Paris, Ontario

Riverfront in Paris

Corner of William and Grand River

A house in Paris

Paris, Ontario (2006 Urban Area population, 11,177) is a community on the Grand River in Ontario, Canada. The town was established in 1850. In 1999, its town government was amalgamated into that of the County of Brant, Ontario, thus ending about 149 years as a separate incorporated municipality.

History

The town was first settled in 1829, when its founder, Hiram Capron, bought the land and built a mill on the present townsite. The town of Paris was officially established in 1856. Since the late 1990s, Paris has experienced substantial population growth, which may be in part attributed to the rising popularity of rural communities among GTA bound commuters (see bedroom community) and the completion of Highway 403 between Hamilton and Woodstock.

Paris was named for the nearby deposits of gypsum, used to make plaster of Paris. Paris is referred to as "the cobblestone capital of Canada" (in reference to a number of aged cobblestone houses). Paris, Ontario is located at 43°12′N 80°23′W / 43.2°N 80.383°W / 43.2; -80.383.

Paris is also the transmitter site for a number of broadcast radio and TV stations serving the Brantford and Kitchener-Waterloo areas. The actual tower site is 475 Ayr Road, just south of Ayr, Ontario, and it was erected and owned by Global Television Network in 1973 for CIII-TV; it was the main transmitter for the southern Ontario Global network until 2009, when a Toronto rebroadcaster was redesignated as the main transmitter.^[1] Global leases space on the Ayr tower for broadcast clients including Conestoga College's campus radio station CJIQ-FM as well as local rebroadcasters of CBLA-FM, CBL-FM, CJBC-FM and CBLT.^{[citation needed]}

The town hosts an annual "Fall Fair", a carnival which takes place over the Labour Day weekend. The Fall Fair features several rural lifestyle exhibits, as well as a midway which is complete with carnival games, rides, demolition derbies, Armchair Quarterback, and the Gravitron. It is also the northernmost community to participate in Southern Ontario's Green Energy Hub.

Sights and Attractions

• Barker's Bush is an historic network of community walking/biking trails, rare Carolinian forest, thriving ecosystem and natural corridors. Its main access is through Lion's Park.

Education

• Paris Central Public School is an elementary school that is located near the center or downtown, with over 300 students. Children are close to major town attractions. It is a part of the Grand Erie District School Board.
• Paris District High School (PDHS), founded 1923, is a regional high school in the town, with over 1000 students.

Movies shot in Paris

• Away from Her (2006)
• The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio (2005)
• Phil the Alien (exteriors) (2005)
• Shadow Builder (1998)
• Spenser: Pale Kings and Princes (1994) (Television)
• Ordinary Magic (1993)
• Blood & Guts (1978)
• The Hard Part Begins (1973)

Famous people

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(ordered by last names)

• Syl Apps, Olympian in pole vaulting, Toronto Maple Leafs hockey player, and Member of Provincial Parliament
• John Bemrose, author of The Island Walkers
• Todd Brooker, alpine skier
• Zac Dalpe, Carolina Hurricanes hockey player
• Deborah Ellis, writer of award-winning children's novels
• Wayne Gretzky's father, Walter Gretzky, attended high school in Paris from the family farm in nearby Canning, Ontario.
• David Edward Mellor, Male Adult Actor
• John Muckler, NHL Coach and General Manager
• Ted Reader, celebrity chef
• Linda Schuyler, television producer of Degrassi franchise
• Barry Silverthorn, documentary producer of The End of Suburbia
• Albert Johnson Walker, infamous conman and convicted killer
• Jay Wells, New York Rangers ice hockey player champion

Service Clubs

• The Lions Club of Paris
• The Kiwanis Club of Paris
• The Optimist Club of Paris
• Kinsmen Club of Brantford(Serving Brantford and Brant County)

Buildings and Structures

• CIII Television Tower
• The Historic Arlington Hotel
• The Canadian Tavern
• Paris Branch of the County of Brant Public Library (a Carnegie Library)
• The Cedar House 12 Broadway St. W (formerly the old mill that ran the raceway from the Nith River to the Grand River)

Festivals and Events

• Brants Festivals & Events
• The Cobblestone Festival
• The Paris Fair
• Springtime In Paris
• Christmas in Paris
• Kinsmen Annual Car Show & Swap Meet

See also

• At The Forks of The Grand - history book about the town

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Paris, Ontario

• The County of Brant
• Brant Tourism
• Paris Business Directory
• Kinsmen Club of Brantford
• Collection of historical photographs of Paris
  • Second collection at the same website
• Historic photos of Paris Central Public School.