Paris’ post office opened in 1874, and 16% of its homes were built before 1940
More historic than 71% of U.S. towns · #18 of 123 in Arkansas. What drives it
13 places in town are on the National Register, among them a historic district with 35 buildings. Below: 4 old photos and papers, maps from 1887 on, and the census since 1890.
Founding year: the first Paris post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Paris’ History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Paris is more historic than 71% of U.S. towns, #18 of 123 in Arkansas. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its age pulls it down.
B+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Paris’ overall grade.
Arkansas towns list more on the Register than most of the country (a typical Arkansas town has 20.5 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Paris’ 143 sits above most of its state (92% of Arkansas towns have fewer) while its 47 historic buildings outnumber those of 84% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C+ to A−. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±7.8 points). The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date.
Founding year: the first post office (other dates in Quick answers). Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →
What stands out about Paris’ past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Pioneers settled the area about 1820. The village of Paris was formed on the Old Military Road between Little Rock and Fort Smith, and 5 miles (8 km) south of the Arkansas River. The Logan County seat, Paris, was named after the French capital in 1874. Paris was incorporated on February 18, 1879.
The villagers constructed a one-story frame courthouse. The town prison was constructed nearly three blocks from the courthouse, and remained the town's prison for many years. The prison now serves as the Logan County Museum.
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Fire insurance maps drew every building, what it was made of and what it was used for, so insurers could price the risk of fire. Pick a year, then a sheet.
The Paris post office opened in 1874, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Paris rank for history?
Paris is more historic than 71% of U.S. towns, #18 of 123 in Arkansas. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
What is on the National Register in Paris?
13 listings: 10 buildings, among them the Logan County Courthouse, Eastern District (listed 1976, the first), 1 historic district, the Paris Commercial Historic District, with 35 contributing buildings, and 2 structures. 47 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in Paris?
16% of Paris’ homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±7.8 points), against a typical 3.1% for an Arkansas town; the median home was built in 1970.
Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
From Wikimedia Commons (5), Wikidata (1), the National Register of Historic Places (13), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock), the USGS Geographic Names Information System and Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
1880
1880
2005
