Paris, Illinois

This article is about the Illinois city. For other uses, see Paris (disambiguation).

Paris is a city in Paris Township, Edgar County, Illinois, USA, 165 miles (276 km) south of Chicago, and 90 miles (150 km) west of Indianapolis. The commission form of government was adopted in 1915. In 1900, 6,105 people lived in Paris, Illinois; in 1910, 7,664; and in 1940, 9,281. The population was 9,077 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Edgar CountyTemplate:GR.

Geography

Paris is located at 39°36′47″N 87°41′38″W (39.613014, -87.693829)Template:GR.

U.S. Route 150 and Illinois State Route 1 pass through Paris. One railroad passes through town, a CSX Transportation line that goes north toward Danville and southeast toward Terre Haute, Indiana.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 5.2 square miles (13.5 km²), of which, 4.8 square miles (12.5 km²) of it is land and 0.4 square miles (1.0 km²) of it (7.68%) is water.

Demographics

As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there were 9,077 people, 3,874 households, and 2,382 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,885.3 people per square mile (728.6/km²). There were 4,211 housing units at an average density of 874.6/sq mi (338.0/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 98.31% White, 0.51% African American, 0.21% Native American, 0.22% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.25% from other races, and 0.48% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.84% of the population.

There were 3,874 households out of which 27.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.1% were married couples living together, 12.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.5% were non-families. 34.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 17.7% 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 spread out with 23.8% under the age of 18, 9.0% from 18 to 24, 26.0% from 25 to 44, 21.6% from 45 to 64, and 19.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 85.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 83.5 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $30,902, and the median income for a family was $37,872. Males had a median income of $28,750 versus $20,673 for females. The per capita income for the city was $17,750. About 8.9% of families and 12.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 17.2% of those under age 18 and 11.2% of those age 65 or over.

Industry

• NOVAPAK
• Morgan Manufacturing
• Illinois Cereal Mills, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Cargill
• North American Lighting, Inc.
• Cadillac Products
• Meco, Inc.
• Paris Metal Products
• Paris Transport
• Simonton Windows
• German's Car Corner

Military

• 1544th Transportation Company

History

Paris was the home of a minor league baseball team in the 1950s named the Paris Lakers. A contest was held among the community to decide on a name for the team. The winning submission, Paris Lakers, was sent in by James C. Dickey.

Notable citizens

• Colonel Eli Lilly, industrialist
• Daniel Rhoads, ranger who helped rescue the Donner Party
• Devin Miller, beat out long time rival, Christopher Julian, for the "Edgar County Stud Muffin of the Century and Real Lady's Man Award." (1900-2000, 2000-2100)
• William Glenn Sloan, engineer who was co-author of the Pick-Sloan Missouri Basin Program
• Solomon L. Spink, attorney
• Carl Switzer, actor, "Alfalfa" in the Our Gang comedies
• Christopher Julian, lost to long time rival, Devin Miller, two century's in a row† for the "Edgar County Stud Muffin of the
• Derek Leeman lives there, and he is extremely tough!!!!

School districts

Paris is the home of Saint Mary's School. It is a Catholic school serving grades PreSchool thru 8th grade and is open to children of all religions.

Paris is composed of two school districts: District 95 (for those living inside city limits) and District 4 (for those outside the city limits). Those who are in District 95 send their children to Mayo Middle School, while District 4 children attend Crestwood School. However, both schools feed into one high school. Paris High School is the only secondary education facility in Paris and is under District 95. Paris High School's mascot is the tiger and its colors are orange and black.

See also

• Asher Morton Farmstead
• Edgar County Courthouse
• France Hotel
• Paris Carnegie Public Library
• Paris Elks Lodge No. 812 Building
• Pine Grove Community Club
• Paris Lakers
• Allis Chalmers Museum