Paris, Texas

By 1840, population growth necessitated the organization of a new county.

Lamar County was one of the 18 Texas counties that voted against secession on February 23, 1861.

In 1877, 1896, and 1916, major fires in the city forced considerable rebuilding.

In 1893, black teenager Henry Smith was accused of murder, tortured, and then burned to death on a scaffold in front of thousands of spectators in Paris.

Wees and constructed in 1910.

Paris Union Station, built 1912, served Frisco, Santa Fe, and Texas Midland passenger trains until 1956.

The 1916 fire destroyed almost half the town and caused an estimated $11 million in property damage.

In 1920, two black brothers from the Arthur family were tied to a flagpole and burned to death at the Paris fairgrounds.

In response to the incident, civil rights activist Brenda Cherry said "I think we are probably stuck in 1930 right about now".

The highest temperature on record was 115 °F (46 °C), set in August 1936, and the record low was −5 °F (−21 °C), set in 1930.

Lamar County Historical Museum Lake Crook Park == Government == Paris is governed by a city council as specified in the city's charter adopted in 1948.

Paris Eiffel Tower On October 4, 1955, early in his career, Elvis Presley performed at the Boys Club Gymnasium at 1530 1st Street Northeast in Paris as a member of the Louisiana...

On April 2, 1982, Paris was hit by an F4 tornado that destroyed more than 1,500 homes, and left 10 people dead, 170 injured, and 3,000 homeless.

== Notable people == == In popular culture == The 1984 film Paris, Texas is named for the city.

Following a tradition of American cities named "Paris" (named after France's capital), the city commissioned a 65-foot-tall (20 m) replica of the Eiffel Tower in 1993 and instal...

In 1998, presumably as a response to the 1993 construction of a 60-foot-tall (18 m) tower in Paris, Tennessee, the city placed a giant red cowboy hat atop its tower.

In 2007, a 14-year-old African-American girl was sentenced by a local judge to up to seven years in a youth prison for shoving a hall monitor at Paris High School.

In 2008, an African-American man, Brandon McClelland, was run over and dragged to death under a vehicle.

A 2009 protest rally over the case led to Texas State Police intervention to prevent groups shouting "white power!" and "black power!" from coming to blows.

=== 2010 census === In 2010, 25,171 people, 10,306 households, and 6,426 families resided in the city.

Located in Northeast Texas at the western edge of the Piney Woods, the population of the city was 24,171 in 2020.

As of 2024, the rail lines are used for freight haulage only; the city is not served by Amtrak.

The city serves as the setting for the 2025 film The Wrong Paris.