Paris, Illinois facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Paris, Illinois
City
Edgar County Courthouse in Paris
Seal
Location of Paris in Edgar County, Illinois.
Paris, Illinois Location in Edgar County, Illinois
Country	United States
State	Illinois
County	Edgar
Township	Paris, Symmes
Area
• Total	6.06 sq mi (15.70 km2)
• Land	5.68 sq mi (14.71 km2)
• Water	0.38 sq mi (0.99 km2)
Elevation	712 ft (217 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	8,291
• Density	1,459.94/sq mi (563.69/km2)
ZIP Code	61944
Area code(s)	217
FIPS code	17–57628
GNIS feature ID	2396141

Paris is a city in Edgar County, Illinois. It is located about 165 kilometers (100 miles) south of Chicago. The city is also about 90 kilometers (56 miles) west of Indianapolis. In 2020, about 8,291 people lived there. Paris is the main city and the county seat of Edgar County.

History of Paris, Illinois

Paris was started in 1826. Samuel Vance gave the land for the city. It was chosen to be the main city for the county. In 1849, Paris officially became a village.

The town likely got its name from the word "Paris." Someone carved this word into a jack-oak tree. This tree was in the middle of where the town grew.

Mayors and Government Changes

Two brothers, Walter Booth and Newton Booth, were mayors of Paris in the mid-1850s. Newton Booth later moved to California. There, he became a governor and a U.S. senator.

In 1915, Paris changed its government style. It adopted the commission form. This means a group of elected officials runs the city.

Baseball Teams in Paris

Paris has a fun history with baseball! In 1907, L. A. G. Shoaff bought a team. He renamed them the Paris Colts.

In 1908, the team was called the Paris Parisians. But after that season, the team stopped playing.

In the 1950s, Paris had another minor-league baseball team. They were called the Paris Lakers. The community helped choose this name. James C. Dickey suggested "Paris Lakers," and it was picked. The Lakers won the Midwest League Championship in 1956. They were also connected to the Chicago Cubs team.

Getting Around Paris: Transportation

Several main roads go through Paris. These include U.S. Route 150 and Illinois State Route 1. Also, Illinois State Route 16 and Illinois State Route 133 end at Illinois State Route 1 in Paris.

One railroad line also passes through the town. It is a Decatur & Eastern Illinois line. This line goes north to Danville and southeast to Terre Haute, Indiana.

For air travel, the Edgar County Airport is located just north of the city.

Geography of Paris

Paris covers a total area of about 15.70 square kilometers (6.06 square miles). Most of this area is land. About 14.71 square kilometers (5.68 square miles) is land. The rest, about 0.99 square kilometers (0.38 square miles), is water.

Population and People

The population of Paris was 8,291 people in 2020. There were 4,137 households in the city. About 27% of these households had children under 18 living with them.

The average age of people in Paris was 43.5 years old. About 18.4% of the population was under 18 years old.

Education in Paris

Paris has two public school districts. Paris Union School District 95 serves students living inside the city. Paris Community Unit School District No. 4 serves students living outside the city limits.

Students in District 95 go to Mayo Middle School. Children in Unit 4 attend Crestwood School. Both middle schools send their students to one high school. This is Paris High School.

Until 2009, the high school was part of District 95. On July 1, 2009, it became the Paris Cooperative High School. This was the first cooperative high school in Illinois. The high school celebrated its 100th birthday in 2009.

The mascot for Paris Cooperative High School is the tiger. Their school colors are orange and black.

Paris also used to have Saint Mary's School. This was a Catholic school for preschool through 8th grade. It was open to children of all religions. St. Mary's School closed on May 23, 2018.

Fire Protection Services

The Paris Community Fire Protection District has five fire stations. The main station in Paris has full-time paid firefighters. The other four stations are in Vermilion, Oliver, Grandview, and Redmon. These are all run by volunteers.

Climate and Weather

The climate in Paris is known as a "Cfa" climate. This means it has warm temperatures and rain throughout the year.

Famous People from Paris

Many interesting people have connections to Paris, Illinois. Here are a few:

Sports Teams in Paris

Paris has been home to several sports teams:

• Paris Lakers, a minor league baseball team that played from 1950 to 1959.
• Paris Parisians (Eastern Illinois League), a semi-pro baseball team.
• Paris Picaduras, another semi-pro baseball team.

See also

In Spanish: Paris (Illinois) para niños