Featured Locations: South Paris, ME
Like so many towns in Maine, South Paris sprung up as the result of a mill, this time one located on the Little Androscoggin River. Being neighborly is second-nature here and history is embraced rather than forgotten. It’s a place where tradition and progress coexist quite happily, and if you’re lucky enough to be working in South Paris, you may soon find yourself questioning why you ever thought big-city living was the way to go.
Average Income
$27,569
Current Weather
Average Population
2,267
Points Of Interest
Deering Memorial United Methodist Church
Another building that has landed a spot on the National Register of Historic Places is Deering Memorial United Methodist Church. Though the church is no longer a formal place of worship, it’s still respected both for its ties to South Paris’s early days and for its architectural significance as the only Maine-based example of noted architects Sidney Badgley and William H. Nicklas.
Hamlin Memorial Library & Museum
There are more artifacts from South Paris’s past in the Hamlin Memorial Library & Museum. The building itself was constructed in 1822 using granite blocks from the Oxford quarry but it’s the extensive collection of Lincoln-Hamlin campaign artifacts, portraits of prominent Paris families, local gems and minerals, maps, and other curiosities that make the museum and library so important.
Things To Do
South Paris and neighboring Norway are both part of the Oxford Hills Region, a section that has become known as the “Gemstone Capital of Maine”. Anyone can go foraging in the area’s mines and you may even be able to snag yourself a nugget of crystal, quartz, or tourmaline.
Make time to visit the Western Foothills Land Trust, a preserve that overlooks Lake Pennesseewassee, and you can take part in formal events like the Norway Triathlon, fish for oodles of brown trout and bass, or try your hand at other invigorating pursuits like biking, hiking, or cross-country skiing. For even more adventure, there are rafting trips down the frothy waters of the Little Androscoggin River.
The more unconventional side of South Paris is encapsulated in the zany antics of Celebration Barn Theater, a place where creativity and physical comedy join forces with wildly entertaining results. Take a workshop with one of the artists in residence or buy tickets to a show in the theater’s stunning restored horse barn and prepare to be impressed.