Paris

Seat of Edgar County, eastern-central Illinois, USA, on Sugar Creek and Twin Lakes, 14 km/9 mi west of the Indiana border and 43 km/27 mi northeast of Charleston; population (1990) 9,000. It is the site of the world's largest broom factory, and also manufactures metal and electronic products. Abraham Lincoln made two speeches in the town, and it became a haven for Confederate sympathizers during the American Civil War.

Paris

Seat of Bourbon County, northern-central Kentucky, USA, on Stoner Creek (the South Fork of Licking River), 27 km/17 mi northeast of Lexington; population (1990) 8,700. Bourbon whiskey, named after the county, has been made in Paris since 1790. Claiborne Farm and other thoroughbred horse-breeding stables are situated nearby in the surrounding bluegrass region (Kentucky bluegrass provides pasture for the horses). The town was settled as Hopewell in 1789, and renamed Paris in 1790 in gratitude for French aid to the American Revolution.

Cane Ridge Meetinghouse (1791) lies 13 km/8 mi to the east. In August 1801 it was the scene of the Cane Ridge Revival, when thousands gathered to hear sermons on interdenominational unity and a return to biblical basics from Presbyterian, Baptist, and Methodist ministers.

In 1804 it became the birthplace of the Disciples of Christ religious sect.

Paris

Seat of Oxford County, western Maine, USA, on the Little Androscoggin River, adjoining the town of Norway, and 29 km/18 mi northwest of Lewiston; population (1990) 4,500. It incorporates the villages of Paris Hill and South Paris, the town's industrial centre. The Norway-South Paris area is a regional trade centre. South Paris contains the oldest commercial ski factory in the USA, and produces textiles and leather. Paris Hill features some of the state's most interesting old architecture, including Old Stonewall Jail (1828).

Hannibal Hamlin, US vice-president (1861-65), was born in Paris Hill in 1809. The town supplied skis and sledges to the Arctic explorers Robert Peary and Donald MacMillan (1874-1970).

Paris

Town in Oneida County, central New York State, USA, 13 km/8 mi southwest of Utica; population (1990) 4,400. The Hawaiian politician Gerrit Judd (1803-1873) and botanist and taxonomist Asa Gray were born in this rural agricultural town, the latter in the hamlet of Sauquoit.

Paris

Seat of Henry County, northwest Tennessee, USA, 130 km/80 mi northwest of Nashville; population (2000) 9,800. A market centre, it trades in clay, timber, livestock, and field crops from the surrounding area. Industries include the manufacture of building materials, pottery, clothing, cosmetics, rubber goods, and automobile parts, and there are also railway workshops.

Paris

Seat of Lamar County, northern Texas, USA, on a ridge between the Red and Sulphur rivers, 153 km/95 mi northeast of Dallas; population (2000) 25,900. Principally a market centre for livestock, cotton, and grains produced in the Blacklands region, it also has medical and corporate business facilities and diverse light industries. Paris Junior College was established here in 1924. Settlement of the town took place around 1840.