Parchment, Michigan, offers outdoors and “small hometown feel”
Parchment, Michigan, gets its name from Kalamazoo Vegetable Parchment Company, an old paper mill that operated along the banks of the Kalamazoo River. The mill is long gone, but it brought in many workers who built homes here. Many of those decades-old homes remain and continue to draw buyers. City Manager Nancy Stoddard says Parchment’s outdoor activities and “small hometown feel” are some of its appeals. The community’s 2,000 residents live within minutes of a 40-acre city park and the Kalamazoo River, a popular spot for kayaking, paddleboarding and fishing. “The community has a lot to offer. I can’t say it’s one thing, but I can say it’s a combination of everything that makes it so charming,” Stoddard says. “It’s just a beautiful little community, and it’s charming with its parks and walkability.”
Community has many pre-World War II homes
Homes here are located along wide and narrow roads. Mature trees also surround many homes built before World War II. Cape Cod, ranch-style and Colonial Revival homes are common here. “It’s all different varieties. It’s everything from small single-family homes to larger, more stately varieties,” Stoddard says. “It’s very rare that a house lists on the market for long here. They seem to be gone as soon as they go up for sale.” Homes in Parchment spend an average of eight days on the market, below the national average of 49 days. Single-family homes mostly go from about $160,000 to $300,000. However, a few homes with footprints of roughly 3,000 square feet go over $300,000. Just over a third of properties here are rentals.
Parks provide water sports, disc golf and nature trails
Many call Kindleberger Park the “Jewel of Parchment.” Its amenities include a playground, tennis courts, a stage and several baseball fields used for Little League games. “We do have a very beautiful park, which is like a diamond in the middle of the city,” Stoddard says. The park also has winding, tree-lined trails and a gazebo near decorative stones and plants. Parchment is about 2 miles from Spring Valley Park, one of Kalamazoo’s largest parks. The 186-acre site has trails, open space and woods around a lake. Spring Valley also has a kayak and canoe launch and a disc golf course. Parchment is beside 160-acre Markin Glen Park, popular for its full-service campground, lake beach and mountain biking and hiking trails.
Restaurants have pizzas, beers, soft serve and tacos
Parchment’s restaurants include Geno’s Golden Pizza & Pub, popular for its pies and beers. Geno’s menu also includes sub sandwiches and several pasta options. Buen Provecho Mexican Restaurant is a casual, family-owned spot that uses local ingredients. Some of Buen Provecho’s options include tamales, authentic street-style tacos and flan for dessert. Spad’s Twisters Soft Serve Ice Cream has sweet desserts, which patrons may get from a window counter. Harding’s Market is available for groceries. Parchment is also 4 miles north of downtown Kalamazoo’s dining and bar scene.
Parchment School District provides education in the community
Parchment School District serves the city and gets a C-plus from Niche. The district has three elementary schools: Central Elementary, North Elementary and Northwood Elementary. Northwood gets a B-plus, while both Central and North receive C-plus grades. Parchment Middle and Parchment High are the other schools in the area. The middle school receives a C grade, and the high school gets a B-minus. District programs include one that allows juniors and seniors to get some early training in areas like automotive maintenance and repair, building trades and health care.
Kindleberger Summer Festival is a local tradition
July’s Kindleberger Summer Festival of the Performing Arts has been a tradition for several decades. The event includes five days of free summer theatrical performances, as well as arts and crafts. The festival also has a 5k run and walk and a car cruise-in.
Residents have access to Metro buses and commuter routes
Kalamazoo’s Metro buses serve Parchment, while commuters are near a few highways and thoroughfares. Riverview Drive goes south to downtown Kalamazoo. Other commuters may take U.S. Highway 131 to Grand Rapids, about 50 miles north. Kalamazoo Battle Creek International Airport is the region’s hub for commercial flights, less than 10 miles away. Parchment is also near Ascension Borgess Hospital.
City gets snow and runs on Kalamazoo water
Parchment is in the Kalamazoo area, which is prone to lake-effect snowstorms. The area typically gets over 40 inches of snow annually. Parchment also had a water contamination issue in the late 2010s. The city ended up selling its water system to Kalamazoo, which has since provided Parchment its drinking water.
