Paris is now a small unincorporated community in Fauquier County, Virginia, United States. Located in Virginia's hunt country, it was established in a strategic spot at the eastern base of Ashby Gap along U.S. Route 17 and U.S. Route 50.Peter Glascock acquired the deed for what became the town in 1786 from Thomas Lord Fairfax, since it had been part of his Leeds Manor. Kimball Hicks had operated a tavern nearby since 1782, and Glascock also operated a similar venture, both of which were sometimes cited for failure to adhere to the terms of their licenses. A post office existed by 1800. The Virginia General Assembly in 1810 issued a charter for a town at the intersection of Ashby Gap Road and the Dumfries-Winchester Road, although the town was actually platted two decades earlier. In 1819 the town was named to memorialize the tour of the returning Marquis de Lafayette to the United States after the War of 1812.