Parchment, Michigan
| 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 (2016) | 1,854 |
| • Density | 1,900/sq mi (750/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. In the mid 50's Kalamazoo Public school district was considering annexing Parchment into their district. Laurence Tisch, who read water meters for the city started a petition with his wife Jean Tisch to build a new High School. The community was successful in purchasing property and the school was built. The first class graduated in 1961.
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