Paris is a city in and the county seat of Henry County, Tennessee, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 10,316.

A 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 site, of which were owned by Joseph Blythe and 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, in honor of the Marquis de Lafayette, a hero of the American Revolutionary War.

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.

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 (36.301229, -88.313815). U.S. Route 641 passes through the city center as Market Street, leading north to Murray, Kentucky, and southeast to Camden. U.S. Route 79 passes southeast of the city center as Tyson Avenue and Wood Street; it leads northeast to Clarksville and southwest to McKenzie. Nashville, the state capital, is to the east in a straight line and by the quickest road route, via Clarksville.

According to the United States Census Bureau, Paris has a total area of , of which are land and , or 0.27%, is covered by water.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, Paris had a population of 10,316, with 4,467 households and 2,556 families residing in the city. The median age was 41.4 years; 22.9% of residents were under the age of 18 and 22.2% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females, there were 87.5 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 82.7 males age 18 and over.

There were 4,467 households in Paris, of which 27.8% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 33.9% were married-couple households, 20.3% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 39.2% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 37.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 18.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

{| class="wikitable"

|+ Racial composition as of the 2020 census

! Race !! Number !! Percent

|-

| White || 7,659 || 74.2%

|-

| Black or African American || 1,734 || 16.8%

|-

| American Indian and Alaska Native || 26 || 0.3%

|-

| Asian || 134 || 1.3%

|-

| Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander || 0 || 0.0%

|-

| Some other race || 176 || 1.7%

|-

| Two or more races || 587 || 5.7%

|-

| Hispanic or Latino (of any race) || 287 || 2.8%

|}

2010 census

As of the census

Culture

thumb|250px|right|Welcome sign along [[U.S. Route 79|US 79]]

Eiffel Tower

Constructed by students at Christian Brothers University in the early 1990s, the Eiffel Tower was installed in Eiffel Tower Park. The original wooden tower was later replaced with a metal structure. The tower is a scale model of the Eiffel Tower in Paris.

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.

Sports

From 1922 to 1924, Paris was home to a Minor League Baseball team that played in the Kentucky–Illinois–Tennessee League as the Paris Travelers (1922) and the Paris Parisians (1923–1924). HCHS Football team has won the 5A State Championship twice.

Notable people

  • John Hall Buchanan, Jr. — Representative of Alabama's 6th Congressional District, U. S. House of Representatives 1965–1981, and in other political positions.
  • John Wesley Crockett — U. S. House of Representatives 1837–1841, Attorney General of the Ninth Judicial District of Tennessee 1841–1843
  • Edwin Wiley Grove — established Paris Medicine Company 1886, endowed E. W. Grove High School 1906
  • Isham G. Harris — Tennessee State Senate 1847, U. S. House of Representatives 1848–1852, Tennessee governor 1857–1862, United States Senate 1877–1897, President pro tempore of the United States Senate 1893–1895
  • Vernon Jarrett — political activist, social commentator and Chicago Tribunes first African-American syndicated columnist
  • Mordecai Wyatt Johnson — a preacher and the first black president of Howard University, serving 1926–1960
  • Bobby Jones — gospel musician
  • 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), Ocean's Twelve, and Erin Brockovich.
  • Merle Kilgore — country musician, songwriter, manager
  • Charles Gilbert "Chick" King — outfielder, Detroit Tigers 1954–56, Chicago Cubs 1958–59 and St. Louis Cardinals 1959, first two-sport professional athlete
  • Keith Lancaster — singer, songwriter, and founder of The Acappella Company,
  • Vernon McGarity — Congressional Medal of Honor 1946
  • Edward H. Tarrant — Representative of Red River County, Texas in the Texas House of Representatives September–December 1837, Chief Justice of Red River County, Texas 1838, Brigadier General of Fourth Brigade Northeast Texas Defenders, Texas House of Representatives 1849–1853, namesake of Tarrant County, Texas
  • Stephen M. Veazey — president, Community of Christ 2005–present
  • Hank Williams Jr. — Country musician, has a home "near Paris"
  • Felix Zollicoffer — Tennessee State Printer 1835, Comptroller of the Tennessee State Treasury 1845–1849, Tennessee State Senate 1849–1852, U. S. House of Representatives 1853–1859, Brigadier General, Confederate States Army