Paris, Maine

Paris is a town in and the county seat of Oxford County, Maine, United States.^[4] The population was 5,183 at the 2010 census. The census-designated place of South Paris is located within the town. Because the U.S. Post Office refers to the entire town as South Paris, the town as a whole is commonly referred to as South Paris. The main exception is the area known as Paris Hill, which is a scenic historic district popular with tourists.

History

View of Paris Hill, a Victorian era stereographic card

It was granted by Massachusetts on June 11, 1771 to Captain Joshua Fuller of Watertown, Massachusetts and 59 others (or their heirs) for service during the French and Indian Wars. It was the second attempt to repay the soldiers, because their first grant in New Hampshire, made on November 24, 1736 and called Township Number Four, was deemed invalid because of a prior claim by the heirs of John Mason. The land in Maine would retain the name Township Number Four.^[5]

It was first settled near the center of the town in 1779 by Lemuel Jackson, John Willis and their families. Organized as Number Four Plantation, it was incorporated as Paris on June 20, 1793. At the establishment of Oxford County in 1805, Paris was designated its county seat and developed into a thriving community. It was noted for scenic beauty and excellent pasturage, including some of the state's best livestock and dairy farms. It also had many large apple orchards. The village of Paris Hill was established at an elevation of 820 feet (250 m) above sea level, with views of Mount Chocorua and Mount Washington in the White Mountains. The Paris Hill Historic District, added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1973, has fine examples of Federal and Greek Revival architecture. The old Oxford County Jail, built of granite in 1822, was given in 1902 to the Paris Hill Library Association, and is now the Hamlin Memorial Library and Museum.^[6]

The Little Androscoggin River provided water power for mills at South Paris, to which the town center shifted after the arrival of the Atlantic and St. Lawrence Railroad on June 8, 1850. Industries included a gristmill, sawmill, shingle mill, planing mill, iron foundry and machine shop.^[7] In the 1890s, the county seat moved here from Paris Hill to be near the train station. Manufacturing would fade with the Great Depression, but South Paris remains the commercial part of the town. West Paris, which includes North Paris, was set off and incorporated in 1957.^[8]

Hamlin House c. 1920
Market Square c. 1905
Old High School in 1907

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 40.97 square miles (106.11 km²), of which, 40.77 square miles (105.59 km²) of it is land and 0.20 square miles (0.52 km²) is water.^[1] Paris is drained by the Little Androscoggin River. The town is located on a bed of pegmatite in which many semi-precious gems and rare stones can be found, including beryl, garnet, tourmaline, amethyst and smoky quartz.

Paris is crossed by 26, 117, 118 and 119.

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.		%±
1800	844		—
1810	1,320		56.4%
1820	1,844		39.7%
1830	2,306		25.1%
1840	2,454		6.4%
1850	2,882		17.4%
1860	2,827		−1.9%
1870	2,765		−2.2%
1880	2,931		6.0%
1890	3,156		7.7%
1900	3,225		2.2%
1910	3,436		6.5%
1920	3,656		6.4%
1930	3,761		2.9%
1940	4,094		8.9%
1950	4,358		6.4%
1960	3,601		−17.4%
1970	3,739		3.8%
1980	4,168		11.5%
1990	4,492		7.8%
2000	4,793		6.7%
2010	5,183		8.1%
Est. 2014	5,113	^[9]	−1.4%
U.S. Decennial Census^[10]

2010 census

As of the census^[2] of 2010, there were 5,183 people, 2,187 households, and 1,332 families residing in the town. The population density was 127.1 inhabitants per square mile (49.1/km²). There were 2,419 housing units at an average density of 59.3 per square mile (22.9/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 95.9% White, 0.5% African American, 0.5% Native American, 0.8% Asian, 0.4% from other races, and 2.0% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.3% of the population.

There were 2,187 households of which 28.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.3% were married couples living together, 11.5% had a female householder with no husband present, 6.1% had a male householder with no wife present, and 39.1% were non-families. 30.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.28 and the average family size was 2.80.

The median age in the town was 44.3 years. 20.8% of residents were under the age of 18; 7.1% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 23% were from 25 to 44; 29.2% were from 45 to 64; and 19.9% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the town was 48.6% male and 51.4% female.

2000 census

As of the census^[11] of 2000, there were 4,793 people, 1,975 households, and 1,238 families residing in the town. The population density was 117.6 people per square mile (45.4/km²). There were 2,142 housing units at an average density of 52.5 per square mile (20.3/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 97.89% White, 0.31% African American, 0.15% Native American, 0.92% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.19% from other races, and 0.52% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.35% of the population. 31.2% were of English, 15.0% American, 9.9% French, 9.7% Irish and 7.1% Finnish ancestry according to Census 2000.

There were 1,975 households out of which 27.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.8% were married couples living together, 9.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.3% were non-families. 30.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.31 and the average family size was 2.85.

In the town the population was spread out with 21.7% under the age of 18, 7.9% from 18 to 24, 27.5% from 25 to 44, 23.0% from 45 to 64, and 19.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 91.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.4 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $33,625, and the median income for a family was $43,166. Males had a median income of $28,235 versus $20,764 for females. The per capita income for the town was $16,441. About 4.9% of families and 10.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 10.7% of those under age 18 and 10.8% of those age 65 or over.

