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 1850. 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.
The first “long distance” telephone call was made on August 10, 1876, by the father of the inventor of the telephone, Alexander Melville Bell, from downtown Brantford. Alexander Graham Bell received the call at a telegraph office located at 91 Grand River Street North in Paris, currently the River Lily retail store.
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 leases space for broadcast clients including Conestoga College‘s campus radio station CJIQ as well as rebroadcasters of CBLA, CBL-FM, CJBC-FM and CBLN-1.
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.
Education
- Central Public School
- Cobblestone Elementary
- Sacred Heart Elementary
- Holy Family Elementary
- Northward Public School
- 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
- Syl Apps, Olympian in hockey, Toronto Maple Leafs player, and Member of Provincial Parliament
- John Bemrose, author of The Island Walkers
- Todd Brooker, alpine skier
- 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.
- 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
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
Information about Paris taken from Wikipedia

