Paris, Maine
| Paris, Maine | ||
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| Town | ||
Oxford County Courthouse in 1907
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 Paris, Maine
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| Coordinates: 44°14′7″N 70°30′18″W / 44.23528°N 70.50500°W | ||
| Country | United States | |
| State | Maine | |
| County | Oxford | |
| Incorporated | June 20, 1793 | |
| Area | ||
| • Total | 40.97 sq mi (106.11 km2) | |
| • Land | 40.77 sq mi (105.59 km2) | |
| • Water | 0.20 sq mi (0.52 km2) | |
| Elevation | 610 ft (186 m) | |
| Population (2010) | ||
| • Total | 5,183 | |
| • Estimate (2012) | 5,148 | |
| • Density | 127.1/sq mi (49.1/km2) | |
| Time zone | Eastern (EST) (UTC-5) | |
| • Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) | |
| ZIP code | 04281 | |
| Area code(s) | 207 | |
| FIPS code | 23-56625 | |
| GNIS feature ID | 0582661 | |
Paris is a town in and the county seat of Oxford County, Maine, United States. 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.
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.
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 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.
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