From a rambling bush to a model garden city
In short: Before becoming a bustling Cleveland suburb, the area was known as Greenbriar because of its rambling bushes. It took a doctor returning from Italy to convince the early settlers that their home deserved a more prestigious name, leading to a transformation from a simple farming settlement into a model village.
The transformation of Parma began with a shift in identity. In 1806, the land was surveyed as Township 6 - Range 13 in the Western Reserve. It was initially called Greenbriar, but by the time the settlement reached twenty householders, Dr. David Long proposed a change. Having been impressed by the grandeur of Parma, Italy, he persuaded residents that the name Greenbriar lacked sufficient prestige for the growing community.
The official transition occurred on March 7, 1826, when a resolution was passed to organize the new township as Parma. This era was defined by agricultural roots and early infrastructure. The first schoolhouse was a log structure on a hill, and the town's early roads—now known as Broadview, Ridge, and York—were established to accommodate settlers arriving from New York and other regions. By 1850, the population was a modest 1,329.
Parma’s modern character was forged through 20th-century ambition and crisis. In the 1920s, it transitioned from a farming hub to a village, spurred by H. A. Stahl’s Ridgewood Gardens. This "model village" was designed as a Garden City to rival Shaker Heights, aiming to house 40,000 residents in a healthy environment free from industrial smoke. Despite the Great Depression nearly halting growth and sparking annexation talks with Cleveland, the city survived through the 1936 Gallagher Act and a building boom leading into World War II.
Post-war migration turned Parma into a national leader in growth; by 1956, it was the fastest-growing city in the United States. Serving as the home for Ohio's biggest Ukrainian population, this site is also the 1983-founded headquarters of the Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy of Saint Josaphat.
theme_history mood_reflective difficulty_2 topics_["urban-development", "american-history", "cultural-identity"]
David Long persuaded residents to rename the town after Parma, Italy", "Parma was incorporated as a village on December 15, 1924", "H. A.
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- Summary by Intellect · source: Parma, Ohio
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