Why visit South Paris
Townapedia lists 16 museums and landmarks, 18 parks and trails, 20 places to eat and 3 attractions in and around town.
Highlights include Flagship Cinemas, Brett Hill, Norway Historic District and Paris Public Library.
July is the warmest month, with average highs of 79°F; January lows average 10°F, and about 78 inches of snow fall in a normal year.
Weather in South Paris
Forecast from the National Weather Service. Full forecast
About South Paris
South Paris is a census-designated place (CDP) located within the town of Paris in Oxford County, Maine, United States. As of the 2020 census, South Paris had a population of 2,183. South Paris is included in the Lewiston-Auburn, Maine metropolitan New England City and Town Area. While the CDP refers only to the densely settled area in the southern part of the town of Paris, the entire town, outside of Paris Hill, is located within the South Paris ZIP code, resulting in many residents referring to the entire town as South Paris.
From the Wikipedia article South Paris, Maine (this version), under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Things to do3
Museums and landmarks16
Norway Historic District
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 1.4 mi
Historic district in Maine, United States
Paris Public Library
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 0.4 mi
Library building in Paris, Maine
37 Market Square, South Paris
Elisha F. Stone House
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 0.5 mi
House in Paris, Maine
Hersey Plow Company Building
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 0.4 mi
Building in Paris, United States of America
McLaughlin House and Garden
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places
Historic house in Maine, United States
Nathaniel and Elizabeth Bennett House
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 3.1 mi
Historic house in Maine, United States
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Paris Hill Historic District
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 3.1 mi
Historic district in Maine, United States
Robinson-Parsons Farm
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 2.0 mi
Paris, Maine, listed on the NRHP in Oxford County, Maine
Oxford County Fairground
Monument and historic site · 2.0 mi
67 Pottle Road, Oxford
4 more on the map.
Parks, trails and playgrounds18
6 more on the map.
Restaurants and cafes20
Mayflower Chinese Restaurnant
Restaurant · Chinese · 0.5 mi
179 Main Street, South Paris
Tu-Th 11:00-20:00; Fr-Sa 11:00-20:30; Su 12:00-20:00
Ocean Pearl
Restaurant · Chinese · 1.8 mi
1570 Main Street, Oxford
Mo-Th 11:00-20:30; Fr-Sa 11:00-21:00; Su 12:00-20:30
8 more on the map.
History
On November 4, 1773, when the Proprietors were lotting out the township, they held a meeting at Coolidge Tavern in Watertown, Massachusetts and they voted that there be reserved for the use of the proprietors their heirs and assigns forever two rods in width on the eastward side of every range line through the length of the township for the conveniency of ways if it shall be needed, establishing rangeways to prevent landlocking and segregation in the township of Paris and West Paris.
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.
From the History section of South Paris, Maine on Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Churches and places of worship10
Deering Memorial United Methodist Church
Church · National Register of Historic Places · 0.4 mi
Saint Catherine of Sienna Catholic Church
Church · Roman Catholic · 1.0 mi
32 Paris Street, Norway
First Unitarian Universalist Church of South Paris
Place of worship
36 Pine Street, Paris
Shopping6
Gas and EV charging5
Schools, colleges and libraries9
Healthcare1
Map of South Paris
88 places. The map loads OpenStreetMap tiles when you open it.
Climate by month
Monthly table
| Month | High | Low | Rain | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 28°F | 10°F | 3.6 in | 17.3 in |
| Feb | 31°F | 12°F | 3.0 in | 20.7 in |
| Mar | 39°F | 21°F | 3.8 in | 13.3 in |
| Apr | 52°F | 33°F | 4.2 in | 4.9 in |
| May | 65°F | 43°F | 3.8 in | 0.3 in |
| Jun | 74°F | 53°F | 4.4 in | 0.0 in |
| Jul | 79°F | 59°F | 3.9 in | 0.0 in |
| Aug | 78°F | 57°F | 3.5 in | 0.0 in |
| Sep | 70°F | 49°F | 3.9 in | 0.0 in |
| Oct | 57°F | 39°F | 5.1 in | 0.2 in |
| Nov | 45°F | 28°F | 4.4 in | 3.8 in |
| Dec | 34°F | 18°F | 4.4 in | 17.2 in |
U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020 for Turner (13 mi away), NOAA NCEI.
