[3] Paris was established in 1826 on land donated by Samuel Vance to be the county seat, and was incorporated as a village in 1849.

Newton Booth later moved west to California, where he served as governor and a U.S. senator.

In 1907, L. A. G. Shoaff bought the Centralia White Stockings and renamed them the Paris Colts.

James C. Dickey's submission, the Paris Lakers, was chosen.

The Lakers were the 1956 Midwest League Champions and were an affiliate of the Chicago Cubs.

One railroad passes through town, a Decatur & Eastern Illinois line that goes north to Danville and southeast to Terre Haute, Indiana.

The Edgar County Airport is located north of the city.

32.90% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.69% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

[10] Paris Cooperative High School's mascot is the tiger and its colors are orange and black.

Climate is characterized by relatively high temperatures and evenly distributed precipitation throughout the year.