Why is there a Paris, Tennessee?

[proud2BlibKansan]

I mean, come on, they don't even speak French in Tennessee, do they? And I'll bet they don't have an Eiffel Tower there either or a Louvres.

This is just wrong. Something should be done about it.

[redstateblues]

1. Same reason there's a Vienna, GA , London, KY or Athens GA

[proud2BlibKansan]

3. Well my grandma was born in Paris, Tennessee

and she didn't speak French.

[Egalitariat]

27. Cairo, Ga - pronounced K-Ro. Home of the fightin' Syrupmakers!

nm

[EST]

2. Move it to Versailles, Ky.

[trof]

19. Pronounced "Ver-sales".

Honest.

[johnaries]

4. Paris, TN DOES have an Eiffel Tower!

http://www.paris.tn.org/eiffel2001.htm

It's a great little town! And many folks in TN know French!

BTW, I know you're making fun of that other thread, but don't pick on Paris!

[proud2BlibKansan]

7. Shhh

There are no copycat threads allowed in GD.

[johnaries]

14. Oops! Too late!

sorry....
:hi:

[ashling]

17. Paris, Texas

has an Eifel Tower, too.

But , alas, there is no Black Sea near Odessa, Texas

[Xipe Totec]

24. I'd rather sleep in Comfort

Between Alice and Victoria, Texas.

[IntravenousDemilo]

31. No Black Sea?

Wait till another oil tanker spills in the Gulf of Mexico -- yeah, I know, Odessa is clear on the other side of Texas. Still...

[IntravenousDemilo]

30. "And many folks in TN know French"

Ah, yes, but do they know Greek?

[IDemo]

5. There is also a Paris, Idaho, and a Moscow, Idaho

[Xipe Totec]

23. Texas as well

Moscow, Paris, and Palestine.

[countingbluecars]

6. It's probably because

they have a Target there!

[eppur_se_muova]

15. That's tar-ZHAY, right? nt

[countingbluecars]

20. Right.

I have to brush up on my French.

[NanceGreggs]

8. Why is there a Paris Hilton?

As long as you're bringing up the subject of the totally inexplicable ...

[IDemo]

10. To compete with the Paris Motel 6, of course

[HysteryDiagnosis]

9. A possible explanation......

http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0108274.html

First visited by the Spanish explorer Hernando de Soto in 1540, the Tennessee area would later be claimed by both France and England as a result of the 1670s and 1680s explorations of Jacques Marquette and Louis Joliet, Sieur de la Salle, and James Needham and Gabriel Arthur. Great Britain obtained the area after the French and Indian Wars in 1763.

During 1784–1787, the settlers formed the “state” of Franklin, which was disbanded when the region was allowed to send representatives to the North Carolina legislature. In 1790 Congress organized the territory south of the Ohio River, and Tennessee joined the Union in 1796.

Although Tennessee joined the Confederacy during the Civil War, there was much pro-Union sentiment in the state, which was the scene of extensive military action.

The state is now predominantly industrial; the majority of its population lives in urban areas. Among the most important products are chemicals, textiles, apparel, electrical machinery, furniture, and leather goods. Other lines include food processing, lumber, primary metals, and metal products. The state ranks high in the production of marble, zinc, pyrite, and ball clay.


Juggling 9 balls.... dayam..... ----> http://jasongarfield.com/videoclips/9balls.mov

[Zen Democrat]

11. The same reason there's a Paris, Texas.

And a Moscow, Texas.

[boobooday]

12. Lots of French trappers

originally were settling around these parts. I'm in Indiana, where we have many towns with French names.

Of course there's French Lick, to be obvious.

But there is also a tiny town near here called Gnaw Bone. Somebody told me it was a mutation of Norbonne . . .

[eppur_se_muova]

18. You got nothing on Big Bone Lick, Kentucky. nt

[boobooday]

28. Well south of here, there is "Floyd's Knob"

:rofl:

If we combined some of these towns, it would be really X-rated!

[MuseRider]

13. Ahahahaha!

WTG Proud!

I had to leave to go feed the horses and put blankets on so I just got back to see this. This'll learn em!

[LizMoonstar]

16. How about Illinois?

We've got Milan (my-lin), Cairo (cay-roh), Pekin (pee-kin), and Orion (ore-ee-in)!

[Radical Activist]

22. Plus Athens, Lebanon, New Berlin

which are all pronounced differently than one would think.

[eppur_se_muova]

21. There's an Athens, AL, and a Troy, AL. Both university towns.

Evidently in the 19th century there was a rage for naming towns after places and figures of Greek and Roman antiquity. Lots of Athenses, Troys, Romes, Carthages, Syracuses, Spartas, etc. And Paris was a Trojan prince, according to Homer.

[Punkingal]

25. Well, I live in Tennessee....

And I speak French....I don't live in Paris, though. Hank Williams Jr. does, or at least he used to.
Parlez vous francais?

[IrishBloodEngHeart]

26. one of my favorite John Prine songs answers that question:

(we're not) the jet set

By a fountain back in rome i fell in love with you
In a small cafe in athens you said you loved me too
And it was april in paris when i first held you close to me
Rome, georgia, athens, texas and paris, tennessee

No, we're not the jet set
We're the old chevro-let set
There's no riviera
In festus, missouri
And you won't find onassis
In mullinville, kansas
No, we're not the jet set
We're the old chevro-let set
But ain't we got love

No, we're not the jet set
We're the old chevro-let set
Our steak and martinis
Is draft beer with weenies
Our bach and tchaikovsky
Is haggard and husky
No, we're not the jet set
We're the old chevro-let set
But ain't we got love

No, we're not the jet set
We're the old chevro-let set
The prine and dement set
Ain't the flaming suzette set
Our bach and tchaikovsky
Is haggard and husky
We're the old chevro-let set

[carpetbagger]

29. In honor of Lafayette after his visit to Tennessee.

That's what the town website says.

[RoyGBiv]

32. LOL ...

:rofl:

Good one. :hi:

[IntravenousDemilo]

33. Think that's weird? How about Toronto, NSW, Australia

When exactly did the Mohawks colonize that continent anyway? I must have missed that.