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.[1][9][10][11]
In September 1957, West Paris was set off and incorporated as a town.[1][6]
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 24.40 square miles (63.20 km2), of which 24.24 square miles (62.78 km2) is land and 0.16 square miles (0.41 km2) is water.[12] Parts of West Paris act as a drainage basin for the Little Androscoggin River.
West Paris is home to Snow Falls, a 40-foot waterfall that drops into a gorge created by the Little Androscoggin River.[13]
This climatic region is typified by large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers and cold (sometimes severely cold) winters. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, West Paris has a humid continental climate, abbreviated "Dfb" on climate maps.[14]
As of the 2020 United States decennial census[7] and their demographics survey program, the American Community Survey,[15] there were 1,766 people in West Paris, with an estimated median age of 44.4 years.
2010 census
As of the census[16] of 2010, there were 1,812 people, 700 households, and 478 families living in the town. The population density was 74.8 inhabitants per square mile (28.9/km2). There were 812 housing units at an average density of 33.5 per square mile (12.9/km2). The racial makeup of the town was 97.4% White, 0.2% African American, 0.6% Native American, 0.2% Asian, 0.4% from other races, and 1.2% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.8% of the population.
There were 700 households, of which 34.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.0% were married couples living together, 12.0% had a female householder with no husband present, 7.3% had a male householder with no wife present, and 31.7% were non-families. 25.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.45 and the average family size was 2.84.
The median age in the town was 41.6 years. 23.3% of residents were under the age of 18; 7.9% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 23.5% were from 25 to 44; 26.7% were from 45 to 64; and 18.6% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the town was 49.4% male and 50.6% female.