2013-040 Adopting a Parks Master Plan for the City of Paris

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The following are key points regarding the founding, history and important aspects of the unique community of Paris, Texas. • Paris was founded by George W. Wright, who donated 50 acres of land in 1844. • On February 3`d, 1845, Paris was incorporated by the Congress of the Republic of Texas. • The Central National Road of the Republic of Texas ran from San Antonio north through Paris to cross the Red River and helped develop Paris as a cattle and farming center. • Paris has been rebuilt three times due to major fires in 1877, 1896 and 1916. • The 1916 fire destroyed nearly half the town including the central business district, the Federal Building, the Post Office, Lamar Country Court House and Jail, City Hall and several churches and neighborhoods. • The first railroad, The Texas and Pacific, reached town in 1876 and since then multiple other rail lines have found their way to Paris; making Paris a railroad center. • Paris Junior College was established in 1924 and named one of the oldest junior colleges in Texas in 1990. • The US Army operated Camp Maxey, an infantry- division training camp, from 1942 - 1945 just 10 miles north of Paris. Camp Maxey consisted of 36,683 acres providing space for 2,022 officers and 42,515 enlisted personnel. • In 2008, 600 American service personnel received training for the war in Iraq at the Camp Maxey site. • Paris was named the `Best Small Town in Texas' in 1998 in `The New Rating Guide to Life in America's Small Cities by Kevin Heubusch. Paris's Current Demographics • Population estimate - 25,171 • Ethnic breakdown - - 67.40 % White Non - Hispanic - 8.20 % Hispanic - 23.40 % African American - 1.50 % Asian - Indian - 3.50 % Other • Median household income - $32,137 Information obtained from U.S. Census Bureau - American Fact Finder 1 City of Paris Parks, Recreation & Open Space Master Plan 2013 -2023 Page 4