| Official Name: | Paris, Arkansas |
| Settlement Type: | City |
| Mapsize: | 250px |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Type1: | State |
| Subdivision Type2: | County |
| Subdivision Name: | United States |
| Subdivision Name1: | Arkansas |
| Subdivision Name2: | Logan |
| Leader Title: | Mayor |
| Leader Name: | Daniel Rogers |
| Area Total Km2: | 12.56 |
| Area Total Sq Mi: | 4.85 |
| Area Land Km2: | 11.83 |
| Area Land Sq Mi: | 4.57 |
| Area Water Km2: | 0.73 |
| Area Water Sq Mi: | 0.28 |
| Elevation Ft: | 430 |
| Population As Of: | 2020 |
| Population Total: | 3176 |
| Population Density Km2: | 268.46 |
| Population Density Sq Mi: | 695.27 |
| Timezone: | Central (CST) |
| Utc Offset: | -6 |
| Coordinates: | 35.2894°N -93.725°W |
| Timezone Dst: | CDT |
| Utc Offset Dst: | -5 |
| Postal Code Type: | ZIP code |
| Postal Code: | 72855 |
| Area Code: | 479 |
| Blank Name: | FIPS code |
| Blank Info: | 05-53480 |
| Blank1 Name: | GNIS feature ID |
| Blank1 Info: | 2404472 |
| Unit Pref: | Imperial |
| Area Footnotes: | [1] |
Paris is a city in Logan County, Arkansas, United States, and serves as the county seat for the northern district of Logan County; its southern district counterpart is Booneville.[2] Its population was 3,176 as of the 2020 U.S. Census.[3]
Paris is located in a valley near the Arkansas River in the Ozark Mountain region of northwest Arkansas. Its ZIP code is 72855.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 4.8sqmi, of which 4.5sqmi are land and 0.31NaN1 (5.43%) is covered by water.
| Number | Percentage | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| White (non-Hispanic) | 2,709 | 85.3% | |
| Black or African American (non-Hispanic) | 73 | 2.3% | |
| Native American | 32 | 1.01% | |
| Asian | 30 | 0.94% | |
| Other/Mixed | 192 | 6.05% | |
| Hispanic or Latino | 140 | 4.41% |
| English | 6.3 | |
| French (Excluding Basque) | 1.4 | |
| German | 10.8 | |
| Irish | 8.2 | |
| Scottish | .7 |
As of the census[4] of 2010, 3,532 people, 1,553 households, and 984 families were residing in the city. The population density was 818.1sp=usNaNsp=us. The 1,713 housing units averaged 780 per square mile (146.0/km). The racial makeup of the city was 92.5% White, 2.4% African American, 0.40% Native American, 0.7% Asian, 1.11% from other races, and 1.29% from two or more races. About 2.16% of the population was Hispanic or Latino of any race.
Of the 1,553 households, 28.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.0% were married couples living together, 13.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.6% were not families. About 33.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 18.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.29 and the average family size was 2.91.
In the city, the population was distributed as 23.8% under the age of 18, 7.6% from 18 to 24, 24.7% from 25 to 44, 22.1% from 45 to 64, and 21.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 86.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 79.5 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $25,424, and for a family was $32,409. Males had a median income of $21,955 versus $17,015 for females. The per capita income for the city was $14,738. About 15.0% of families and 18.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 27.7% of those under age 18 and 18.7% of those age 65 or over.
Pioneers settled the area about 1820. The village of Paris was formed on the Old Military Road between Little Rock and Fort Smith, and 5miles south of the Arkansas River. The Logan County seat, Paris, was named after the French capital in 1874. Paris was incorporated on February 18, 1879.
The villagers constructed a one-story frame courthouse. The town prison was constructed nearly three blocks from the courthouse, and remained the town's prison for many years. The prison now serves as the Logan County Museum.
Coal mining flourished. In the 1890s, Paris was a bustling city of 800 people. Citizens boasted of two newspapers, a bottling-works company, nine general stores, and the Paris Academy. Coal mining was the community's main industry by 1917, but had declined by the '60s. As a result, community leaders sought to diversify the town's economic base. Today, the economy of Paris is benefitting from the presence of manufacturing facilities producing parts for the automotive and aerospace industries. Farming and ranching remain among the largest industries in the county, and tourism got a boost with the construction and opening of a 60-room lodge and guest cabins on the top of Mount Magazine, which is south of Paris. An estimated 400,000 people a year travelled to Mount Magazine State Park inn 2008.
Paris' schools have seen a steady increase in enrollment. The high school and middle school switched campuses to complete a promise to the patrons that was made in 1988.
Several interests have been made in the area by bauxite mining companies looking to reduce the costs of aluminum foil production.
Paris was the site of the last public hanging in Arkansas before the first electric chair came into use, in Little Rock.
In 1914, Paris was thrown into turmoil from the murder of a young girl from Delaware, Arkansas. A young man named Arthur Tillman was courting a girl named Amanda Stevens. She disappeared one evening from her home and was found about eight days later, partly submerged in water in a well on the farm of Ambrose Johnson. She was found with a large stone tied around her neck with telephone wire, a bullet through her head, and about a wagon load of rocks covering her body. The girl was believed to be alive when she was put into the well because her hands were filled with dirt that could only result from a struggle or attempting to free herself. On July 15, 1914, Arthur Tillman was hanged for the murder of his girlfriend, Amanda.
Today, the jail is a museum dedicated to Logan County history. Where spectators were located is now a road, joining to the main road, Highway 22. Visitors can tour through the entire building, jail keeper's living quarters side and the jail side. It has many relics of Paris' past, such as farming equipment, clothing, and everyday objects from the settlers' lives, and exhibits of Native American, Civil War, and coal-mining artifacts.
The Paris Express was founded in 1880, one year after the community of Paris was established, and it is the oldest, continually operating business in the city. J.T. Perryman was the first publisher, and W.H.H. Harley was the first editor. During the next five years of its existence, it had several owners.
In 1885, the weekly Express was purchased from Charles Noble by William M. Greenwood, former publisher of the Chismville Star and an associate with the Fort Smith Daily Tribune. Greenwood published the Paris Express for 46 years until his death in 1929.
Hugh and J.C. Park of the Van Buren Press-Argus purchased the Express from the Greenwood estate and then sold it a few months later to Wallace D. Hurley. Hurley published the paper until 1939, when it was purchased by John Guion and Robert Breeden. Guion was editor and publisher of the Express and a sister paper, the Paris Progress, and in 1946 served as president of the Arkansas Press Association. At that time, the Paris company began publishing the Charleston and Greenwood papers.
The Progress was launched in 1910 and started out as a semiweekly. In 1920, it was renamed the Paris Progress and in 1927 became a weekly. The Paris Commercial Press, which was only in business during 1937, became consolidated with the Progress. It was also a weekly.
The papers were purchased in 1976 by Harte-Hanks Communications, Inc., of San Antonio, Texas. The Paris Express and the Paris Progress were combined into a biweekly bearing the name of Paris Express Progress in January 1977. The Paris Express Progress was sold in April 1988 to Westward Communications, a Dallas-based company.
The biweekly Paris Express Progress combined into a "super" weekly issue on May 17, 1989, called the Paris Express. In July 1997, Westward Communications sold to Westward Communications, LLC based out of The Woodlands, Texas.
Stephens Media Group purchased the Paris Express in March 2000. The company is based in Las Vegas, Nevada. During that timeframe The Paris Express had six full-time employees and a circulation of 3,600.
Paris School District, the area school district,[5] has three public schools:
Private school:
Subiaco preparatory academy: