Paris is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Green Charter Township,

Mecosta County Mecosta County ( ) is a county located in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 Census, the population was 39,714. The county seat is Big Rapids. The county is named after Chief Mecosta, the leader of the Potawatomi Native American trib ...

, Michigan, United States. The population was 271 at the 2020 census, the first which recorded data specifically for the community.

History

John Parish is considered the "father" of the village, having arrived in the 1850s and then platting the village in 1865. It was at first named "Parish" after him, but the name later became Paris. A fire on May 26, 1879, destroyed a large portion of the village, including records of Green Township. The Paris ZIP code, 49338, serves the northwest portion of Green Township. Paris Park, at the northern edge of the community, was the site of the second fish hatchery in the state of Michigan. The Paris Fish Hatchery opened in 1881, and from 1913 to 1938, salmon and

brown trout The brown trout (''Salmo trutta'') is a European species of salmonid fish that has been widely introduced into suitable environments globally. It includes purely freshwater populations, referred to as the riverine ecotype, ''Salmo trutta'' morph ...

fingerlings were shipped by rail baggage cars in milk cans painted a distinctive red. The Works Progress Administration renovated and expanded the facility in the mid-1930s. The hatchery operated until 1964, and in 1972 was acquired by the Mecosta County Park Commission and refurbished as a park that reopened in July 1976. In 1980, students from the Mecosta-Osceola Career Center in

Big Rapids Big Rapids is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 10,601 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Mecosta County. The city is located within Big Rapids Township, but it is politically independent. Big Rapids is home o ...

built a replica of the Eiffel Tower out of metal frames from WPA workers' beds that had been stored in barns.20-Ft. Tall Eiffel Tower and 8-Ft. Tall Indian, Paris, Michigan
RoadsideAmerica.com

Geography

Paris is in northwestern Mecosta County, slightly north of the center of Green Township. It is bordered to the east by the Muskegon River, a south-flowing tributary of

Lake Michigan Lake Michigan is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is the second-largest of the Great Lakes by volume () and the third-largest by surface area (), after Lake Superior and Lake Huron. To the east, its basin is conjoined with that o ...

, the Mecosta county seat, is to the south, and

Reed City Reed City is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 2,425 at the 2010 census. It is located in southwestern Osceola County and is the county seat. Geography According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total ar ...

is to the north. According to the

U.S. Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...

, the Paris CDP has a total area of , of which }, or 2.94%, are water.

References

{{authority control Census-designated places in Michigan Census-designated places in Mecosta County, Michigan Unincorporated communities in Michigan Unincorporated communities in Mecosta County, Michigan