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Paris is a city located 98 miles (158 km) northeast of the Dallas–Fort Worth Metroplex in Lamar County, Texas, in the United States. It is situated in East Texas, specifically Northeast Texas, at the western edge of the Piney Woods. Physiographically, these regions are part of the West Gulf Coastal Plain. In 1900, 9,358 people lived in Paris; in 1910, 11,269; in 1920, 15,040; and in 1940, 18,678. As of the 2000 census, the population of the city was 25,898. It is the county seat of Lamar County and serves as business and employment center for the county.

The film Paris, Texas by Wim Wenders was named after this city, but it was not set there.

The city does not celebrate Bastille Day every July 14, though at one time local downtown merchants hosted Bastille Day sales. Local residents like the humorous slogan "Second Largest Paris in the World." Following a tradition of American cities named Paris, a 65-foot (20 m) replica of the Eiffel Tower was constructed in 1993. In 1998, presumably as a response to the 1993 construction of a 70-foot (21 m) tower in Paris, Tennessee, the city placed a giant red cowboy hat atop the tower. The current tower is at least the second Eiffel Tower replica built in Paris; the first was constructed of wood and later destroyed by a tornado.

It is governed by a city council as specified in the city's charter adopted in 1948. It has fewer than 100 police officers, and fewer than 100 fire fighters. It is rated Risk Zone 1 for earthquake potential, the lowest rating.

History

Origins

The first recorded settlement in the vicinity was in 1826, and settlements were known to be in the area as early as 1824. The town was founded by merchant George W. Wright, who donated 50 acres (200,000 m 2 ) of land in February 1844, when the community was also designated the county seat. It was incorporated by the Congress of the Republic of Texas on 1845-02-03. The community has no factual knowledge of who named the town, but it is assumed it was named after its French counterpart. Paris was on the Central National Road of the Republic of Texas, which ran from San Antonio north through Paris to cross the Red River. By the eve of the Civil War, when it had 700 residents, Paris had become a cattle and farming center. It is the site of the first municipally owned and operated abattoir in the United States. Lamar County was one of the few Texas counties that voted against secession, though many of its inhabitants later served in the Confederacy. In 1877, 1896 and 1916, major fires forced the city to rebuild. The 1916 fire was so extensive that it destroyed almost half the town, ruining most of the central business district and sweeping through a residential area before it was finally controlled, resulting in property damages estimated at $11 million. Burned structures included the Federal Building and post office, Lamar County Courthouse and Jail, City Hall, most commercial buildings, and several churches.

Transportation

Paris has long been a railroad center. The Texas and Pacific reached town in 1876; the Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe (later merged into the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway) and the St. Louis - San Francisco Railway in 1887; the Texas Midland (later Southern Pacific) in 1894; and the Paris and Mount Pleasant (Pa-Ma Line) in 1910.

Historical residences

The city is home to several stately late 19th century to mid-20th century homes. Among these is the Rufus Fenner Scott Mansion designed by German architect J.L. Wees and constructed in 1910. The structure is solid concrete and steel with four floors. Rufus Scott was a prominent businessman known for shipping, imports, and banking. He was well known by local farmers who bought aging transport mules from Mr. Scott. The Scott Mansion narrowly survived the fire of 1916. After the fire, Mr. Scott brought Mr. Wees back to Paris to redesign the historic downtown area. In the early 1930s Mr. Scott died and his home was purchased by Gene Roden, who converted the home into a funeral home. It was the first funeral home in northeast Texas to have its own chapel. The site was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982. On April 1, 2006, Gene Roden's Sons Funeral Home was sold and the name was changed to Starrett-Rose Funeral Home. In March 2007 Rose left the business and the name became Starrett Funeral Home.

Also of note is the recently restored home of William Belford Wise. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1988, the property is an example of late Victorian Queen Anne style architecture in masonry.

Paris Junior College

Paris Junior College was established in 1924. In 1990 it was one of the oldest junior colleges in Texas; at that time the main campus had twenty buildings, including a new $1.1 million physical education center, and the college offered both technical and academic instruction. Its jewelry technologies department, now known as The Texas Institute of Jewelry Technology at Paris Junior College, is internationally recognized. The PJC Dragon's Men's basketball team won the NJCAA national championship in 2005. PJC is now constructing a new women's dormitory which is set to be ready for fall of 2010.

Camp Maxey

From 1942-45, the U.S. Army operated Camp Maxey, 10 miles (16 km) north of Paris. During World War II, Camp Maxey had an area of 36,683 Acres (14,845.08 Hectares), and billeting space for 2,022 Officers, and 42,515 Enlisted Personnel.

The camp served as an infantry-division training camp. Named in honor of Samuel Bell Maxey, it was activated on 1942-07-15 and deactivated 1945-10-01. It also served as an internment center for many German prisoners of war. Currently, Camp Maxey is maintained by a Texas Army National Guard unit , who regularly conduct training exercises, although the Camp itself is garrisoned normally by a force of only 10 men. Civil Air Patrol's Texas Wing also regularly uses the camp for training events.

In June 2008, when word came that over 600 American service personnel were coming to receive training for the war in Iraq, residents of the city of Paris adopted them and made donations of everything the troops could possibly need so they might enjoy their stay in Paris before they go on to the war.

Modern city rating

Paris, Texas was named "Best Small Town in Texas" in 1998 by Kevin Heubusch in his book The New Rating Guide to Life in America's Small Cities .

Racist incidents

Lynchings are an unfortunate part of the history of Paris, Texas. A.J. Neville covered multiple lynchings of black men in newspaper columns and later published works, as late the 1920s. The Paris Fairgrounds were the site of several widely promoted and widely attended lynchings, including the lynching of Henry Smith in 1893, in which the victim was tortured to death by the family members of policeman Vance for the amusement of the white audience.

Modern-day problems with racism in Paris, Texas have been profiled by major newspapers across the United States. According to the New York Times , "ugly feelings between races that have plagued this small town for generations, going back to the days 100 years ago when it was the scene of brutal public lynchings." In a February 1, 2009 article, the Chicago Tribune called a Paris a "deeply polarized east Texas town" after an attempt at reconciliation between whites and African Americans—attended by special moderators the U.S. Department of Justice--"ended with some participants screaming at each other."

On February 24, 2009, the Los Angeles Times and Chicago Tribune profiled an incident at the Turner Industries plant in Paris, where "black workers say nooses, Confederate flags and racist graffiti have been appearing throughout the workplace for months." Although workers allege that racist symbols and discrimination had prevailed at the plant for nearly two years, Turner Industries officials in Baton Rouge, Louisiana claimed to have only discovered the problems after photographs of racist symbols circulated on the Internet. African American employees assert that they've repeatedly complained about the racist symbols to their bosses, only to be ignored or told to keep quiet.

Geography and weather

Paris is located at 33°39′45″N 95°32′52″W  /  33.6625°N 95.54778°W  / 33.6625; -95.54778 (33.662508, -95.547692).

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 44.4 square miles (115.0 km²), of which, 42.8 square miles (110.7 km²) of it is land and 1.7 square miles (4.3 km²) of it (3.74%) is water.

Paris is located in "Tornado Alley", an area largely centered on the middle of the United States which sees tornadoes frequently. Paris is in USDA plant hardiness zone 7b for winter temperatures. This is cooler than its southern neighbor Dallas, Texas, and while similar to Atlanta, Georgia, it has warmer summertime temperatures. Summertime average highs reach 94 and 95 °F (35 °C) in July and August, with associated lows of 72 and 71. Winter temperatur

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