Paris, city, seat (1844) of Lamar county, northeastern Texas, on a ridge between the Red and Sulphur rivers, some 105 miles (170 km) northeast of Dallas. Laid out in 1845 and named for Paris, France, it developed after the arrival of the railroad in 1876. The city was replanned after a disastrous fire in 1916. The city was rebuilt after a tornado destroyed more than 1,500 homes and buildings in April 1982. (Texas—along with portions of Kansas, Oklahoma, and Nebraska—lies within a tornado-prone area known as Tornado Alley.) A shipping point for cotton, grain, and livestock of the Blacklands Belt, it also has some light manufacturing. Paris also serves as a regional medical center for northwest Texas and southeast Oklahoma. Paris Junior College was established in 1924. The Sam Bell Maxey House, built in 1868, is preserved as a state historic site. The city also boasts a 65-foot (20-meter) replica of the Eiffel Tower topped by a cowboy hat. Gambill Wildlife Refuge on Lake Gibbons is nearby. Inc. town, 1845; city, 1905. Pop. (2000) 25,898; (2010) 25,171.