People and cost of living
American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020-2024, U.S. Census Bureau. Estimates have margins of error, larger for small towns.
Disaster history
Oxford County has had 23 federal disaster declarations since 2000, most often for severe storms.
- 2024-01-30: Severe Storm And Flooding (Severe Storm)
- 2023-09-14: Hurricane Lee (Hurricane)
- 2023-09-06: Severe Storm And Flooding (Flood)
- 2023-07-06: Severe Storm And Flooding (Flood)
- 2023-03-22: Severe Storm And Flooding (Severe Storm)
- 2020-04-04: Covid-19 Pandemic (Biological)
OpenFEMA disaster declarations summaries.
Getting there and nearby towns
Auburn-Lewiston Municipal Airport (LEW) is the nearest airport with scheduled flights listed in OpenStreetMap, 16 miles away.
- Norway 3 mi west, about 4 min by car
- Oxford 5 mi south, about 8 min by car
- Mechanic Falls 9 mi southeast, about 15 min by car
- Bridgton 14 mi southwest, about 23 min by car
- Auburn 16 mi southeast, about 26 min by car
- Greene 18 mi east, about 29 min by car
- Lewiston 19 mi southeast, about 31 min by car
- Dixfield 22 mi north, about 36 min by car
- Rumford 23 mi north, about 37 min by car
- Lisbon 24 mi southeast, about 39 min by car
Drive times are estimates from straight-line distance, not routes.
Local news
Headlines from INDB, the NEMICO news database.
Reviews, tips and questions
Loading what members have shared...
Sources and licences
- NCES EDGE (Public domain): public schools
- NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020 (Public domain): climate by month
- OpenFEMA (Public domain): disaster declarations
- OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL 1.0): places, airports, map data
- U.S. Census Bureau (Public domain): population, income, housing, education, commute
- Wikidata (CC0 1.0): elevation, founding date, time zone, website, landmarks and historic places
- Wikimedia Commons (see each image): photos
- Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0): overview and history text
Photo credits
- View of Market Square, South Paris, ME, Unknown photographer, Public domain
- South Paris station (1), January 2017, Pi.1415926535, CC BY-SA 3.0
- St Lawrence & Atlantic snowplow opposite South Paris station, January 2017, Pi.1415926535, CC BY-SA 3.0
- South Paris station (2), January 2017, Pi.1415926535, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Deering Memorial Church, South Paris, ME, Unknown author Unknown author, Public domain
- NorwayME BennettHouse, Magicpiano, CC BY-SA 3.0
- ParisME ParisHill BaptistChurch, Magicpiano, CC BY-SA 3.0
- ParisME MclaughlinHouse, Magicpiano, CC BY-SA 3.0
- ParisME BrickSchool, Magicpiano, CC BY-SA 4.0
- ParisME DeeringMemorialUnitedChurch, Magicpiano, CC BY-SA 3.0
- ParisME PublicLibrary, Magicpiano, CC BY-SA 3.0
- ParisME HersheyPlowCompanyBuilding, Magicpiano, CC BY-SA 3.0
- ParisME ElishaFStoneHouse, Magicpiano, CC BY-SA 3.0
- ISS054-E-13053 - View of Earth, Earth Science and Remote Sensing Unit, NASA Johnson Space Center, Public domain
- ISS038-E-55569 - View of Earth, Earth Science and Remote Sensing Unit , Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center, Public domain
- ISS054-E-9832 - View of Earth, Earth Science and Remote Sensing Unit, NASA Johnson Space Center, Public domain
- ISS049-E-30861 - View of Earth, Earth Science and Remote Sensing Unit , Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center, Public domain
- ISS038-E-55567 - View of Earth, Earth Science and Remote Sensing Unit , Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center, Public domain
- ISS038-E-55568 - View of Earth, Earth Science and Remote Sensing Unit , Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center, Public domain
- NorwayME 1899Shop, Magicpiano, CC BY-SA 3.0
- NorwayME OperaHouse, Magicpiano, CC BY-SA 3.0
- NorwayME DowntownStreetScene, Magicpiano, CC BY-SA 3.0
- NorwayME FirstUniversalistChurch, Magicpiano, CC BY-SA 3.0
- ParisME ParsonsRobinsonHouse, Magicpiano, CC BY-SA 3.0
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