South Paris, Maine

During the 19th-century, the Little Androscoggin River provided water power to operate mills in South Paris, and the village grew up around them. The opening of the Atlantic and St. Lawrence Railroad on June 8, 1850, further spurred development of the small mill town. In the 1890s, the Oxford County Courthouse moved from Paris Hill to be near the Grand Trunk Railway station. Much of the manufacturing and industry faded with the Great Depression, but South Paris remains the commercial section of Paris, and retains much of its Victorian era architecture. Oxford Hills Comprehensive High School, the regional high school, was founded in South Paris in 1961. Actress Reta Shaw was born in South Paris in 1912. ==Geography==

According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 4.0 square miles (10.2 km), of which 3.9 square miles (10.0 km) is land and 0.1 square mile (0.2 km) (2.03%) is water. South Paris is drained by the Little Androscoggin River. The town is crossed by Maine State Route 26, 117, 118 and 119. The town has a small park, Moore Park, with a new, fenced in playground for children to play in. Moore Park no longer has a water fountain, but there is a monument in the center with a gazebo to one side for public events. ==Demographics==

2020 census As of the 2020 census, South Paris had a population of 2,183. The median age was 47.8 years. 18.8% of residents were under the age of 18 and 25.6% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 84.7 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 89.1 males age 18 and over. 87.4% of residents lived in urban areas, while 12.6% lived in rural areas. There were 1,024 households in South Paris, of which 24.1% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 32.3% were married-couple households, 23.2% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 33.1% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 38.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 17.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. There were 1,111 housing units, of which 7.8% were vacant. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.5% and the rental vacancy rate was 5.0%. File:Pleasant Street, South Paris, ME.jpg|Pleasant Street in 1913 File:Railroad Station, South Paris, ME.jpg|Railroad station c. 1915 File:Fountain in Moore Park, South Paris, ME.jpg|Moore Park in 1909 ==Notable people==

• Cora S. Briggs, organist and composer • James Deering, industrial executive, socialite and antiquities collector • Hannibal Hamlin, First vice president for Abraham Lincoln • Reta Shaw, actress ==Sites of interest==

• Celebration Barn Theater • Paris Cape Historical Society ==References==