Paris is a city in Henry County, Tennessee, 86 miles (138Â km) northwest of Nashville, on a fork of the West Sandy River and the Tennessee River. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 10,156. It is the county seat of Henry County.
A 70-foot replica of the Eiffel Tower stands in Paris. Paris hosts what it claims as the "World's Biggest Fish Fry".
History
The present site of Paris was selected by five European-American 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 fifty acres, 37 and one half of which were owned by Joseph Blythe and 12 and one half 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.
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. The city was named after Paris, France, in honor of the Marquis de Lafayette.
Between about 1970 and 1990 Paris was the center of the Old Beachy Amish, as traditional-minded Beachy Amish from different regions moved there. Because of internal conflicts most Old Beachy Amish left the region in the early 1990s and had completely vacated it by the year 2000.
Geography
Paris is located at 36°18′4″N 88°18′50″W (36.301229, -88.313815).
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 10.9 square miles (28Â km2), of which 10.9 square miles (28Â km2) is land and 0.04-square-mile (0.10Â km2) is water. The total area is 0.37% water.
Demographics
As of the census of 2010, there were 10,156 people, 4,394 households, and 2,605 families residing in the city. The population density was 897.4 people 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 population was spread out 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 and school laboratory furniture.
Culture
Eiffel Tower
Constructed by students at Christian Brothers University in the early 1990s, the Eiffel Tower was installed in Eiffel Tower Park. The original 65-foot wooden tower was later replaced with a 70-foot metal structure. The tower is a 70-foot tall scale model of the Eiffel Tower in Paris, France.
Eiffel Tower Park provides tennis courts, a public Olympic-sized swimming pool, soccer fields, two walking trails, a children's playground with pavilions, and a newly constructed frisbee golf course.
World's Biggest Fish Fry
Paris is home of the "World's Biggest Fish Fry". The festival is held every year and culminates on a weekend, on the last full week in April. This period is celebrated with a parade, an art and craft fair, a rodeo and a fun fair. Part of the festivities include the "catfish races."
Travelers on U.S. Route 79 from the south encounter a sign featuring a 20-foot (6.1Â m)-long catfish to mark this important local resource.
As Kentucky Lake is only a 20-minute drive from downtown, fishing is a popular activity around the Williams Lake and Paris Landing area.
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.
Notable people
Paris/Henry County media
- Radio stations
- WRQR AM/1000 - "Classic Hits WRQR"
- W248BK FM/97.5 - "Classic Hits FM"
- WMUF FM/104.7 - "104.7 W-M-U-F"
- WLZK FM/94.1 - "94.1 The Lake"
- WAKQ FM/105.5 - KF99-KQ105
- WTPR AM/710 - WENK-WTPR
- WTPR FM/101.7
- Newspapers
- The Paris Post-Intelligencer
References
External links
- Official website