern European immigrants, from 1st to 5th or so generation. I can't tell you how many chicks named Miroluba I went to school with.

3) I experienced some minor racially-motivated incidents, all of which occurred at school (swastikas etched into desks I sat at, stuff like that.) Never anything..blatent. Lots of places to go that still aren't crazy about waiting on you or serving you if you're a minority. Had a few friends I could never visit at their home; parents would never allow a Negro in. So yeah, there are still plenty of racial issues. On the other hand, some of the nicest people I've ever had the privilege to meet were my neighbors in Parma. A lot of it depends on which part of Parma you move to.

4) Yeah, it's working class. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise. It's also RETIREMENT-CLASS. Darn near impossible to get a school levy passed because of the high concentration of seniors that don't care to pay for other people's kids to get ed-u-ma-kated. Lots of old folks. Lots and lots and lots.

5) The flamingos do exist, though they're rare (see above; OLD PEOPLE.) Parma also still had a problem with women thinking big hair was still in style, but that may have changed in the last... 7 years or so.

I'd agree with 2112 that it has kind of a kitchy feel to it. I enjoyed living there but it wouldn't be my destination nowadays.

Out of curiosity, does anyone remember the John Demjanjuk controversy? That was interesting to grow up around.

Just out of curiosity which parts of Parma could be called ghetto with validity? I haven't even visited there in 10 years, but none of my relatives who still live in various areas of Parma have mentioned that any part of the city has deteriorated to the point of being a ghetto. In fact one relative who resides near Pearl and Ridge actually mentioned the improvements that have been made to the area.

I do remember the Demjanjuk case. In fact I seen a report recently that they are still trying to deport him, but that there are no takers as of yet, and he may become stateless. My opinion is that if the Israelis set him free then we should just let him live out his days at home, especially given his advanced age and frail health.

[enigmakairos]

Originally Posted by Sam_in_ND

Just out of curiosity which parts of Parma could be called ghetto with validity? I haven't even visited there in 10 years, but none of my relatives who still live in various areas of Parma have mentioned that any part of the city has deteriorated to the point of being a ghetto.

The less-affluent areas of Parma are on the northwest border, and that tends to be where a good bit of the crime is concentrated (besides mall-related crime). Think Chevrolet Blvd near the GM plant. It doesn't have the look of Cleveland's primary housing projects, but similar elements tend to concentrate around there.

[Chef Boyardee]

Parma's alright, but it ain't what it used to be. Everything is starting to change though; it's a loss. Bottom line: people hate Multiculturalism and our elites had to use Troops to force it on us. Never forget that, no matter how much people pretend to like it, they don't and they never will.