Small Towns of Virginia Series

Small Towns of Virginia Series - Paris

The Ashby Inn makes Paris well known throughout Northern Virginia.

Usually a town of 49 residents is forgotten when it is near one of the largest population centers of the United States. But amid the rolling hills of Northern Virginia sits the tiny hamlet of Paris which for centuries has attracted many of our nation's leaders. Originally called Pun'kinville, Paris is named in honor of the Marquis de LaFayette. The village that sits in a hidden corner of the intersections of Routes 17 & 50 is home of the well-known Ashby Inn & Restaurant. The 1829 inn has received numerous national reviews for its fine dining and lodging at its Bed & Breakfast.

Paris sits in the middle of one of the largest fox hunt and steeplechasing regions in the nation. The landscape is full of decades and centuries old farms that create one of the most lush landscapes in Virginia. Sky Meadows State Park, which is two miles to the south on Route 17, is home to many equestrian paths and many times motorists will share the two lane Route 17 with horse back riders. The park is a relatively recent addition to the area as it was created out of donated land in 1975.

To get to Paris take either Route 50 East or West to where it meets Route 17 west of Upperville. Head south on US 17 to Route 701 and turn right.

Site Navigation:

Return to Small Towns of Virginia Series Index

Comments

Paper Highways: The Unbuilt New Orleans Bypass (Proposed I-410)

There are many examples around the United States of proposed freeway corridors in urban areas that never saw the light of day for one reason or another. They all fall somewhere in between the little-known and the infamous and from the mundane to the spectacular. One of the more obscure and interesting examples of such a project is the short-lived idea to construct a southern beltway for the New Orleans metropolitan area in the 1960s and 70s. Greater New Orleans and its surrounding area grew rapidly in the years after World War II, as suburban sprawl encroached on the historically rural downriver parishes around the city. In response to the development of the region’s Westbank and the emergence of communities in St. Charles and St. John the Baptist Parishes as viable suburban communities during this period, regional planners began to consider concepts for new infrastructure projects to serve this growing population. The idea for a circular freeway around the southern perimeter of t

Hernando de Soto Bridge (Memphis, TN)

The newest of the bridges that span the lower Mississippi River at Memphis, the Hernando de Soto Bridge was completed in 1973 and carries Interstate 40 between downtown Memphis and West Memphis, AR. The bridge’s signature M-shaped superstructure makes it an instantly recognizable landmark in the city and one of the most visually unique bridges on the Mississippi River. As early as 1953, Memphis city planners recommended the construction of a second highway bridge across the Mississippi River to connect the city with West Memphis, AR. The Memphis & Arkansas Bridge had been completed only four years earlier a couple miles downriver from downtown, however it was expected that long-term growth in the metro area would warrant the construction of an additional bridge, the fourth crossing of the Mississippi River to be built at Memphis, in the not-too-distant future. Unlike the previous three Mississippi River bridges to be built the city, the location chosen for this bridge was about two

Huey P. Long Bridge (New Orleans, LA)

Located on the lower Mississippi River a few miles west of New Orleans, the Huey P. Long Bridge is an enormous steel truss bridge that carries both road and rail traffic on an old-time structure that is a fascinating example of a bridge that has evolved in recent years to meet the traffic and safety demands of modern times. While officially located in suburban Jefferson Parish near the unincorporated community of Bridge City, this bridge’s location is most often associated with New Orleans, given that it’s the largest and most recognizable incorporated population center in the nearby vicinity. For this reason, this blog article considers the bridge’s location to be in New Orleans, even though this isn’t 100% geographically correct. Completed in 1935 as the first bridge across the Mississippi River in Louisiana and the first to be built in the New Orleans area, this bridge is one of two bridges on the Mississippi named for Huey P. Long, a Louisiana politician who served as the 40th Gove

Gribblenation

Search This Blog