Sites of interest and National Historic Places

Notable people

Old Jail at Paris Hill, now the Hamlin Memorial Library & Museum

Charles Andrews, US congressman
Timothy J. Carter, US congressman
Charles Deering, businessman, philanthropist
James Deering, industrialist, builder of Villa Vizcaya
William Deering, businessman, philanthropist
Rufus K. Goodenow, US congressman
Hannibal Hamlin, US congressman, senator, 26th Governor of Maine, 15th US vice president
Levi Hubbard, US congressman
William Wirt Kimball, admiral
Horatio King, US postmaster general
Enoch Lincoln, US congressman, 6th Governor of Maine
Tony Montanaro, mime, director, instructor
Harvey D. Parker, hotelier
Albion K. Parris, US senator, 5th governor
Virgil D. Parris, US congressman
Joe Perham, storyteller, public speaker, humorist
Daniel Bartlett Stevens, Wisconsin assemblyman

References

1 2 "US Gazetteer files 2010". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2012-12-16.
1 2 "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2012-12-16.
↑ "Population Estimates". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2013-07-06.
↑ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved 2011-06-07.
↑ Coolidge, Austin J.; John B. Mansfield (1859). A History and Description of New England. Boston, Massachusetts. pp. 246–247.
↑ History of Paris Hill as Oxford County Seat
↑ Varney, George J. (1886), Gazetteer of the state of Maine. Paris, Boston: Russell
↑ Maine.gov -- Paris, Maine
↑ "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Incorporated Places: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2014". Retrieved June 4, 2015.
↑ "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
↑ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2008-01-31.

External links

Media related to Paris, Maine at Wikimedia Commons

Coordinates: 44°15′35″N 70°30′02″W / 44.25972°N 70.50056°W / 44.25972; -70.50056

Municipalities and communities of Oxford County, Maine, United States

County seat: Paris

Towns	Andover Bethel Brownfield Buckfield Byron Canton Denmark Dixfield Fryeburg Gilead Greenwood Hanover Hartford Hebron Hiram Lovell Mexico Newry Norway Otisfield Oxford Paris Peru Porter Roxbury Rumford Stoneham Stow Sumner Sweden Upton Waterford West Paris Woodstock

Plantations	Lincoln Plantation Magalloway Plantation

Unorganized territories	Milton North Oxford South Oxford

CDPs	Dixfield Fryeburg Mexico Norway Oxford Rumford South Paris

Other villages	Center Lovell Dickvale Kezar Falls North Waterford Waterford Flat

Androscoggin River watershed

Tributaries	Alder River Bear River Cathance River Chickwolnepy Stream Clear Stream Concord River Cupsuptic River Dead Cambridge River Dead Diamond River Dead River (ME) Dead River (NH) Dead River (Sabattus) East Branch Cupsuptic River East Branch Dead Diamond River East Branch Nezinscot River East Branch Pleasant River East Branch Swift River Ellis River First East Branch Magalloway River Kennebago River Little Androscoggin River Little Dead Diamond River Little East Branch Cupsuptic River Little Magalloway River Little River Magalloway River Middle Branch Dead Diamond River Middle Branch Little Magalloway River Mollidgewock Brook Moose Brook Moose River Muddy River Nezinscot River Peabody River Pleasant River Rangeley River Rapid River Rattle River Sabattus River Sanborn River Second East Branch Magalloway River South Branch Little Dead Diamond River South Branch Sunday River Sunday River Swift Cambridge River Swift Diamond River Swift River Third East Branch Magalloway River Webb River West Branch Dead Diamond River West Branch Ellis River West Branch Little Dead Diamond River West Branch Little Magalloway River West Branch Magalloway River West Branch Nezinscot River West Branch Peabody River West Branch Pleasant River West Branch Swift River Wild River

Lakes	Akers Pond Androscoggin Lake Lake Auburn Aziscohos Lake Echo Lake Greenough Pond Kennebago Lake Mooselookmeguntic Lake Parker Pond Parmachenee Lake Pontook Reservoir Range Ponds Rangeley Lake Richardson Lakes Sabattus Pond Thompson Lake Tripp Pond Success Pond Umbagog Lake Webb Lake

Towns	Albany Andover Auburn Berlin Bethel Bowdoin Brunswick Buckfield Byron Cambridge Canton Carthage Chesterville Dixfield Dummer Durham Errol Fayette Gilead Gorham Greene Greenwood Hanover Hartford Hebron Jay Leeds Lewiston Lisbon Livermore Livermore Falls Mechanic Falls Mexico Minot Monmouth Mount Vernon Newry Norway Otisfield Oxford Paris Peru Pittsburg Poland Randolph Rangeley Readfield Roxbury Rumford Sabattus Shelburne Stewartstown Sumner Topsham Turner Upton Vienna Wales Wayne Weld Wentworth's Location West Paris Woodstock

Landmarks	Brown Company Maine Central Railroad Old Speck Mountain Range Ponds State Park Rumford Mill St. Lawrence and Atlantic Railroad White Mountains

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