Paradise was established in 1873 under the name Eldorado. The name was changed to Paradise Prairie in 1876 when the post office opened, as there was already an Eldorado, Texas. The name Paradise Prairie was chosen due to the wildflowers that grew in the area, though local folklore claims that it got its name because the area was a "paradise" for cowboys who would herd their cattle to Kansas for market.
Paradise was moved a mile to the northeast in 1893 to be closer to the newly constructed Rock Island Railroad. The new post office dropped "Prairie" from its name.
Paradise was officially incorporated in 1996, having previously been an unincorporated community.
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.
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). How TownRatings grades history →
From Wikimedia Commons (2), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
2004