Parchment, MI
| Parchment, Michigan | |
|---|---|
| City | |
 Location of Parchment, Michigan |
|
| Coordinates: 42°19′32″N 85°34′4″W / 42.32556°N 85.56778°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Michigan |
| County | Kalamazoo |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Robert B. Heasley |
| • Vice Mayor | Robert D. Britigan III |
| Area | |
| • Total | 0.93 sq mi (2.41 km2) |
| • Land | 0.92 sq mi (2.38 km2) |
| • Water | 0.01 sq mi (0.03 km2) |
| Elevation | 774 ft (236 m) |
| Population (2010) | |
| • Total | 1,804 |
| • Estimate (2012) | 1,830 |
| • Density | 1,960.9/sq mi (757.1/km2) |
| Time zone | Eastern (EST) (UTC-5) |
| • Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) |
| ZIP code | 49004 |
| Area code(s) | 269 |
| FIPS code | 26-62340 |
| GNIS feature ID | 0634353 |
Parchment is a city in Kalamazoo County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The 2010 census recorded a population of 1,804. The name is derived from the parchment company that used to manufacture there.
Parchment is located just northeast of the city of Kalamazoo, and is mostly surrounded by Kalamazoo Township.
The Kalamazoo Vegetable Parchment Company was founded in 1909. The founder, Jacob Kindleberger set up shop along the Kalamazoo River. The company then started selling pieces of land located around the mill to the mill workers. In 1932, "Uncle Jake" left a tract of 40 acres (160,000 m2) located in the center of the city, this later became Kindleberger Park in his honor. Later in 1939 Parchment became a city by a majority vote, and has become known as "The Paper City" since then. Over the years the KVP company was bought out by or merged with other companies including, Sutherland Paper Company, Brown Company, James River, and finally Crown-Vantage. 2000 marked the end of paper making in Parchment and the city has struggled to keep itself afloat. Now a great debate in the city exists as to what to do with the old paper mill property. As of 2011 the first mill building has been demolished with plans to demolish the other building at a later date.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 0.93 square miles (2.41 km2), of which 0.92 square miles (2.38 km2) is land and 0.01 square miles (0.03 km2) is water.
Parchment is east of the Kalamazoo River.
In the November 2010 gubernatorial election, 588 ballots were cast in the city of Parchment.
The city of Parchment has three elementary schools, one middle school, and one high school. Parchment High School was built in 1959 to accommodate the city's growing population. Prior to 1959, Parchment students went through 8th grade and then went to Kalamazoo Central High School.
As of the census of 2010, there were 1,804 people, 786 households, and 484 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,960.9 inhabitants per square mile (757.1/km2). There were 881 housing units at an average density of 957.6 per square mile (369.7/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 84.6% White, 8.5% African American, 0.2% Native American, 1.3% Asian, 1.3% from other races, and 4.0% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.4% of the population.
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