A 70-foot (21 m) replica of the Eiffel Tower stands in the southern part of Paris.
History
The present site of Paris was selected by five commissioners appointed to the task of choosing a county seat at the December 1822 session of the Court of Pleas and Quarter Sessions of Henry County. Their choice was a 50-acre (20 ha) site, of which 37.5 acres (15.2 ha) were owned by Joseph Blythe and 12.5 acres (5.1 ha) owned by Peter Ruff; both men donated the land to the county to have the seat there. A public square, streets, alleys, and 104 lots were laid off, and the lots were sold at auction over a two-day period in either March or April 1823.[8]
Paris was incorporated on September 30, 1823. It was the first town incorporated in West Tennessee, followed by Lexington on October 9, 1824, and Memphis on December 19, 1826.[8][9][10] The city was named after Paris, France, in honor of the Marquis de Lafayette, a hero of the American Revolutionary War.[1]
As the county seat, Paris was a center of trade for the rural county, which was largely devoted to agriculture and particularly the cultivation of cotton as a commodity crop. The planters depended on a large workforce of enslaved African Americans.[citation needed] In 1927, a man named Joseph Upchurch was lynched in Paris.[11][12]
Between about 1970 and 1990, Paris became the center of the Old Beachy Amish. Beachy Amish from different regions moved there to maintain their traditional ways. Because of internal conflicts, most Old Beachy Amish left the region in the early 1990s and had completely vacated it by 2000.[13]
Since the American Civil War, Paris has had an African American community of around 15%. Prior to the early 1960s, young black children attended segregated schools. But beginning in the 1960s, the town of Paris worked in conjunction with Henry County to consolidate all schools, busing all children from the periphery of the county to consolidated, integrated schools in Paris. The process was largely peaceful. Also beginning in the 1960s, there was a gradual process of integration of the races in business around the town, also largely peaceful.
Geography
Paris is located just south of the center of Henry County at 36°18′4″N88°18′50″W / 36.30111°N 88.31389°W / 36.30111; -88.31389 (36.301229, -88.313815).[14]U.S. Route 641 passes through the city center as Market Street, leading north 21 miles (34 km) to Murray, Kentucky, and southeast 22 miles (35 km) to Camden. U.S. Route 79 passes southeast of the city center as Tyson Avenue and Wood Street; it leads northeast 62 miles (100 km) to Clarksville and southwest 16 miles (26 km) to McKenzie. Nashville, the state capital, is 86 miles (138 km) to the east in a straight line and 113 miles (182 km) by the quickest road route, via Clarksville.
According to the United States Census Bureau, Paris has a total area of 13.0 square miles (33.7 km2), of which 13.0 square miles (33.6 km2) are land and 0.04 square miles (0.1 km2), or 0.27%, is covered by water.[7] The city is drained primarily to the east, by tributaries of West Sandy Creek, flowing to the Tennessee River in Kentucky Lake. The southwest corner of the city drains to the Middle Fork of the Obion River, a west-flowing tributary of the Mississippi River.
Climate
The climate of Paris is humid subtropical (KöppenCfa) with mild winters and hot summers. Under the Trewartha climate classification, it is a temperate oceanic (Do) climate because only 7 months of the Paris year have a mean daily temperature of 50 °F (10 °C) or higher.
Climate data for Paris, Tennessee (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1922–1927, 1937–2018)
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 10,316 people, 4,335 households, and 2,556 families residing in the city.
2010 census
As of the census[5] of 2010, there were 10,156 people, 4,394 households, and 2,605 families residing in the city. The population density was 897.4 inhabitants per square mile (346.5/km2). There were 4,965 housing units at an average density of 456.4 per square mile (176.2/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 76.99% White, 19.25% African American, 0.34% Native American, 0.64% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.42% from other races, and 2.34% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.63% of the population.
There were 4,394 households, out of which 24.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 38.5% were married couples living together, 16.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.7% were non-families. 36.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 19.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.14 and the average family size was 2.77.
In the city, the ages of population were nearly equally distributed, with 22.94% under the age of 18, 55.89% from 18 to 64, and 21.7% who were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females, there were 81.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 77.1 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $25,261, and the median income for a family was $32,258. Males had a median income of $27,759 versus $20,198 for females. The per capita income for the city was $15,572. About 14.1% of families and 19.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 26.6% of those under age 18 and 20.5% of those age 65 or over.
Industry
Local companies manufacture brakes, small electric motors, aftermarket auto parts, metal doors, rubber parts, school laboratory furniture and Ready to Eat Foods.[19]
Constructed by students at Christian Brothers University in the early 1990s, the Eiffel Tower was installed in Eiffel Tower Park. The original 65-foot (20 m) wooden tower was later replaced with a 70-foot (21 m) metal structure. The tower is a scale model of the Eiffel Tower in Paris, France.[20]
Eiffel Tower Park provides tennis courts, a public Olympic-sized swimming pool, soccer fields, two walking trails, two children's playgrounds with pavilions, a splash pad, and a frisbee golf course.
Arts
Paris is known for its support of the arts. Many large events of musical nature take place in the city's auditorium, the Krider Performing Arts Center. Known as "KPAC", the building is attached to the city's public elementary school, Paris Elementary. Additionally, the Paris-Henry County Arts Council hosts artistic events throughout the year, including Arts 'Round the Square and an annual photography showcase. The Paris Academy for the Arts offers classes and workspace for local artists.
John Hudson - son of Richard "Bill" Hudson and professional football player, played for Super Bowl champion Baltimore Ravens in 2000, played for championship team at Auburn in college.
Cherry Jones — actress, Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play 1991- (nominee, Our Country's Good), 1995 (winner, The Heiress), 2000 (nominee, A Moon for the Misbegotten), 2005 (winner, Doubt); Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actress in a Play 1995 (winner - The Heiress), 1998 (winner, Pride's Crossing), 2005 (winner, Doubt), 2006 (nominee, Faith Healer)[32]
Charles Gilbert "Chick" King — outfielder, Detroit Tigers 1954–56, Chicago Cubs 1958-59 and St. Louis Cardinals 1959,[34] first two-sport professional athlete
Keith Lancaster — singer, songwriter, and founder of The Acappella Company,
Thomas Clarke Rye — Attorney General of the 13th Judicial District, Tennessee governor 1915–1919, Chancellor of the 8th Chancery Court of Tennessee 1922-1942[37]
^To put the lynching of Joseph Upchurch in perspective, the Tennessee Encyclopedia says that between 1882 and 1930, Tennessee had 214 confirmed lynch victims (an average of 4-5 per year). 37 victims were white, and 177 were African American.
